Preview
  • White Doves at Morning

  • By: James Lee Burke
  • Narrated by: Ed Sala
  • Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (181 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

White Doves at Morning

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: Ed Sala
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In a startling departure, James Lee Burke has written an epic story of love, hate, and survival set against the tumultuous background of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

At the center of the tale are James lee Burke's own ancestors, Robert Perry, who comes from the slave-owning family of wealth and privilege, and Willy Burke, born of Irish immigrants, a poor boy who is as irreverent as he is brave and decent. Despite personal and political conflicts, both men join the Confederate Army, determined not to back down in their commitment to their moral beliefs, to their friends, and to the abolitionist woman with whom both are infatuated.

Willie's friend, Flower Jamison, a beautiful young black slave is owned by - and fathered by, although he will not admit it - Ira Jamison. Owner of Angola Plantation, Ira Jamison returns after the war and transforms his plantation into a penal colony which houses prisoners he rents out as laborers to replace the emancipated slaves.

Against all local laws and customs, Willie teaches Flower how to read and write. She receives the help and protection of Abigail Dowling, the Massachusetts abolitionist who has attracted both Willie and Robert Perry's attention. These love affairs are fraught with danger and compromised by the great and grim events of the Civil War and its aftermath.

With unforgettable battle scenes at Shiloh and in the Shenandoah Valley, White Doves at Morning is an epic masterpiece of historical fiction.

©2002 James Lee Burke (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"[A] Civil War blockbuster....Extraordinary. The Washington Post Book World Violent, lyrical, and engrossing....The man has a touch of the poet in him." ( People)

What listeners say about White Doves at Morning

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    111
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    102
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

James Lee Burke at his best

Would you consider the audio edition of White Doves at Morning to be better than the print version?

Even though my favorite narrator didn't narrate this book, I was able to get into this narrator as well. Burke's language flows so beautifully and the descriptions are beautiful mind pictures. The subject matter is harsh but truthful and depicts such a sad part of our history - a must read for any Burke fan!

What did you like best about this story?

Staying true to history

What about Ed Sala’s performance did you like?

he is easy to listen to - articulates beautifully and keeps the momentum

Who was the most memorable character of White Doves at Morning and why?

Willie - he is a Burke

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good story

unlike his last books in Holland series. this book was enjoyable.. None of his politicis and anti usa nonsense

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

James Lee Burk is able to bring his story to life

Descriptions of the land and sounds are the best of any writer. I recommend his books

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Burke’s Best

This is James Lee Burke‘s best literary fiction novel. I would put it on the shelf beside Gone with the Wind any day. In my opinion White Doves at Morning is better, for the lack of soap opera, romance and drama, although there is certainly great drama, great history, and the epic stage of the American Civil War.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An honest portrait

This is a book written for lovers of civil war history and the harmony orchestrated by James Lee Burke in every novel he writes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the Best

James Lee Burke's writing is very rich, so descriptive of places, people, and events. He set the stage and kept my rapt attention from cover to cover. I am a Tennessean and my state and Virginia had the most battles. I have liv

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Burke Puts You There

This is not a book for the squeeamish. Descriptions of war (Civil) and immediate aftermath were graphic. The lives of enslaved people was probably as fairly represented as I can imagine. So was the callous diaregard for fellow human beings that, unfortunately, seems to be proudly reasserting itself among the same tyoes of people today. How bad can it get? Burke shows us.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great stand alone

Another winner by JLB which I had missed with his Robichaux series,etc
Some good history as well.
I missed Will Patton but this narrator was good except
for 1 or 2 of the women's voices.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Review

I have read a number of James Lee Byrne's books over the years, this one is interesting, character relatable. Historical. Takes me back to his early books. Good read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

American Lives

This is a book everyone should read. Burke brings to life real characters from one of the crucial epochs in our American heritage. In this account of the Civil War, he delves into the goodness and the evil on both sides that shaped our society and continues to differentiate America's history from that of other nations.In addition, it provides the backdrop for his future novels that highlight the singular culture of the Louisiana bayou. Ed Sala's performance is right on, fitting his voice to the characters and times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!