The author said at the end that he considers this his best work, and I, despite never having read any of his other books, am inclined to agree, just bThe author said at the end that he considers this his best work, and I, despite never having read any of his other books, am inclined to agree, just because I enjoyed it so much.
This is partially due to the vivid writing, and also due to the amazing narrators who brought this story to life.
There's a full cast of them and it felt like they put their whole soul into those characters. I'd love to listen to something narrated by each of them again.
Also something I'd like to point out is that usually with full cast audiobooks there's also sound effects - but not here. Each character is played by a different voice actor, but that's it. So if you're someone who might not be the biggest fan of background noises you don't have to worry about that.
The most surprising thing about Flags on the Bayou for me was how casually funny it was. I'd find myself laughing out loud at some of the things the characters said. I suppose the humour was needed to balance out all of the violence.
But yeah, I loved everything, I'd reread this, and probably read everything else James Lee Burke has ever written....more
I've been meaning to start this series and I'm glad I finally did so. Although it's not exactly what I expected, but I still enjoyed it and will be coI've been meaning to start this series and I'm glad I finally did so. Although it's not exactly what I expected, but I still enjoyed it and will be continuing it at a later date. I'll probably expand my review of it then too. Possibly after a reread of the physical book (I listened to the audio this time around).
The best part is undoubtedly the atmosphere, and how the time period comes alive as you're reading. Every character has a distinct voice, so it's easy to remember who's who. And I do love them all.
I'm looking forward to following this family through all the battles, it seems like it'll be an interesting journey....more
Slowly making my way through Grant biographies, don't mind me. The audiobook helped A LOT.Slowly making my way through Grant biographies, don't mind me. The audiobook helped A LOT....more
I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope. If I took a star off for every time the hero and heroine misunderstood each other because they refuseI'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope. If I took a star off for every time the hero and heroine misunderstood each other because they refused to talk to one another like adults, this book would have no stars. So I decided to take one collective misunderstanding star off from my rating. But wait, how is it three and not four stars then?
Firstly, I absolutely loved the writing. It was beautiful and fitting to the time (more or less). It stayed that way throughout the book.
The descriptions of New Orleans were great too. I wasn't very fond of the scenery change at one point in the book, but they ended up back in NOLA so it's all good.
And it started off quite lovely, with Analise and Mark's first meeting. I thought their love story would be a sweet one (or as sweet as possible, with her being from the South and him from the North), not an annoying, angst-filled one.
And therein lies the problem. The love story itself is something that I didn't like. Misunderstandings aside, they both frustrated me to no end, especially Mark. Mark did not deserve Analise at any point. He's one of the worst heroes I've ever read about.
Time and time again, Mark is selfish and only thinks about himself, while poor Analise suffers because she loves him. I will say that AT LEAST it was accurate in that, the women of that time had to put up with a lot.
I also didn't like any of the conflict resolutions, both related to these two and not. Virtually every single conflict falls into the water when Mark goes and grabs Analise to kiss her. Arguing? Who was arguing? Certainly not us. Nope.
Similarly, the ending resolution. What the hell was that? More of the same old, same old. I am not convinced that things will go back to the way they were before after the last page. I wouldn't be surprised if Mark got right back up to his shenanigans at the first sign of trouble.
So yeah, there we are. That's why three stars....more
