Rating: 
Summary: The evils of war
Review: This one might bring some of you tough Civil War readers to tears. The story line is excellent and is set at Franklin, Tennessee. It is poignant, poetic, and terribly graphic in its' description of the horrors of war.
Free up some time for this one because you will likely not want to put it down. Very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written story
Review: Thoughtful and rich portrayal of a Confederate soldier in a late Civil War battle. Quite impressive examination into the many lives affected by civil war. An easy read, and although tragic, satisfying nonetheless. Belongs on everyone's must-read list!
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Book
Review: This was a wonderful story and beautifully written. The timeline is only about a day and a half but you get to know the characters so well and become so attached that it's hard to let go. Howard Bahr truly has a gift. I'm buying The Year of Jubilo next.
Rating:
Summary: Civil War gem
Review: Brilliantly written with amazing attention to detail and accuracy. Makes you feel as if you are living in the 1860s. This novel shows the humanity and the horror of the Civil War in can't-put-it-down prose and style.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Feelings on this book.
Review: Some parts of the book the dialog is brilliant, but in other parts the author seems to get side track into other things. For instance, in one part of the book the author uses 2 1/2 pages to discribe the journey of a wasp crawling up a wounded soldier's body. Whats that about? It didn't seem much to have to do with anything relevant to the story. The book reminds me of an impressionist painting. The picture (story) is unclear but you
can basically understand it. Not really my style.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Must Read for any Historical Fiction Lover!
Review: This book was released in the same year as Cold Mountain and was somehow relegated to the shadows. This is by far the best Civil War novel I've ever read. The characters are well developed and three-dimentional, and the plot keeps the reader turning the pages. Once you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down. The battle of Franklin is the back drop to this outstanding story, and the entire book takes place in a 48 hour period. Its romance aspect is never over-powering, and this book portrays the true emotion and impact this war had on everyone involved. It leaves the reader emotionally drained and completely satisfied. Bahr deserves to be considered one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Worth the Effort!
Review: Many people who read this book when it was first released by a small publishing company were certified Civil War buffs. It seems that word then began leaking out by word of mouth through their spouses and "regular" (i.e. NOT CW fanatics) friends that this was quite a good book for even "the masses". Four major literary award nominations in quick succession didn't hurt either! You can count me in as one of those "regular" folks. I've read and adored "The Red Badge of Courage" and "The Killer Angels" but, have not found myself obsessed with the Civil War era genre of historical fiction. I appreciate well written material that will hold my attention and am not a slave to literary trends or best-seller lists. A good friend's constant raving about how great this book was is what caused me to put it on my reading list. Needless to say by my five-star rating, "The Black Flower" did not disappoint! First and foremost, this 267 page book is just plain FUN to read. It is not over-detailed or dumbed down but, manages to walk the fine line keeping you steadily turning the pages. There are no maps or need to draw a flowchart to remember all the characters, nor do you need a Masters in American History to understand what is going on. The writing style is such that you feel you are WATCHING the events rather than reading a book and you almost become emotionally involved with the events and characters. I drove through the battlesite in Tennessee once on vacation before reading this book and would now very much like to return. Definitely click on the "Back cover" link Amazon provided above for an excellent plot summary. The average reader will likely find this book to be "5 star". Real literate types will hand out four while the most brutal critics will still give three stars. Basically, you can't go wrong with this book especially now that it is available in paperback! GO FOR IT!!!
Rating:
Summary: Overwritten, but good anti-war book
Review: Howard Bahr's "Black Flower" certainly has its share of supports. And no wonder. It's a powerful, compelling, and above all, believable book. But despite Bahr's ability to write, his presentation of character, and his seeming accurate portrayal of the aftermath of a Civil War battle, the book collapses under the weight of convoluted prose and lack of action. Bahr has over-Faulknered his book. "Faulknering" is a common practice among writers, especially of Southern origin, whereby much complex prose is expended, in an earthy and stream-of-consciousness manner, to produce little or no result. It worked for Faulkner, but there's only one Faulkner. The setup of the novel is amazing. The scenes where Bushrod Carter and his fellow soldiers line up for battle are written lucidly, with a touch of humor and a hint of horror. The details are rich; Bahr meticulously describes the soldiers' clothes, posture, and smell, provides the characters with a past and purpose. But then somewhere about a third of the way in, the book sputters. The book builds tension towards the battle, then...the battle's over, the book skips over the battle completely. Many people have praised the book's accurate depiction of a Civil War battle, but no battle appears in the book. And think of it! Think of the action and plot passed over! The battle is the central and most pivotal plot point in the book, and...it's missing, as if Bahr shied away from trying to describe something so indescribable. And after the battle, the book devolves into a series of surreal, slow-moving passages from which the majority of the characters introduced at the beginning of the book are missing. Instead, we're left with a series of events that happen by themselves, not pushed by characters, but pushed onto characters. Nothing in the characters of either Bushrod or Anna Hereford (Bushrod's love interest) explain why they gravitated towards one another - they just come together through the maze of run-on sentences. And it's a shame, because finally we get a good book other than "Cold Mountain" that tackles the war from the rebels' point of view without resorting to pro-Confederate romantic revisionism. The most telling details about the war are the ones that Bahr leaves out. There is no mention of slavery - after all, the great majority of Southerners were not slave owners. There are no plantation owners, no dashing young cavalry officers, no blockade runners, just a scraggly group of uneducated farm boys fighting for nothing - by this point, just fighting.
Rating:
Summary: Truly very, very good.
Review: All I can say is this a truly a very, very good book. Literally, I laughed out loud and, later, was shocked and moved. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: I have often wondered how a man can march across an open field in the face of enemy fire. Now I know. It is not bravado or bravery; it is duty. To look into the eyes of friend prior to battle and with a smile make plans to get together afterwards knowing that you may be speaking with him for the very last time is supremely sad. A well written book that touched my heart.
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