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Novel of the Civil War
The Year of Jubilo: A Novel of the Civil War
On a spring day in 1865 Gawain Harper trudges toward his home in Cumberland, Mississippi, where three years earlier he had boarded a train carrying the latest enlistees in the Mississippi Infantry. Unmoved by the cause that motivated so many others, he had joined up only when Morgan Rhea's father told Gawain that he would never wed his beloved Morgan unless he did his part in the war effort. Upon his return, he discovers post-war life is far from what he expected. Morgan has indeed waited for him, but before they can marry there are scores to be settled.
376 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2000
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About the author
Howard Bahr
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Howard Bahr (1946- ) is an American novelist, born in Meridian, Mississippi. Bahr, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and then worked for several years on the railroads, enrolled at the University of Mississippi in the early 1970s when he was in his late 20s. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Ole Miss and served as the curator of the William Faulkner house, Rowan Oak, in Oxford, Mississippi for nearly twenty years. He also taught American literature during much of this time at the University of Mississippi. In 1993, he became an instructor of English at Motlow State College in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where he worked until 2006. Bahr is the author of three critically acclaimed novels centering around the American Civil War. He currently resides in Jackson, Mississippi, and teaches courses in creative writing at Belhaven College.
Bahr began his writing career in the 1970s, writing both fiction and non-fiction articles that appeared in publications such as Southern Living, Civil War Times Illustrated, as well as the short-lived regional publication, Lagniappe (1974-75) which he and Franklin Walker co-edited. His first published book, a children's story entitled Home for Christmas, came out in 1987 and was re-published in 1997 in a different edition (with new illustrations) following the release of his first novel, The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War. This latter book, set during the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee in 1864, was nominated for a number of national awards, including from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Gettysburg College, and the Book-of-the-Month Club, and was a New York Times Notable Book, but its release was somewhat overshadowed by the release at the same time of the bestseller, Cold Mountain.
In 2000, Bahr's second novel, The Year of Jubilo, was released. This novel, set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War in the fictional Mississippi town of Cumberland, deals with the dehumanizing effects of war and its aftermath on Southern society. The Year of Jubilo, like The Black Flower, was a New York Times Notable Book.
Bahr's third novel, The Judas Field, was released in 2006. In The Judas Field, Bahr again returns to the Battle of Franklin theme, but this time it is through the eyes of one of its participants, again from Cumberland, who travels back to the battlefield in the 1880s to recover the body of one of the fallen, and, in doing so, relives the horror of that fateful day in 1864.
Howard Bahr is a Freemason, having served as Master of the Lodge while he was in Oxford. He is also a member of the Episcopal Church.
Jump to: navigation, search
Howard Bahr (1946- ) is an American novelist, born in Meridian, Mississippi. Bahr, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and then worked for several years on the railroads, enrolled at the University of Mississippi in the early 1970s when he was in his late 20s. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Ole Miss and served as the curator of the William Faulkner house, Rowan Oak, in Oxford, Mississippi for nearly twenty years. He also taught American literature during much of this time at the University of Mississippi. In 1993, he became an instructor of English at Motlow State College in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where he worked until 2006. Bahr is the author of three critically acclaimed novels centering around the American Civil War. He currently resides in Jackson, Mississippi, and teaches courses in creative writing at Belhaven College.
Bahr began his writing career in the 1970s, writing both fiction and non-fiction articles that appeared in publications such as Southern Living, Civil War Times Illustrated, as well as the short-lived regional publication, Lagniappe (1974-75) which he and Franklin Walker co-edited. His first published book, a children's story entitled Home for Christmas, came out in 1987 and was re-published in 1997 in a different edition (with new illustrations) following the release of his first novel, The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War. This latter book, set during the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee in 1864, was nominated for a number of national awards, including from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Gettysburg College, and the Book-of-the-Month Club, and was a New York Times Notable Book, but its release was somewhat overshadowed by the release at the same time of the bestseller, Cold Mountain.
In 2000, Bahr's second novel, The Year of Jubilo, was released. This novel, set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War in the fictional Mississippi town of Cumberland, deals with the dehumanizing effects of war and its aftermath on Southern society. The Year of Jubilo, like The Black Flower, was a New York Times Notable Book.
Bahr's third novel, The Judas Field, was released in 2006. In The Judas Field, Bahr again returns to the Battle of Franklin theme, but this time it is through the eyes of one of its participants, again from Cumberland, who travels back to the battlefield in the 1880s to recover the body of one of the fallen, and, in doing so, relives the horror of that fateful day in 1864.
Howard Bahr is a Freemason, having served as Master of the Lodge while he was in Oxford. He is also a member of the Episcopal Church.
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February 7, 2017
5+ stars. Among the best Civil War epics ever written.
It is 1865 and the war is over. The Confederate soldiers are going home at last, among them Gawain Harper. He has made it through the war with the daguerreotype of Morgan Rhea in his pocket, but he does not know if she is waiting for him and he is afraid that the women he will find at the end of this journey will not be the woman he left behind. Indeed, he knows not one person in this world is the same, especially not himself.
Bahr, who, in his first novel, The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War, offered the most realistic picture I have ever known of the Civil War, now gives just as stark and compelling a picture of the days after the war and the struggle of the living to rejoin life and determine their places in it. We walk the road with these men and feel how foreign everything in life is to them. Even after returning home, something as normal as sleeping in a bed seems impossible. Much of the town they knew is burned to the ground and, even worse, they are in an occupied territory. The hatred of the soldiers has virtually evaporated, but the hatred in the town and among the “rangers”, who never went to war but have ruled in the absence of the men, is hot and palpable. Like most wars, this one has claimed some of the best men and left behind some of the worst.
If you have ever had a romantic notion of what war or reconstruction is, Howard Bahr will steal that from you and leave you gasping at how raw and real war and its aftermath can be. His own experiences in Vietnam no doubt inform his clear understanding of the horrors and consequences of war. His ability to convert that knowledge into the world of the 1860s is impressive and unparalleled.
I shall never forget Gawain Harper or Capt. Harry Stribling. They are so realistically depicted that I felt as if I were reading about a fore-father and as if their stories were a part of my own past. After reading this book, I took a walk down into the countryside to a small cemetery plot that is now buried in a tangle of weeds on the far side of a field that is only temporarily free of crops. In that graveyard (which is an old-time family plot from the 1800s), there is a marker for a soldier by the name of Whitfield Moore from Co. F of the 40th VA Infantry, C.S.A. I placed flowers there and said a prayer for the soul of this man who must certainly have suffered much of what Bahr writes of and whose greatest luck might be that he found a final resting place back at his home place. Perhaps he is out walking that long road with his fellows still. There is a reason history should be remembered, not the least of which it that all of these young men were real.
The title of this book is the name of a Civil War song, written in 1862 and heard here as it would have been sung then. https://youtu.be/Lalt29JmeC8
It is 1865 and the war is over. The Confederate soldiers are going home at last, among them Gawain Harper. He has made it through the war with the daguerreotype of Morgan Rhea in his pocket, but he does not know if she is waiting for him and he is afraid that the women he will find at the end of this journey will not be the woman he left behind. Indeed, he knows not one person in this world is the same, especially not himself.
Bahr, who, in his first novel, The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War, offered the most realistic picture I have ever known of the Civil War, now gives just as stark and compelling a picture of the days after the war and the struggle of the living to rejoin life and determine their places in it. We walk the road with these men and feel how foreign everything in life is to them. Even after returning home, something as normal as sleeping in a bed seems impossible. Much of the town they knew is burned to the ground and, even worse, they are in an occupied territory. The hatred of the soldiers has virtually evaporated, but the hatred in the town and among the “rangers”, who never went to war but have ruled in the absence of the men, is hot and palpable. Like most wars, this one has claimed some of the best men and left behind some of the worst.
If you have ever had a romantic notion of what war or reconstruction is, Howard Bahr will steal that from you and leave you gasping at how raw and real war and its aftermath can be. His own experiences in Vietnam no doubt inform his clear understanding of the horrors and consequences of war. His ability to convert that knowledge into the world of the 1860s is impressive and unparalleled.
I shall never forget Gawain Harper or Capt. Harry Stribling. They are so realistically depicted that I felt as if I were reading about a fore-father and as if their stories were a part of my own past. After reading this book, I took a walk down into the countryside to a small cemetery plot that is now buried in a tangle of weeds on the far side of a field that is only temporarily free of crops. In that graveyard (which is an old-time family plot from the 1800s), there is a marker for a soldier by the name of Whitfield Moore from Co. F of the 40th VA Infantry, C.S.A. I placed flowers there and said a prayer for the soul of this man who must certainly have suffered much of what Bahr writes of and whose greatest luck might be that he found a final resting place back at his home place. Perhaps he is out walking that long road with his fellows still. There is a reason history should be remembered, not the least of which it that all of these young men were real.
The title of this book is the name of a Civil War song, written in 1862 and heard here as it would have been sung then. https://youtu.be/Lalt29JmeC8
May 23, 2023
"He had glimpsed, perhaps for the last time, the world that had shaped him. Now he was following time again, he and all the rest, toward something--the stones in the burying ground, confrontations, freedom perhaps, or peace, he couldn't say. It should not have bothered him, he knew--he would make his choices, they all would, and the seasons would go on, and the moon and sun, and the planets in their wandering. But right now he could see beyond the light a darkness he did not want to enter, but that drew near him, near them all, as surely as the coming night."
Gawain Harper, a former teacher, is returning to Mississippi in 1865 after three years of fighting in the Confederate Army. He had fought in the Civil War because of the demands of Judge Nathaniel Rhea, a secessionist and the father of the woman he wished to marry. Cumberland is littered with burned-out buildings with only their chimneys standing. The horrors of war are haunting Gawain and the other returning soldiers.
The town is occupied by Union forces commanded by Colonel Burduck who has his own bad memories of freeing slaves from captured slave ships years earlier. Vigilante rebel Solomon Gault is dangerous and still fighting the war. Gawain, his friend Harry, and others are drawn into an effort to stop Gault. Gawain just wants an end to the fighting, peace in his troubled mind, and love with Morgan Rhea.
Time is an important theme throughout the story. The soldiers on both sides of the conflict, as well as the families, are haunted by ghosts and their memories. Howard Bahr writes lovely, lyrical prose to tell about a difficult time in American history. This is the second book of a Civil War trilogy that begins with "The Black Flower, " a novel of the 1864 Battle of Franklin. The first two books of the trilogy have been excellent so I plan to read the third novel, "The Judas Field."
Gawain Harper, a former teacher, is returning to Mississippi in 1865 after three years of fighting in the Confederate Army. He had fought in the Civil War because of the demands of Judge Nathaniel Rhea, a secessionist and the father of the woman he wished to marry. Cumberland is littered with burned-out buildings with only their chimneys standing. The horrors of war are haunting Gawain and the other returning soldiers.
The town is occupied by Union forces commanded by Colonel Burduck who has his own bad memories of freeing slaves from captured slave ships years earlier. Vigilante rebel Solomon Gault is dangerous and still fighting the war. Gawain, his friend Harry, and others are drawn into an effort to stop Gault. Gawain just wants an end to the fighting, peace in his troubled mind, and love with Morgan Rhea.
Time is an important theme throughout the story. The soldiers on both sides of the conflict, as well as the families, are haunted by ghosts and their memories. Howard Bahr writes lovely, lyrical prose to tell about a difficult time in American history. This is the second book of a Civil War trilogy that begins with "The Black Flower, " a novel of the 1864 Battle of Franklin. The first two books of the trilogy have been excellent so I plan to read the third novel, "The Judas Field."
April 16, 2023
There is a moment when the day’s axis turns, when time begins to slide away toward night again. The exact moment is imperceptible, though if a watcher is careful, he might perceive the signs. He might see how light and air conspire to make a stillness, to soften the sharp edges of the world. He might note how sounds no longer ring so brightly, and how shadows creep into places still warm from the sun. Shadows, the first sure tendrils of night, reach into fence corners and woods and up the eastern face of houses, and with the shadows come the birds again, hurrying against the night, and timid feeders move quivering over the grass, who know the hawks have folded themselves away, and the owls not yet awakened.
Howard Bahr is at his best beautiful prose once again in the second of his US Civil War novels. The war has just ended and the year is 1865. Gawain Harper, a confederate soldier, has been serving for 3 years and has walked home to Mississippi a changed man, a man that he may not recognize once he gets there. He served out of duty to the father of the woman he loves, the woman who has been on his mind for 3 long years. In his prewar life he was a teacher of English at the local girl’s academy. As he treks toward home thinking about what his new life might entail, he crosses paths with another soldier named Harry Stribling, a thinker and philosopher. But when they reach their destination, they find the town is controlled by Union troops and life as they knew it will be much more difficult to get back to than they expected. What is a normal life now? Who are they after experiencing the dregs of war? Can they be that person they were before? How do they start anew and begin fresh after so much death?
Gawain finds that some people just can’t let go and move on. Bahr gives readers a gritty experience of what life after the war, the reconstruction era, could have been like. It is an unforgettable story that he weaves and with some interesting grotesque characters that will not leave you.
The writing is just superb and I can never get enough of Bahr’s beautiful turns of phrases. He incorporates nature and its elements as much as possible. I wish I had made a list and counted all of the different birds that made a showing throughout the novel. I imagine the songs of the birds were covered up by the sounds of war so being able to listen and hear a simple bird call must have been music to a soldier’s ears. The other symbol that makes its way throughout is the concept of Time. Time is fleeting and ever moving, leading the soldiers toward their fates and their destinies. However, ghosts pervade their minds and their dreams, haunting their consciences.
If I could recommend a Civil War trilogy, it would be this one, The Black Flower, The Year of Jubilo, and The Judas Field. I still have book 3 to look forward to next month and am expecting another fantastic read.
December 20, 2022
June 1865. End of,American Civil War
Gawain was not interested in joining the civil war, but he was interested in marrying a certain woman that lived in his town. So he asked her father if he Would give her hand in marriage, but her father said , No. And called him a coward for not joining the war. He joined the war.
It was 3 years later and the war had ended and now he was walking home. When he came upon familiar territory it felt as though he were walking through someone else's memories, not those of his own.
He walked by a farmer's homestead, and one of the farmer's dogs began following him. For a while they became companions and when he sat down to make himself a cup of coffee he shared part of his biscuit with him.
After he reached home, he said that he wished that he had never returned, that he had stayed in Alabama or had gone to a different State. I wished that he were still walking because the book had become very boring to me.
Gawain was not interested in joining the civil war, but he was interested in marrying a certain woman that lived in his town. So he asked her father if he Would give her hand in marriage, but her father said , No. And called him a coward for not joining the war. He joined the war.
It was 3 years later and the war had ended and now he was walking home. When he came upon familiar territory it felt as though he were walking through someone else's memories, not those of his own.
He walked by a farmer's homestead, and one of the farmer's dogs began following him. For a while they became companions and when he sat down to make himself a cup of coffee he shared part of his biscuit with him.
After he reached home, he said that he wished that he had never returned, that he had stayed in Alabama or had gone to a different State. I wished that he were still walking because the book had become very boring to me.
March 12, 2022
The Year of Jubilo is very different from The Black Flower but equally as brilliant. Gawain Harper's war has finished, but in many ways his life has just started. Surrounded by a cast of vanquished and somewhat colourful/discombobulated characters, he seeks to find normality and love in a world that no longer exists. Revenge gets in the way and things become complicated. This is a story about how destructive civil wars can be, not just on the battlefield, but after they have finished. Howard Bahr has rapidly become one of my favourite writers.
June 15, 2014
So the war is over, and the men are coming home. Walking home, for the most part, if you had been a soldier and not part of the cavalry. This after walking hundreds of miles to fight battles that were brutal and bloody. Penniless, weaponless, starving and injured in some way unless you were very lucky. Walking home to towns and homes that might have been burned to the ground, to relatives and friends and wives and lovers that might or might not still be alive, or sane, and were surely hungry and penniless the same as you. Walking home to towns that were occupied by the victorious federal army.
And yet. And yet alive and happy to be done with the killing and the blood and the death, ready to start again to make a life, goodbye to the old ways, hello to the future with whatever it brings.
"Burduck felt all right standing in the road in the twilight, watching the ashes. Once they would have saddened him, but now he thought they might not be such a bad thing in the end. Like all the ashes strewn across this country, they had to be there, needed to be there, if anything better was to rise from them and take it's shape against the stars."
This book takes place in June 1865. Gawain Harper arrives home to find that some people haven't given up yet, old scores have to be settled, old loves must be re-won, new friendships are sometimes forged with Yankees, but there is a future and he will be okay. Howard Bahr has written a novel filled with hope, and humor, and wisdom, against a backdrop of a wonderful plot filled with action and one of a kind characters who speak for us all. I truly believe he soaked up some of William Faulkner's spirit during the 11 years he was curator of Rowan Oaks. In my opinion he is just as great a writer.
And yet. And yet alive and happy to be done with the killing and the blood and the death, ready to start again to make a life, goodbye to the old ways, hello to the future with whatever it brings.
"Burduck felt all right standing in the road in the twilight, watching the ashes. Once they would have saddened him, but now he thought they might not be such a bad thing in the end. Like all the ashes strewn across this country, they had to be there, needed to be there, if anything better was to rise from them and take it's shape against the stars."
This book takes place in June 1865. Gawain Harper arrives home to find that some people haven't given up yet, old scores have to be settled, old loves must be re-won, new friendships are sometimes forged with Yankees, but there is a future and he will be okay. Howard Bahr has written a novel filled with hope, and humor, and wisdom, against a backdrop of a wonderful plot filled with action and one of a kind characters who speak for us all. I truly believe he soaked up some of William Faulkner's spirit during the 11 years he was curator of Rowan Oaks. In my opinion he is just as great a writer.
May 29, 2023
The Year of the Jubilo is one of three novels by Howard Bahr that I’ve been reading and I finished this one a few weeks ago. I seem to be stuck in the Civil War. I have three more novels about The Civil War ahead of me after I finish The Judas Field, and I hope I enjoy these as much as I do the writing by Bahr.
Perhaps I enjoy his writing because he expresses universal thoughts, such as in these passages:
“In June for leaves, did not curl or rattle; the wind made a soft sound among them, and they’re green, was like the first green, as if these were the first leaves ever thought of.”
“Of course, he owned memory, too, and one day this might prove to be his heaviest baggage. But not now. He had learned in these three years that sometimes it was all right to walk in the moment, only, and that memory was merciful in this, at least: that now and then it gave way to music or just sunlight, or to a little space when a man might walk along with nothing bad happening to him.”
The novel takes place after the war has ended. The book’s protagonist, Gawain (our returning knight), is among those going home.
“At their backs lay the old world they had known, remote, now, as the valleys of the moon, to which they could never return, no matter how much the old people spoke of it. Perhaps they wouldn’t even if they could, for they had seen that old world doomed by its own essence; it had thrust them into the dark adventure, had been consumed, and left them with little, but the taste of ashes for their trials. And now the dark adventure was itself finished, more or less; quieter at least, no longer so immediate, though they would never be done with it all together. Nor understand it, either, for if their purpose was clear to them once, too much it happened for it ever to be clear. Yet they would come to understand this much, long hence: that the adventure was a destination of its own, perhaps the only one they’d been born to, and wherever they traveled afterward, would be less search than wandering.”
Bahr gets into the head of Gawain and in the process, gets into the reader’s mind, so the reader becomes Gawain.
“He could put off grieving for a little while. Let the summer rain grieve for now, and the sighing trees, and the earth over which they’d all passed there a little while. He was alive, and he would live to claim the long days left him. Whether he deserved them or not, he could not say. He only knew that they were his, and he would do his best by them.”
As in the paragraph above and below, the passage of time is an ever present theme in the novel.
“Time had won out anyway, as he always seem to do, and he would carry them all down paths of his own choosing, and it was folly to deny it.”
What would it be like to walk home from the bloody war? How do you go back? What do you feel as you are, at last, about to knock on a familiar door? Bahr puts us right there.
“For a moment longer, he stood watching, suddenly aware that he was balanced on the thin edge of time between one moment and another, between one life and another. The thought hung in his mind and left him immobile. He wondered how long he could sustain these last seconds of the war; he found in his tired heart, just for an instance, the smallest glimmer of regret that it was over, and something else about to begin. What it was, he couldn’t imagine, wasn’t even supposed to imagine now; he only knew that every breath brought him closer. He swallowed hard, and took off his hat, and lifted his hand to knock.”
This book follows Bahr’s first in the trilogy, The Black Flower. I recommend that you read them in order.
Perhaps I enjoy his writing because he expresses universal thoughts, such as in these passages:
“In June for leaves, did not curl or rattle; the wind made a soft sound among them, and they’re green, was like the first green, as if these were the first leaves ever thought of.”
“Of course, he owned memory, too, and one day this might prove to be his heaviest baggage. But not now. He had learned in these three years that sometimes it was all right to walk in the moment, only, and that memory was merciful in this, at least: that now and then it gave way to music or just sunlight, or to a little space when a man might walk along with nothing bad happening to him.”
The novel takes place after the war has ended. The book’s protagonist, Gawain (our returning knight), is among those going home.
“At their backs lay the old world they had known, remote, now, as the valleys of the moon, to which they could never return, no matter how much the old people spoke of it. Perhaps they wouldn’t even if they could, for they had seen that old world doomed by its own essence; it had thrust them into the dark adventure, had been consumed, and left them with little, but the taste of ashes for their trials. And now the dark adventure was itself finished, more or less; quieter at least, no longer so immediate, though they would never be done with it all together. Nor understand it, either, for if their purpose was clear to them once, too much it happened for it ever to be clear. Yet they would come to understand this much, long hence: that the adventure was a destination of its own, perhaps the only one they’d been born to, and wherever they traveled afterward, would be less search than wandering.”
Bahr gets into the head of Gawain and in the process, gets into the reader’s mind, so the reader becomes Gawain.
“He could put off grieving for a little while. Let the summer rain grieve for now, and the sighing trees, and the earth over which they’d all passed there a little while. He was alive, and he would live to claim the long days left him. Whether he deserved them or not, he could not say. He only knew that they were his, and he would do his best by them.”
As in the paragraph above and below, the passage of time is an ever present theme in the novel.
“Time had won out anyway, as he always seem to do, and he would carry them all down paths of his own choosing, and it was folly to deny it.”
What would it be like to walk home from the bloody war? How do you go back? What do you feel as you are, at last, about to knock on a familiar door? Bahr puts us right there.
“For a moment longer, he stood watching, suddenly aware that he was balanced on the thin edge of time between one moment and another, between one life and another. The thought hung in his mind and left him immobile. He wondered how long he could sustain these last seconds of the war; he found in his tired heart, just for an instance, the smallest glimmer of regret that it was over, and something else about to begin. What it was, he couldn’t imagine, wasn’t even supposed to imagine now; he only knew that every breath brought him closer. He swallowed hard, and took off his hat, and lifted his hand to knock.”
This book follows Bahr’s first in the trilogy, The Black Flower. I recommend that you read them in order.
January 29, 2018
Truly impressive. A very realistic portrayal of a Confederate soldier, Gawain Harper, returning to his hometown of Cumberland, Mississippi during the summer of 1865. The title implies that this will be a time of jubilation, euphoria, or perhaps even elation. So, obviously I opened this book with eager hands.
I love the way Mr. Bahr employs shadows, rain, and smoke to create mood. Immersed in sensory detail, I stepped back in time with perfect ease. And, I should mention the unforgettable characters! I could even make a case for stating that time is actually a character among the cast. The passage of time that forever sweeps onward pulling Gawain along with it toward his destiny. Well, take my word for it, Mr. Bahr, is part historian and part poet.
Both haunting and heartbreaking, this story will keep my thoughts turning for quite some time. But, I will also smile on occasion at the wit and dry humor that Mr. Bahr has inserted in all the right places. This is a very special book and I highly recommend it. Just be warned that you will be tempted to stay up all night reading once you have begun as the ashes in Cumberland are still smoldering.
I love the way Mr. Bahr employs shadows, rain, and smoke to create mood. Immersed in sensory detail, I stepped back in time with perfect ease. And, I should mention the unforgettable characters! I could even make a case for stating that time is actually a character among the cast. The passage of time that forever sweeps onward pulling Gawain along with it toward his destiny. Well, take my word for it, Mr. Bahr, is part historian and part poet.
Both haunting and heartbreaking, this story will keep my thoughts turning for quite some time. But, I will also smile on occasion at the wit and dry humor that Mr. Bahr has inserted in all the right places. This is a very special book and I highly recommend it. Just be warned that you will be tempted to stay up all night reading once you have begun as the ashes in Cumberland are still smoldering.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
Bahr's second novel in his Civil War series, and once again, it is a masterpiece! His use of language and imagery draws me in from the very start and holds me enthralled throughout. I will immediately be starting The Judas Field: A Novel of the Civil War, and it saddens me that this wonderful journey will be coming to a close. He is *that* good!
Where The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War takes the reader onto Civil War southern battlefields to experience the brutality of war, The Year of Jubilo: A Novel of the Civil War, is a more reflective story on the aftermath of war and its psychological toll on soldiers (both North and South) as they attempt to resume a civilian life and leave behind the excitement and camaraderie of military life.
Bahr introduced a host of memorable characters, both good and evil. Even his minor characters bring something to the story. Bahr is just a master storyteller, well deserving of praise and accolades.
Where The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War takes the reader onto Civil War southern battlefields to experience the brutality of war, The Year of Jubilo: A Novel of the Civil War, is a more reflective story on the aftermath of war and its psychological toll on soldiers (both North and South) as they attempt to resume a civilian life and leave behind the excitement and camaraderie of military life.
Bahr introduced a host of memorable characters, both good and evil. Even his minor characters bring something to the story. Bahr is just a master storyteller, well deserving of praise and accolades.
September 25, 2007
This was a beautiful book that was way more than a post-Civil War piece of fiction. I can still remember passages from the book that make me cry. Bahr allows us to not just see but to know his characters. I have met him once a long time ago and keep missing chances to go to his book talks recently. I would love to hear him do a reading.
January 22, 2010
The Year of Jubilo, set in Cumberland, Mississippi, in the summer of 1865, is the account of some who passed through that smoke.
A reluctant soldier, Gawain Harper was goaded into joining the Confederate forces in 1862 by the rabid secessionist Judge Rhea, father of the woman Harper loves. After three years of fighting the Union, the former professor of literature is now trudging home defeated and confused, weighed down by the thought that he is "walking through someone else's memory." The South of his past has indeed vanished, and the town Harper returns to is now governed by the victorious (but wary) soldiers of the North and overflowing with vengeful planters, opportunistic spies, and the fear and ingrained attitudes of its vanquished citizens. These characters are larger than life, as only those who live in such a land and time--one of Queen Anne's lace and poisonous snakes, of Victorian manners and the human indignity of slavery--can be. There's "King" Solomon Gault, the ruthless captain of a band of insurrectionists, plotting an attack on the ruling army; Colonel Burduck, the battle-worn commander who captured slave ships off the African coast in his youth and must now maintain order in a region that once supported slavery; Molochi Fish, a grotesque semi-being who lurks on the edges of humanity, scarred by brutality and meting it out in return; and of course Harper, who, spurred on by the meddling but ebullient Harry Stribling, dives back into this mess to create a life and retrieve a love.
A reluctant soldier, Gawain Harper was goaded into joining the Confederate forces in 1862 by the rabid secessionist Judge Rhea, father of the woman Harper loves. After three years of fighting the Union, the former professor of literature is now trudging home defeated and confused, weighed down by the thought that he is "walking through someone else's memory." The South of his past has indeed vanished, and the town Harper returns to is now governed by the victorious (but wary) soldiers of the North and overflowing with vengeful planters, opportunistic spies, and the fear and ingrained attitudes of its vanquished citizens. These characters are larger than life, as only those who live in such a land and time--one of Queen Anne's lace and poisonous snakes, of Victorian manners and the human indignity of slavery--can be. There's "King" Solomon Gault, the ruthless captain of a band of insurrectionists, plotting an attack on the ruling army; Colonel Burduck, the battle-worn commander who captured slave ships off the African coast in his youth and must now maintain order in a region that once supported slavery; Molochi Fish, a grotesque semi-being who lurks on the edges of humanity, scarred by brutality and meting it out in return; and of course Harper, who, spurred on by the meddling but ebullient Harry Stribling, dives back into this mess to create a life and retrieve a love.
June 28, 2017
I think if I could only read books by Howard Bahr the rest of my life, I would be completely satisfied. This is a quote from a review I read that sums up my feelings for this book "It is a joy to read. I laughed out loud at parts and was surprised at the brutality and abruptness of other parts. I even read parts out loud to my wife." (I did actually read one part out loud to my husband too) I also read this during the same time period of the year that the novel actually takes place, mid to late June, summer solstice, not by plan, but it added to my delight. Ha. Also found an awesome review by Robert Morgan, another of my favorite authors, that does much better justice to this than I can. http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/06/18...
September 5, 2025
Beautiful novel and so much more than just a story of the Civil War. I loved all the characters. After turning the last page, I immediately returned to page 1 and started again while I await the arrival of
Bahr's third book.
Amazingly talented writer. I would read his grocery list!!
Second time around was just as enjoyable: Stribling, Old Hundred and Eleven, Gawain, Gault, Molochi and all the fascinating characters.
Bahr's third book.
Amazingly talented writer. I would read his grocery list!!
Second time around was just as enjoyable: Stribling, Old Hundred and Eleven, Gawain, Gault, Molochi and all the fascinating characters.
July 4, 2008
This is a beautifully written, haunting novel of one southern solier's return to Mississipi after the surrender. The author portrays the conflicting emotions of the defeated rebels in a quite intelligent and poignant way.
May 26, 2021
I helped out at a library sale and was allowed to pick out 5 books for free. This was one of them. I had never heard of or read anything by this author before. I have since found out that this is the second of a Civil War trilogy but I think it stands well on its own. While it is described as a Civil War novel, the events in this book almost all take place after the Civil War after Gawain Harper, a reluctant Confederate soldier, returns to his home town of Cumberland, MS. He is returning to find a woman, Morgan Rhea, who he had hoped to marry before he became a soldier but her father had shamed him into becoming one. The novel tells of all the small conflicts that take place in the few days after his return to his home town and it is occupied by Union soldiers. It has more of the feel of a Western than a Civil War novel. Howard Bahr captures the time period and place almost perfectly and writes beautifully. I plan on reading the rest of the trilogy and his other books based on this great book sale find.
August 6, 2017
Magnificent. This is the second of Bahr’s three Civil War novels—beginning with The Black Flower and ending with The Judas Field—and the second that I've read, though by accident I'm going in reverse order. The three are loosely connected, as all are about Mississippians from a town called Cumberland and their experiences during and after the war, but are standalone novels and not really a series.
The Year of Jubilo is the story of Gawain Harper, a former professor or literature at the Cumberland Women’s Seminary who was shamed into joining the army by the father of the woman he wanted to marry, Morgan Rhea. With the war over, Gawain returns and seeks Morgan again, but a lot has happened in the meantime, including the murder by irregular Confederate cavalry of Morgan’s sister and her pacifist husband. Morgan’s father demands one more thing of Gawain before he will consent to a marriage—help him kill King Solomon Gault, the leader of the guerrillas.
Gault is a great villain—a realistically human mix of the urbane and brutal, a skeptic planter who attends church services for amusement and got rid of his slaves before the war, not out of any altruism—he sold them off—but because he dislikes black people so much he'd rather have poor whites sharecrop his plantation. In addition to terrorizing the countryside during the war with an undisciplined band of guerrillas, Gault has plans to set himself up as virtual ruler of Cumberland via insurrection against the Yankee occupiers. His plans include terrorism and murder, to start with, and Gawain and Morgan are in the way.
Bahr includes lots of well-drawn and memorable secondary characters. Perhaps my favorite is Harry Stribling, a fellow ex-Confederate who joins Gawain on his trip home and who has decided to become a philosopher now that the war is over. He and Gawain have some great comedic dialogue. Others include the creepy Molochi Fish, a deformed tracker who sees ghosts, and Old Hundred-and-Eleven, an eccentric albino who issues prophetic dicta and seems to be everywhere at once. I could name more—the story is loaded with brilliant characters—but these were the standouts.
All the characters are dealing, in one way or another, with the horrific aftermath of the war—something they can't escape, as the town center is ash and rubble and lots of the men who left have not returned. What now? seems to be the question animating everyone, from the veterans walking home, to the women anticipating the arrival of men who may not show up, to embittered commanders like Gault, and even to the occupying authorities, who no longer have an official war to fight and are unsure what to do with the ruined landscape they are now assigned to guard. The answers to that question that each character comes up with drive the plot.
The story, as befits the former curator of William Faulkner’s house, has Southern Gothic elements like ghosts, dreams, visions, and bizarre behavior, but they aren't overplayed. Everything resolves nicely and the ending is quite moving. This is one I'd like to read again someday. But before then, I need to read more about Bushrod Carter, the hero of The Black Flower who, here, appears to Old Hundred-and-Eleven as a ghost.
Highly recommended.
The Year of Jubilo is the story of Gawain Harper, a former professor or literature at the Cumberland Women’s Seminary who was shamed into joining the army by the father of the woman he wanted to marry, Morgan Rhea. With the war over, Gawain returns and seeks Morgan again, but a lot has happened in the meantime, including the murder by irregular Confederate cavalry of Morgan’s sister and her pacifist husband. Morgan’s father demands one more thing of Gawain before he will consent to a marriage—help him kill King Solomon Gault, the leader of the guerrillas.
Gault is a great villain—a realistically human mix of the urbane and brutal, a skeptic planter who attends church services for amusement and got rid of his slaves before the war, not out of any altruism—he sold them off—but because he dislikes black people so much he'd rather have poor whites sharecrop his plantation. In addition to terrorizing the countryside during the war with an undisciplined band of guerrillas, Gault has plans to set himself up as virtual ruler of Cumberland via insurrection against the Yankee occupiers. His plans include terrorism and murder, to start with, and Gawain and Morgan are in the way.
Bahr includes lots of well-drawn and memorable secondary characters. Perhaps my favorite is Harry Stribling, a fellow ex-Confederate who joins Gawain on his trip home and who has decided to become a philosopher now that the war is over. He and Gawain have some great comedic dialogue. Others include the creepy Molochi Fish, a deformed tracker who sees ghosts, and Old Hundred-and-Eleven, an eccentric albino who issues prophetic dicta and seems to be everywhere at once. I could name more—the story is loaded with brilliant characters—but these were the standouts.
All the characters are dealing, in one way or another, with the horrific aftermath of the war—something they can't escape, as the town center is ash and rubble and lots of the men who left have not returned. What now? seems to be the question animating everyone, from the veterans walking home, to the women anticipating the arrival of men who may not show up, to embittered commanders like Gault, and even to the occupying authorities, who no longer have an official war to fight and are unsure what to do with the ruined landscape they are now assigned to guard. The answers to that question that each character comes up with drive the plot.
The story, as befits the former curator of William Faulkner’s house, has Southern Gothic elements like ghosts, dreams, visions, and bizarre behavior, but they aren't overplayed. Everything resolves nicely and the ending is quite moving. This is one I'd like to read again someday. But before then, I need to read more about Bushrod Carter, the hero of The Black Flower who, here, appears to Old Hundred-and-Eleven as a ghost.
Highly recommended.
August 24, 2022
Howard Bahr’s magnificent post civil war novel is an indelible, unforgettable work of artistic literature. His haunting and surreal descriptions of the setting perfectly reflect the psyche of soldiers (on both sides) returning home or drifting to points unknown. Metaphors of shadow, smoke, dusk, and rain intensify the feeling that few of the characters are “squared away” with their feet on the ground. The effects of war on civilians and soldiers alike are universal in scope in time and place. The characters are so well drawn that though we may not relate to them, we feel as if we know them deeply.
Gawain Harper joined the Confederacy, not because he believed in the cause but because his beloved’s daddy demanded he prove himself. The novel opens with him returning home to what’s left of his Mississippi town and wondering if Morgan even still waits for him. As he approaches, he feels as if he is “walking through someone else’s memory”. On the way he meets soldier Harry Stribling going no place in particular. The town is occupied by post war Union forces led by Murdoch and thug Van Armin. A local militia, run by Solomon Gault is wreaking havoc and killing anyone getting in the way as he tries to wrest power for himself. Molochi Fish lurks filthy and crazy in the woods.
Howard Bahrain is an author worth following. five stars for his brilliance and talent.
Gawain Harper joined the Confederacy, not because he believed in the cause but because his beloved’s daddy demanded he prove himself. The novel opens with him returning home to what’s left of his Mississippi town and wondering if Morgan even still waits for him. As he approaches, he feels as if he is “walking through someone else’s memory”. On the way he meets soldier Harry Stribling going no place in particular. The town is occupied by post war Union forces led by Murdoch and thug Van Armin. A local militia, run by Solomon Gault is wreaking havoc and killing anyone getting in the way as he tries to wrest power for himself. Molochi Fish lurks filthy and crazy in the woods.
Howard Bahrain is an author worth following. five stars for his brilliance and talent.
January 21, 2017
These words apply to all three novels of Bahr's Civil War Trilogy. I'm posting the same review for each ot the three novels:
Bahr's depiction of war and the battlefield experience in his Civil War Trilogy is heavily influenced, I believe, by the Vietnam War (Bahr is a Vietnam Vet). Bahr portrays soldiers whose loyalties rarely extend beyond the few buddies at their shoulders and whose concerns rarely reach beyond basic needs. There’s not much difference between what we generally find in the fiction of the Vietnam War and what we find in Bahr’s Civil War novels: soldiers gripped by cynicism, fear, and despair; soldiers venting their frustrations on innocent civilians, through plunder and worse; soldiers immobilized by what we would now call post-traumatic stress. “In a battle,” says the protagonist of The Judas Field, “everything is wrong, nothing you ever learned is true anymore. And when you come out—if you do—you can’t remember. You have to put it back together by the rules you know, and you end up with a lie. That’s the best you can do, and when you tell it, it’ll still be a lie." Bahr’s great theme is precisely this: how one lives with the lie, not only as a soldier, but even more importantly, after the war, as a family member and citizen.
Bahr's depiction of war and the battlefield experience in his Civil War Trilogy is heavily influenced, I believe, by the Vietnam War (Bahr is a Vietnam Vet). Bahr portrays soldiers whose loyalties rarely extend beyond the few buddies at their shoulders and whose concerns rarely reach beyond basic needs. There’s not much difference between what we generally find in the fiction of the Vietnam War and what we find in Bahr’s Civil War novels: soldiers gripped by cynicism, fear, and despair; soldiers venting their frustrations on innocent civilians, through plunder and worse; soldiers immobilized by what we would now call post-traumatic stress. “In a battle,” says the protagonist of The Judas Field, “everything is wrong, nothing you ever learned is true anymore. And when you come out—if you do—you can’t remember. You have to put it back together by the rules you know, and you end up with a lie. That’s the best you can do, and when you tell it, it’ll still be a lie." Bahr’s great theme is precisely this: how one lives with the lie, not only as a soldier, but even more importantly, after the war, as a family member and citizen.
January 5, 2012
Howard Bahr is a master of the English language! I am sure that a lot of the low ratings are because it was too descriptive for most modern readers. But for anyone who wants more than just a good story this is a great book. It is slow in a good way. Take your time and let the writing soak into your soul. I read parts of it two or three times just because it was so well done.
March 19, 2009
Howard Bahr is an amazing writer. I haven't finished this yet, and so far am not as in love with it as I was The Black Flower, still--he places you so well in the period, and his quirky characters are well realized and deep. Why isn't the man better known?
April 14, 2020
What I enjoyed about this book is that it was different from The Black Flower in context. The tragedy of the civil war that dominates both books (as well as The Judas Field the 3rd in the trilogy). The Civil War is over and Gawain Harper is returning home, but as the war touched the whole town of Cumberland, Mississippi, it's aftermath is sadness, anger, despair, confusion, and a great loss. Many of the buildings in the town have been burned to the ground, livestock has been confiscated and eaten, the fields are overgrown. All that. Both federal soldiers occupying the town and the returning confederate soldiers are scarred and lost.
But in this book, you get the quirky characters of the small town South and they are tragic, disturbed, selfish, unselfish, and a bit crazy (some of them more crazy than others). Somehow Bahr makes most of them lovable, others pitiable, and very few despicable.
There's a love story in the book, a mystery, and a wonderful ending.
Some reviewers have compared Bahr's amazing writing style to Falkner - I don't see that. I would compare Bahr to Thomas Wolfe who was also poetic, philosophical, and whose writing was so moving.
Howard Bahr's fiction has been compared to Falkner and I do not see the comparison at all. Bahr is more easily compared to Thomas Wolfe whose writing is poetic and filled with longing.
But in this book, you get the quirky characters of the small town South and they are tragic, disturbed, selfish, unselfish, and a bit crazy (some of them more crazy than others). Somehow Bahr makes most of them lovable, others pitiable, and very few despicable.
There's a love story in the book, a mystery, and a wonderful ending.
Some reviewers have compared Bahr's amazing writing style to Falkner - I don't see that. I would compare Bahr to Thomas Wolfe who was also poetic, philosophical, and whose writing was so moving.
Howard Bahr's fiction has been compared to Falkner and I do not see the comparison at all. Bahr is more easily compared to Thomas Wolfe whose writing is poetic and filled with longing.
September 10, 2022
I'll be frank, if I hadn't already read The Black Flower, I probably wouldn't have liked this book and Howard Bahr as much as I do. That being said, this is another wonderful addition to Bahr's list. He included gut-wrenching images and unforgettable characters. I have to admit, I was a little wary starting this one because although its subtitle calls it a "novel of the Civil War," the story takes place after the war's end. I was afraid that too much of the novel would be spent in flashbacks. Never fear, though, Bahr spun the perfect blend of what it would be like to be a former soldier. For someone such as myself who's always wondered what it would be like for civilians and former soldiers after the Civil War had ended, Bahr's novel offers excellent insight into this matter. His imagery is vivid (often to the point that it felt like I was watching a movie in my mind), and the character's Southern dialect is effortless (to the point that each character had their own voice in my mind). Another thing that I loved about his characters was how real they seemed. As cliche as it sounds, by the end of the novel, I felt like you know them--I triumphed with their successes and I cursed with their failures. My feminist self also cheered for the sassy Morgan, who never hesitates to speak her mind. Oh--and I loved the appearance from Bushrod. I love it when stories slightly overlap like this one does with The Black Flower.
The only reason why I gave this novel four stars instead of five was that at times I found the story to be slightly cumbersome. About three quarters of the way into the book, I began wondering if the story was ever going to "get" anywhere. Most of that was due to my own reading slump, though, so I won't knock this novel too much.
I'd recommend (for those who are curious about Howard Bahr) reading The Black Flower before reading this one. I really enjoyed this book, and Howard Bahr never fails to deliver.
The only reason why I gave this novel four stars instead of five was that at times I found the story to be slightly cumbersome. About three quarters of the way into the book, I began wondering if the story was ever going to "get" anywhere. Most of that was due to my own reading slump, though, so I won't knock this novel too much.
I'd recommend (for those who are curious about Howard Bahr) reading The Black Flower before reading this one. I really enjoyed this book, and Howard Bahr never fails to deliver.
July 30, 2024
I generally like some poetic writing in my novels, like some images in words to enhance and add depth. But Bahr, in my view, goes above and beyond to the point of muddying the story and hurting its flow. It is a very good story, very evocative and powerful. But I sped over paragraphs and pages here and there because I needed to keep track of the narrative and couldn't find it in the sea of words.
That doesn't mean that I'd not recommend the book because I would recommend if but with the caveat above. And, it's obvious that many loved that aspect of his writing. For those that do like it, he does it well.
This is set in occupied, post-Civil War, rural Mississippi and is loaded with outstanding characters of all stripes. That alone makes the book worthwhile. We do get to know some of them, and in some depth. There were a few who grew and changed as the story progressed and were painted with more layers. The character who seemed fearsome was not. The one who seemed stable and loving fell away. Bahr handles that sort of thing well.
I hope this helps you to decide on this book.
That doesn't mean that I'd not recommend the book because I would recommend if but with the caveat above. And, it's obvious that many loved that aspect of his writing. For those that do like it, he does it well.
This is set in occupied, post-Civil War, rural Mississippi and is loaded with outstanding characters of all stripes. That alone makes the book worthwhile. We do get to know some of them, and in some depth. There were a few who grew and changed as the story progressed and were painted with more layers. The character who seemed fearsome was not. The one who seemed stable and loving fell away. Bahr handles that sort of thing well.
I hope this helps you to decide on this book.
September 2, 2021
I have been wanting to read The Year of Jubilo for some time. Now that I have I was certainly not disappointed. The story is set in the period just after the end of the American Civil War. Yet it is a Civil War novel.
The time & sense of place are beautifully rendered. The story itself features a number of memorable characters. The quality of the writing makes reading it a real joy. This is a novel that not only should interest those who are interested in the period but anyone who wants to read a great story wonderfully told whether it be an historical one or one about the present day. After all, what all great novels have in common is an exploration of the human condition.
The time & sense of place are beautifully rendered. The story itself features a number of memorable characters. The quality of the writing makes reading it a real joy. This is a novel that not only should interest those who are interested in the period but anyone who wants to read a great story wonderfully told whether it be an historical one or one about the present day. After all, what all great novels have in common is an exploration of the human condition.
January 1, 2022
Let me start by saying that Howard Bahr is an outstanding writer. His descriptions and story-telling ability are first rate, which makes for a very enjoyable read. Confederate soldier Gawain Harper is returning from the Civil War to his hometown in Mississippi, where he hopes to find everything pretty much the same as when he left three years earlier. To his surprise, almost nothing is the same. He isn't even sure if the woman he once loved would still be there waiting for him. He also becomes aware that for many southerners the war has not ended. Even as Gawain arrives on the scene, a secessionist leader is plotting a full-scale attack on Federal troops assigned to the area.
January 11, 2020
While I have read many Civil War novels and histories, this was the most unusual of all of them. It was the story of a Confederate soldier in June 1865 making the long trek home after the war ends to discover how different home is from his expectations and dreams. It offers an excellent insight into life in the deep South as a result of the devastating defeat in the war. It contained a number of very interesting characters who could only have been found in the deep South. Highly recommended.
June 19, 2021
Officially the civil war is over in this story and the defeated Confederate soldiers are returning home. They are finding the world changed and almost unrecognizable some just want peace, love and a good meal. Others, who never left to fight are still bitter and hatching plans for revenge against the Yankees. Conflict and ghosts abound, but some of the story is completely nonsensical in a boring depressing way.
June 5, 2023
I gave this one the ole college try, and finally put it down about 1/2 way through. I could not get into the story, though it does seem well-written. I didn't have any feelings for or engagement in any of the characters, what they were doing, or where they may be going in the story. This was one of the books that I have in my personal collection and had not read, and it will now go to the donation pile. I hope it finds the right reader for it.
February 17, 2021
The seeds of war are the most virulent of all, thriving long after a victor is declared. Through memorable characters, rich settings, and mysterious intertwining of present, past, and dreams, this masterful post-Civil War novel brings alive the hard-earned lessons of war and the struggle to recover and carry on.
November 4, 2025
Live story within the Civil War or Civil War around a romance? Little of both. Very Faulkner-esque. Not everyone l’s cup of tea around war scenes. Wouldn’t say gruesome, notch below that but very battle detailed. Took longer to read than most novels. Don’t know why. What bad or slow early; just not overly compelling. However, the climactic finish was superb. Worth suggesting.
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