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| White Doves at Morning
- Reviews |
Simon and Schuster (November 2002)
From LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEWS
In a departure from his mystery novels featuring Dave Robicheaux and Billy
Bob Holland, Burke describes New Iberia, LA, during the Civil War and
Reconstruction. Young Willie Burke (an ancestor of the author) and two friends
join the Confederate army despite their doubts about some aspects of the Cause,
while in New Iberia Abigail Dowling, a nurse from Massachusetts, struggles to
act on her abolitionist beliefs. Abigail befriends Flower, a young slave who has
been secretly taught to read by Willie, and thus angers plantation owner Ira
Jamison (Flower's owner and biological father) and his overseer. In lyrical and
evocative prose, Burke depicts both the boredom and horror of army life and the
injustices visited upon blacks and poor whites by the "haves in Southern society.
He starkly conveys the desperation felt by those who have no power or voice and
vividly creates a sense of place and character. This novel parallels Paulette
Jiles's successful Enemy Women in its literary quality and use of family stories
for background, but diehard fans of Burke's mysteries may not be interested.
Recommended for medium and large public libraries and where Civil War novels are
popular. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/02.] - Ann Fleury, Tampa -
Hillsborough Cty. P.L., FL
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