Re: [book_talk] book review - James Lee Burke
- From: "Audrey" <waterdiva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <book_talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:58:26 -0500
I had intended to aquaint myself with James Burke by reading Last Car to
Elysian Fields,
although I knew it was not anywhere near the start of a series. I figured
they all could most
likely stand alone.
The library send me the container for that book, but it was holding the book
titled Rain Gods, instead.
Since it was at least still a Burke book, I went ahead and listened. Not
sure why, I just had a hard time
staying with it. Probably a combination of just how tired I was feeling,
and a little bit of the narration just
barreling along. It wasn't bad sounding, it seemed to just be completely
somewhere else by the time I realized
I had gone way off on another brain distraction. I kept rewinding, trying
to figure out why I kept losing major
parts of what was going on. It seemed like I always went back to where I
remembered last being
consciously aware, but it kept being the same place, and I would spiral out
leading up to where I left off everytime.
Finally I woke up hours later at some point after doing this for about three
days, and heard the end of the book
wrapping up. I quit trying on that one, and sent it back in, since I had
called the library to find out how to mark the
container to get them to know something was mixed up. I now have the Last
Car to Elysian Fields, but haven't
listened to it yet.
Hackberry Holland was older in the book called, Rain God's. There was a lot
of driving and being in the middle of
nowhere descriptions that were so like most of my early life, that may have
been why I kept falling asleep, thinking
literally about the stretch of highway and several long durations of
countless hours of real life being on the road. Also,
I thought the book would be mostly about that character, but it was hard to
tell who the book was mostly about.
I'm thinking maybe if I start at the beginnings of the series and maybe read
that one again in a different format, it will be a
new experience. Also if I would catch up on sleep, and simulate air
conditioning. That might help. *smiles*
Audrey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bonnie L. Sherrell" <blslarner@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Blind Chit Chat" <Blind-Chit-Chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Books for the
Blind" <Books4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Blind Book Lovers Cafe"
<bblc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Book Talk" <book_talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 1:55 AM
Subject: [book_talk] book review - James Lee Burke
_Lay Down my Sword and Shield_
by James Lee Burke
read by Will Patton
Hackberry Holland was many things--a Korean War veteran who'd spent
time in a Chinese prisoner of war camp, a successful criminal defense
lawyer, husband to a beautiful if repressed socialite with ambitions to
enter the realms of power, an alcoholic in the making, a womanizer, and
now a candidate for
the House of Representatives from his district in a border section of
Texas. His brother Bailey is unhappy with him because Hack can no
longer be trusted to show up in the office on a regular basis; a good
part of why he's drinking is because of his wife's judgmental attitudes
and Southern Baptist prudishness; and he has questions as to what is
motivating the Senator who's promoting his run for Congress.
Into all of this comes a request from a former Marine buddy from the
days he was a Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine platoon in Korea to
file an appeal so as to get the friend out of prison. Artie had been
part of an attempt to unionize farm workers in southern Texas, and the
charges filed against him were largely falsified. In researching the
case against Artie, Hack meets many of those involved in trying to
improve living conditions and wages for migrant farm workers, and finds
himself caught in the middle of vicious attacks on the civil rights
workers and those they are trying to help.
He has many decisions to make, and priorities to set for himself if he
wishes to be true to himself and his values. And just possibly losing
all won't be anywhere as costly as everyone assures him it will be....
Will Patton does a superb job reading this early book by Burke, and it
was a distinct improvement over the guy who read the last book I
reviewed who was reading the first Billy Bob Holland story. Between
the reading and the writing this is a well executed depiction of life
in the height of the Civil Rights era in the late sixties and early
seventies. Young Hackberry is a believable and highly sympathetic
character in spite of his behavior, and I found myself rooting for him
against the corrupt and lax establishment that promotes exploitation of
the desperate and seeks to drag idealists down into its depths.
Highly recommended.
I got this from Audible. Available from Simon and Schuster.
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large
"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very
wise cannot see all ends." LOTR
"Don't go where I can't follow."
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