false 5967548 3 It is 1891 in New Orleans, and young Typhus Morningstar cycles under the light of the half-moon to fulfill his calling, re-birthing aborted foetuses in the fecund waters of the Mississippi River. He cannot know that nearby, events are unfolding that will change his life forever - events that were set in motion by a Vodou curse gone wrong, forty years before he was born. In the humble home of Sicilian immigrants, a one-year-old boy has been possessed by a demon. His father dead, lynched by a mob, his distraught mother at her wits' end, this baby who yesterday could only crawl and gurgle is now walking, dancing, and talking - in a voice impossibly deep. The doctor has fled, and several men of the cloth have come and gone, including Typhus' father, warned off directly by the clear voice of his Savoir. A newspaper man, shamed by the part he played in inciting the lynch mob that cost this boy his father, appalled by what he sees, goes in search of help. Seven will be persuaded, will try to help...and all seven will be profoundly affected by what takes place in that one-room house that dark night. Not all will leave alive, and all will be irrevocably changed by this demonic struggle, and by the sound of the first notes blown of a new musical form: jazz. 6140483 1 2 2009 The Sound of Building Coffins total:36|5:15|4:11|3:4|2:4|1:2| 36 141 125 19 5 4 false false Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 07:28:24 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 07:04:07 -0800 2009
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Having completed the book, I ca...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 09 18:50:29 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 18:51:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 13:27:31 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 07:38:41 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 07:08:26 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 17:39:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 01 17:39:12 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 23 14:23:12 -0700 2009 The story opens in 1891. Nine-year-old Typhus Morningstar has a gift; an understanding ...more...]]> 4 9 false false Wed May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 21:49:08 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 06:45:32 -0700 2009 there are some really fantastic scenes in this book, and i already want to reread it for clarity on a couple of points, but life is short and i must move on for now. but this gets put in the mental fil...more...]]> 0 1 false false Mon Apr 27 09:44:08 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 09:44:26 -0700 2009
For all New Orleans lovers, I highly recommend Louis Maistros' new novel The Sound of Building Coffins, set in the city at the turn-of-the-century. It's a magical tale that many are saying is the best New Orleans novel since The Confederacy of Dunces.
]]> 5 1 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 18:11:42 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 18:14:04 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Feb 17 11:56:12 -0800 2009 Sat Jul 18 09:04:58 -0700 2009
It's a magical realism book - so if you aren't into miracles, the supernatural, etc., this probably won't be your thing.

I found it absorbing though. The magic (fetuses into catfish, hands into hearts,...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 07:24:06 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 07:54:17 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 00:02:05 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 00:03:05 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 11:07:50 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 11:08:46 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sat May 09 11:52:19 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 14:08:37 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed May 20 05:15:39 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 05:16:29 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Apr 14 14:48:31 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 08:49:11 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jul 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 17:50:58 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 11:42:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 03 15:43:21 -0800 2009 Fri Sep 04 19:48:49 -0700 2009
I had such high hopes for this one but just couldn't get lost in it (which was the experience I was hoping for). Excellent writing, but the odd magical elements and the jumping around in time and with characters kept me sh...more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Feb 25 13:46:58 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 26 15:21:43 -0700 2009 5 1 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 20:09:32 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 06:16:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 14 16:41:20 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 16:41:25 -0700 2009