Ira Smith's Reviews > Flags on the Bayou

Wow! Another magnificent novel from the pen of James Lee. Burke, whom I consider not just the best living American writer, but a national treasure.

Flags on the Bayou, while set in 1863 Louisiana, isn’t so much a Civil War novel as it is a meditation on the follies of war, the upheavals it causes. Told from multiple points of view, from both black and white characters, it is a stunning look at the corrupting influence of war, and it’s associated absurdities, and the transformative effects it has on ordinary people. This may be Burke’s best writing yet.

My heartfelt thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy of one of the best books of the year.