At twenty-six, Bushrod Carter is already an old soldier, a veteran of all his regiment's campaigns since Shiloh. Now, on an Indian summer afternoon in 1864, Bushrod finds himself in the line of battle once again, on a plain below the obscure village of Franklin, Tennessee. In the madness and violence of the great battle, he must confront his soul and learn from his comrades as well as from a young girl struggling with her own harsh past.
This timeless portrait of a young man's suffering in war has won praise for its originality and power. The Black Flower is a story not only of war but of men and women seeking redemption. Stripped of all that anchors them, they at last turn to honor, courage, and love.
About the Author :
Howard Bahr, a native of Oxford, Mississippi, teaches English at Motlow State Community College in Tennessee. He is the author of numerous essays, articles, and short stories, many of which deal with the American Civil War.
Brian Emerson is an actor and technical director with a long career in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas.
Review :
"I finished it in one long draught, thinking as I read of Crane, Hemingway, Mailer, and Faulkner...but realizing at the end that it was altogether original."
-- "Ernest B. Furgurson, author of Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War"
"I recommend it highly."
-- "Shelby Foote, author of The Civil War Trilogy "
"[The] descriptive imagery...captures the sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste of war, and the use of detailed character development...reveals the emotional and mental perspectives of the young, battle-fatigued Confederate soldiers....An excellent novel."
-- "Kliatt"
"An impressive debut...haunting...A bleakly effective and economical account of men and women caught up in a bestial conflict."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Bahr's blend of historical fact with gut-wrenching emotion has produced a riveting novel of the Civil War, a frighteningly realistic portrait of men and women caught in an awfulness beyond their control."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
