Helpful Score: 1
Harbor Lights in Murky Waters
Four stars. I cannot believe I would give James Lee Burke anything less than five, but here it is.
"Harbor Lights" is a collection of short stories by one of our greatest writers. I have read dozens of his books through the years and, even at 87, he shows no signs of slowing down, with a much-anticipated novel, "Clete," scheduled for June and another, "Don't Forget Me Little Bessie," finished and slated for next year.
What "Harbor Lights" brings us is a theme Mr. Burke has been focusing on the past few years. In the witnessing of good versus evil, he remains convinced that some people are different, springing from a different gene pool, with the capacity and nature to bully. It is the burden of good people to confront this evil-- frequently in these stories in a violent way. Burke's heroes are often men moved to their violent side due to some uncontrollable episode or justifiable response to the harm to others.
Burke's works have always had violence woven in, with the evil in the past walking hand in hand with the evil of the present; as he says, since Cain bashed Abel with the rock The same venom which fed the atrocities of slavery still runs in the veins of many today. In his last few books, I keep harkening back to the disillusioned Sheriff Ed Tom Bell from Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men," an older man unable to fathom the evil people are capable of.
"Harbor Lights" is a five-star read, but a four for me. His prose is beautiful, his characters unforgettable, the plotlines riveting, and there are always thought-provoking themes. I just want to see a glimmer of hope from one of my favorite authors, but he is painting very believable cages of despair. On the plus side, I am champing at the bit to tear into June's "Clete" release. Clete from the Robicheaux series is one of my favorite characters and it is about time he gets his own vehicle.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Four stars. I cannot believe I would give James Lee Burke anything less than five, but here it is.
"Harbor Lights" is a collection of short stories by one of our greatest writers. I have read dozens of his books through the years and, even at 87, he shows no signs of slowing down, with a much-anticipated novel, "Clete," scheduled for June and another, "Don't Forget Me Little Bessie," finished and slated for next year.
What "Harbor Lights" brings us is a theme Mr. Burke has been focusing on the past few years. In the witnessing of good versus evil, he remains convinced that some people are different, springing from a different gene pool, with the capacity and nature to bully. It is the burden of good people to confront this evil-- frequently in these stories in a violent way. Burke's heroes are often men moved to their violent side due to some uncontrollable episode or justifiable response to the harm to others.
Burke's works have always had violence woven in, with the evil in the past walking hand in hand with the evil of the present; as he says, since Cain bashed Abel with the rock The same venom which fed the atrocities of slavery still runs in the veins of many today. In his last few books, I keep harkening back to the disillusioned Sheriff Ed Tom Bell from Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men," an older man unable to fathom the evil people are capable of.
"Harbor Lights" is a five-star read, but a four for me. His prose is beautiful, his characters unforgettable, the plotlines riveting, and there are always thought-provoking themes. I just want to see a glimmer of hope from one of my favorite authors, but he is painting very believable cages of despair. On the plus side, I am champing at the bit to tear into June's "Clete" release. Clete from the Robicheaux series is one of my favorite characters and it is about time he gets his own vehicle.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
