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A review by ssindc
Lay Down My Sword And Shield by James Lee Burke
2.0
An interesting data point that doesn't fit on the curve....
James Lee Burke has published a number of successful series, including the 20-installment Dave Robicheaux run and the inter-related Holland family series, spanning another 10 novels. In between, he's got a short stack of stand alone books as well. But here's the point. Burke published this book in 1971, but it wasn't until 1987 that he really hit his stride with the first Dave Robicheaux novel (after which he rhythmically cranked them out at a rate of almost one each year, while dabbling with other characters as well). And he didn't return to his protagonist from this book, Hackberry Holland, for more than 35 years. That's remarkable. For that reason, I'm glad I read the book. It feels like an historical oddity.
Other than that, I'm glad I didn't read this one first, as I probably would not have been hooked. Basically, everyone and everything in the book comes across as broken: politics, law, policing/law enforcement, marriage.... And, quite frankly, the booze just wore me out - drinking, drinking, drinking, hangovers, drinking, drinking beer (particularly cold beer), drinking whiskey, drinking cold duck, ice, drinking (the now defunct) Jax beer (why Jax? I dunno), drinking, ice in a bucket, ice in a glass, drinking, driving drunk, drinking, hangovers, flying drunk, and ... did I mention drinking? And trust me, this doesn't hold a candle to Tom Standage's informative A History of the World in 6 Glasses, which, alas, is only half (3 of 6 parts) about alcohol.
On the one hand, the book is an interesting period piece, offering a sobering glimpse of the hardship of migrant labor - but it's also no Grapes of Wrath. As noted above, it seemed like a case study in alcohol abuse (begging the question, exactly how much can a human drink?). Maybe it could also be described as a precursor to contemporary understanding and literature relating to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and the aftermath of war. Here, too, I'd probably recommend - instead - anything from the excellent non-fiction Thank You For Your Service or Unbroken to the popular Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, or maybe even Redeployment, although the latter is more of a stretch.
Ultimately, the signs of what's to come from Burke - the language, the prose, the panoramic portraits painted in vivid color - are sprinkled throughout. But, overall ... the whole package just didn't come together ... yet (at least for me) .... and the ending/wrap-up felt both rushed and, dare I say, contrived ... but, in any event, out of character and tune.
This won't cause me to give up on Burke, and it's easy enough for me to write this one off. Indeed, I'm pleased to know that the rest of his stuff on my to-read list started getting published nearly 20 years after this one.
James Lee Burke has published a number of successful series, including the 20-installment Dave Robicheaux run and the inter-related Holland family series, spanning another 10 novels. In between, he's got a short stack of stand alone books as well. But here's the point. Burke published this book in 1971, but it wasn't until 1987 that he really hit his stride with the first Dave Robicheaux novel (after which he rhythmically cranked them out at a rate of almost one each year, while dabbling with other characters as well). And he didn't return to his protagonist from this book, Hackberry Holland, for more than 35 years. That's remarkable. For that reason, I'm glad I read the book. It feels like an historical oddity.
Other than that, I'm glad I didn't read this one first, as I probably would not have been hooked. Basically, everyone and everything in the book comes across as broken: politics, law, policing/law enforcement, marriage.... And, quite frankly, the booze just wore me out - drinking, drinking, drinking, hangovers, drinking, drinking beer (particularly cold beer), drinking whiskey, drinking cold duck, ice, drinking (the now defunct) Jax beer (why Jax? I dunno), drinking, ice in a bucket, ice in a glass, drinking, driving drunk, drinking, hangovers, flying drunk, and ... did I mention drinking? And trust me, this doesn't hold a candle to Tom Standage's informative A History of the World in 6 Glasses, which, alas, is only half (3 of 6 parts) about alcohol.
On the one hand, the book is an interesting period piece, offering a sobering glimpse of the hardship of migrant labor - but it's also no Grapes of Wrath. As noted above, it seemed like a case study in alcohol abuse (begging the question, exactly how much can a human drink?). Maybe it could also be described as a precursor to contemporary understanding and literature relating to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and the aftermath of war. Here, too, I'd probably recommend - instead - anything from the excellent non-fiction Thank You For Your Service or Unbroken to the popular Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, or maybe even Redeployment, although the latter is more of a stretch.
Ultimately, the signs of what's to come from Burke - the language, the prose, the panoramic portraits painted in vivid color - are sprinkled throughout. But, overall ... the whole package just didn't come together ... yet (at least for me) .... and the ending/wrap-up felt both rushed and, dare I say, contrived ... but, in any event, out of character and tune.
This won't cause me to give up on Burke, and it's easy enough for me to write this one off. Indeed, I'm pleased to know that the rest of his stuff on my to-read list started getting published nearly 20 years after this one.