THE BLACK FLOWER

It is the afternoon before another battle in 1864; the soldiers are war-weary Confederate troops facing possible defeat. Bushrod Carter contemplates his future and ruminates about past battles and adventures. Bahr has created a highly visual novel, describing all the minutiae of war and the ravaged countryside. Emerson’s monotonous tone drones on and on, never getting caught up in the action, fear and horror of the Civil War. Rather, Emerson echoes the weariness of the troops as they struggle to survive yet another day and continue to fight for their cause. With the stream of consciousness shifting of scenes, the listener will have to keep very alert to follow both the story and the messages of this novel. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]