Burke is great at describing scenes, bringing characaters to life and constructing an intricate plot. Another Kind of Eden has hints of good vs. evil and who can be trusted. There are plenty of red herring plants throwing off readers as to what is going on under the obvious. Unfortunately, I did not care for the shift to mystical realism in the climatic scene and the vague recap of what really happened to characters who readers have invested lots of time to become involved with their lives.

Another smashing novel, from one of the greatest writers around. No one uses words and phases like JLB, and there is no greater joy than a new book from him. Always exciting, always a thrill, and totally engaging. No one writers about the balance of good and evil.

The only downside is that there are many months until the next one!

Just finished reading Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke. Mr. Burke seems to get better with age. His main character, Aaron Holland Broussard, shares thoughts on death, the hereafter and the book deals with the supernatural more than Mr. Burke's previous novels. After reading the book's Acknowledgments I gained a deeper appreciation for the book's themes and what might have influenced the author's thoughts. Well done, sir. @jamesleeburke #NetGalley

Another Kind of Eden is the second book in James Lee Burke’s Aaron Holland Broussard series, following Broussard’s introduction in the 2016 novel The Jealous Kind. Burke fans may remember that Burke first started writing about the Holland family in 1971 with his first Hackberry Holland novel, Lay Down My Sword and Shield - although he did not add a second Hackberry Holland novel until 2009. In the meantime, Burke began his Billy Bob Holland books, the first of which, Cimarron Rose won the 1997 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In addition to these, Burke has now written two Weldon Holland novels and the two featuring Aaron Holland Broussard. All told, novels featuring these four branches of the Holland family now total twelve.

The Jealous Kind, set in 1950s Houston, although he barely survives it, is Aaron Holland Broussard’s coming-of-age story. By the time that Another Kind of Eden opens in early 1960s Colorado, a lot has happened to Aaron, and he has the emotional scars to prove it. Aaron is an unpublished novelist who has taken to jumping in and out of boxcars and working odd jobs to sustain himself. In Trinidad, Colorado, Aaron finds both the farm work he is seeking and the young woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Joanne McDuffy is a college student and a talented artist who does waitress work to afford the basic lifestyle she allows herself. Aaron does not have a doubt in his mind that she is the only woman meant for him.

It is obvious that the attraction is mutual, but as Aaron and Joanne will learn: there are always monsters among us. In this instance, the monsters come in the form of the disgusting professor who is intent on taking advantage of Joanne in every way imaginable and the drug-riddled cult that the older man brings into her life. If that were not bad enough, a powerful businessman and his son, both crazed by their own brand of hatred, take special delight in making Aaron’s life as miserable as possible.

All Aaron wants to do is get his novel published, convince the woman of his dreams to marry him, and earn enough money to live on until his dreams finally come true. But it will not be that simple because Aaron is a man with emotional problems of his own. He suffers from the aftermath of the terrible things that have already happened to him, and he has to endure the memory blackouts that have stolen much of his past from him. He knows that when driven to a rage, he will find it hard to stop the violence until someone, maybe him, is dead. But he never expected to end up in Hell itself.

Bottom Line: Another Kind of Eden continues the Holland family saga, but (much as with Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels) the stories are getting darker and darker. This one requires a substantial suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader, but readers who can manage that level of disbelief-suspension are going to enjoy this one a lot.

Aspiring novelist Aaron Holland Broussard rides the rails in 1960 America searching for inspiration and odd jobs. His latest stop in Trinidad, Colorado leads to a job on a local farm and an entree into the local community. And what a community it is: the Sheriff is obsessed with a supposed serial killer, Joanne, the beautiful graduate art student Aaron instantly falls for, and the Vickers - father and son powerful businessmen and sadistic bullies. If not enough, there is a school bus full of pot smoking drugged hippies and a college professor with an odd hold on Joanne.
Throw in nightmares, blackouts, a mysterious shrouded figure, guilt feelings and a horrible ritual murder and you are questioning what is real.
As with all Burke novels, the reader is treated to a beautifully written novel but forced to believe. Are there rational explanations for what is going on or is it magical realism. Good and Evil battle and we must interpret the outcome.
The ending comes quickly and somewhat abruptly. I was left with the certain feeling that there would be another Aaron Holland Broussard novel in the future.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #AnotherKindofEden #JamesLeeBurke

A new novel by James Lee Burke v is always cause to celebrate, and this one ranks among his most poetic, atmospheric and even spiritual The c landscape is neither Texas not Louisiana but a Colorado farm where Aaron Broussard, a haunted Korean War veteran, has fetched up after riding the rails in search of his destiny. By the time he finds it, in a box canyon in the Sangre de Christos, Burke has woven the reader in his spell with the kind of magic realism he's employed to good use in many of his previous novels . One of the most lyrical writers working today, so far beyond the mystery genre where his early Dave Robicheaux novela pigeon-holed him that he's "just" a damn good novelist

In a novel full of power and intensity, we are introduced to Aaron Holland Broussard an aspiring writer who is exploring the American West by hopping on freight trains. It’s the early 1960s and he’s currently working on a farm in Colorado. Aaron is a troubled man, plagued by nightmares, prone to non-substance induced blackouts and tormented by guilt over the death of a close friend in Korea. We also meet a feast of other interesting characters, including the beautiful Joanne McDuff, who works at a café in the small town nearby, Rueben Vickers and his son and Darrel, who are couple of local bullies, and a school bus full of drug taking travellers.

A number of sickening murders have taken place in the vicinity, typically these appear to be of prostitutes. Furthermore, the local lawman believes that his granddaughter was, some time ago, murdered by a serial killer and he has his suspicions regarding the Vickers family. He attempts to enlist the help of Aaron, who recently had a run in with Rueben, to do some snooping around. But Aaron’s attention is focussed on Joanne: he is attracted to her and she to him, but the situation is complicated by the fact that she already seems to be in some kind of a relationship with her art professor. It all adds up to a very combustible state of affairs and soon it all kicks off.

The interplay between many of the players is described by way of a series of terse encounters. Conversations between this group are almost universally harsh and sometimes difficult to interpret. But anyone familiar with Burke’s work won’t be surprised by this, it’s the way he always presents his stories. However, what may come as a surprise is the fact that here he chooses to include significant elements of magic realism in his story. This isn’t the first time he’s done this, of course, he’s used this device in a number of his Dave Robicheaux books, but never in such a pivotal way.

Reading any James Lee Burke novel is an experience: his prose is distinctive, his vocabulary extensive and his extravagant turns of phrase extraordinary. At times he makes you feel that you’re reading a long poem. His descriptions of people and places are often lengthy, comprising colours and smells and comparisons as they paint startlingly vivid pictures. Here, as often before, he provides images that are often dark and disturbing but as his narrative progresses his thoughts sometimes turn wistful as he recalls memories of the best of times. There is both darkness and light here, but in truth it’s mainly darkness. He writes of the battle between good and evil, often in an almost biblical way, and you sense that you will be led to a final conflict to rival that of Armageddon.

From the outset the author challenges the reader to accept the incredible, to embrace the possibility of the events he is about to describe. It’s most certainly a wild ride and don’t expect all of the loose ends to be neatly tied off, but if you can accommodate Burke’s wish you’ll be treated to an experience that only one of the finest literary voices out there can provide.

James Lee Burke continues to be my favorite author with Another Kind of Eden, a continuation of the battle between good and evil. His insights into life are profound. The characters in this novel are all interesting, starting with Aaron Holland Broussard, our protagonist. He falls for a woman who doesn't deserve him. His battle to win her over takes many forms, but she seems to prefer a local professor who doesn't treat her well. The supernatural has a big role to play in this novel, and I confess, it sometimes was hard to process the information the author tells us about it. His magical lyrics are all necessary as we sort it out.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC, and thanks also to James Lee Burke.

Back in 2016, I read and reviewed James Lee Burke’s The Jealous Kind, noting that the book was “… part of the Holland family saga. Back in 1835, Sam Holland escaped from prison, fighting in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Sam’s grandson, Hackberry Holland, was a Texas Ranger.” Hackberry’s grandson, Aaron Holland Broussard, was the focus of that 5-star book.

Another Kind of Eden is another addition to the Holland family saga. The book again follows Aaron Holland Broussard, this time as he faces villains in a small Colorado town. This book has familiar themes: a stalwart, ethical man casually meets a woman, decides she is the answer to all of his needs and, in his efforts to win her, he annoys villains in the community.

My experience with this latest book is EXACTLY the same as last year, when I was reviewing Burke’s book A Private Cathedral. At that time, I wrote “I can’t say I read all of this one. I TRIED. I really did. And I’m going to play the virus card, because everyone’s lives have been totally tossed around by the current pandemic…and don’t even get me started on the incompetent handling of this in the U.S. But that should really provide adequate time to read, even things we might not love, right?” Well, we still have the pandemic, and I still have lots of time to read, but…

So here I am, a year later, with another admittedly lazy review. This time my quote this time is taken from my piece on The New Iberia Blues, and once again it is EXACTLY applicable to Another Kind of Eden: “My husband found it well-written, as expected. He also enjoyed the repetition of familiar characters in the series…The things he does appreciate about the series in general and this title in particular include the beauty of the language used by Burke and the literary and historical allusions.’ Three stars. (I thought my husband would probably say at least four, but he agreed with me that we are not that fond of the supernatural in our fiction reading!) Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for this honest (collaborative) review.

I really liked this book until the end. I'm not a fan of supernatural solutions, so that didn't thrill me. But I love JLB's writing.

Wonderfully written!
A poignant look at who people are and what they can become. So much more than just good vs. evil and how a good man can be mired in evil. This story tells of a man living through his own hidden devils while he fights the real ones.

“This is madness, Aaron. No, this is hell. We found it on earth. It’s not a myth.” -James Lee Burke

#NetGalley
#AnotherKindofEden
#JamesLeeBurke

My thanks to the publisher and to the talented James Lee Burke for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have been reading James Lee Burke for many, many years. Somewhere along the way I have lost my appetite for his penchant for violence. His heroes are always deeply flawed and Aaron Broussard is that. A veteran of the Korean War, he is an aspiring novelist who working for a rancher in league with two others who have their own devils. The introduction of Satanic figure devolves into a horrific scene of murder and torture that is later passed off as a psychotic break of Aaron’s own mental state.

As usual reading a JLB is succor to my soul. There is something about his style that just thrills me. I took a very long time to read this because my husband died in the middle of it all and it took me awhile to get back in to the swing of reading. This was just the right book for this time in my life I can’t explain it but I feel very lucky that I had these words to cling to. Thanks JLB!

ANOTHER KIND OF EDEN is a new addition to the Holland family saga that author James Lee Burke has been writing about for years. The book follows the protagonist, Aaron Holland Broussard, as he faces villains in a small Colorado town. Burke’s writing is amazing and his ability to create place, atmosphere and characters’ philosophical orientation is unparalleled. My difficulty with this third book hinges on the similarity of plot to the two previous books. A stalwart, ethical man, upon casually meeting a woman, decides she is the answer to all of his needs and while attempting to win her, annoys villains in the community. His relationship with the woman prompts him to engage in rescue fantasies with varying results. Basically, these are: a hero slays a dragon and hopes to win the princess. I loved it in the first book, WAYFARING STRANGER, I struggled with it in THE JEALOUS KIND, and by this book, I lost interest. I think WAYFARING STRANGER is the best but ANOTHER KIND OF EDEN works if read as a stand alone. Although if this plot appeals, all of the books explore it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Larry McMurtry wrote that novelists begin to lose it in their 50's and by their 60's they're done. Thank God nobody has told James Lee Burke.

ANOTHER KIND OF EDEN, written in Burke's mid-80's, is right up there with the very finest of his previous novels and that's pretty much the highest standard of achievement any novelist can hope to reach in 2021. Reading James Lee Burke gives me hope for the future, both the future of publishing and the future of the increasingly fragile world in which we all live.

I'm grateful to the publisher for allowing me the extraordinary pleasure of reading an advance copy of ANOTHER KIND OF EDEN. I'm awed. I'm blown away. It's an absolutely incredible novel.

A short yet impactful read from my favorite author. Another Kind Of Eden follows the doomed love story of Aaron Holland Broussard, an aspiring writer who travels the American west via boxcar in the early 1960's.
Aaron decides to make a stop in Denver where he meets and falls in love with Joanne McDuffy, an art student working at a local restaurant.
Aaron finds a job on a local farm run by kindly Jude Lowry. He becomes friends with farm workers Spud and Cotton, two older men with lots of baggage in their past.
Aaron also locks horns with Darrel Vickers and his father Reuben, two extremely evil men who run the area.
Aaron's love for JoAnne is muddied by her art teacher, Henri Devos, whom she's having a tryst. Devos comes complete with a school bus full of drugged out hippies who seem to appear at every inopportune moment.
Burke amps up the tension to one stormy night, replete with murder. Witchcraft and demons galore. Hold on to your hats!
Another Kind Of Eden isn't Robicheaux, but its still a tense and gnarly escape to James Lee Burke's Americana, where evil lurks outside every passing boxcar.

The latest from the prolific James Lee Burke, his novels are allegories of good but flawed men who are put into the path of evil and attempt to adhere to their codes of honor, with the assist of good but flawed women. Beautifully written and mystical, sometimes a bit hard to follow, this is the tale of a farm hand/author who clashes with drug dealers, small town police and his employers. His protagonist attempts to adhere to his code of honor in a deeply flawed world. Mysticism and religious references abound. Over time, his books have morphed from mysteries/police procedurals to explorations of morality.

There are more forms of evil among humans than Aaron Holland Broussard can count, and he seems to stumble into and over most of them in this 1960s novel of pain and crime in the outwardly peaceful environment of southern Colorado. Broussard wants to be a novelist and finds a lot of material in his travels west on a boxcar. In Colorado, he discovers misery and love and a hint of the mystical as he works on a farm, and that, combined with his mental/emotional state, lead him into dangerous situations. The writing is excellent, as one would expect from a Burke novel. The pacing kept me turning the pages, the characters are mysterious and sometimes scary, and that shadowy character in the background a nice twist.

I received a free copy of this novel via Net Galley.

In "Another Kind of Eden," Burke offers us a tale of the sun-drenched west that offers few answers to the question of what the distance is between Heaven and Hell, and between madness and sanity. Wrapped in poetic imagery, we get a tale about a drifter riding the rails to Trinidad, Colorado, in 1962, trying to loose a past that just keeps creeping up on him through holes in his memory. Like Biblical thunder, good and evil are mixed together in this small ranching town where a bully seems to rule with an iron fist.

No matter where Broussard travels though, he bears his heavy burdens with him. For him, there's no peace nowhere, not in his head, not in his hands, not in his thoughts. Not even the love of a good woman, JoAnne, can lighten his load. The war in Korea is just as real and now as it ever was. A parallel exists in the schoolbus with the hippies, stoned and crazy, but halfway between Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters and Manson's tribe. No one here can shake off their pasts. No one walks free and easy and we all have to bear our burdens ultimately alone. For JoAnne, it's perhaps her father whisked awY in a tornado and never seen again. For others, it's their deeds or what their family members did that they can't wash their hands of.

Burke's work is honestly quite amazing and this one grips you and doesn't let go, although reality and madness sometimes mix here in quite strange ways. A stranger coming into a small town and turning it upside down is not a new idea, but this story takes it to quite a different level, indeed.

I was super excited to get my hands on an ARC of Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke (the latest installment of the Holland family saga). It didn’t disappoint!

In this installment, set in the 1960’s Aaron Holland Broussard heads west trying to outrun his demons from Vietnam, get his writing career off the ground, and in Denver he begins working on a farm where he meets Joanne- the girl who may just be his soulmate. Only Joanne is mixed up with a professor who is mixed up with some shady cult-type people who don’t want to let her go and focus on in Aaron. Now Aaron must fight for both of their lives.

Mr. Burke was my introduction into adult reading/literature when I was 11-12 years old and read Black Cherry Blues (still my favorite book of his!). I’ve since read everything he’s written. He was even kind enough to email with me and assist when I used A Tin Roof Blowdown as a basis for a literature project in college.

I’ve learned over the years of reading his novels (we won’t discuss how many years that’s been😉) that his writing is dependable. It’s consistently great! The characters are always well developed, the plot always moves along at a decent pace (sometimes slower than others, but there’s always “that moment” and it picks up), the stories are character driven, and you feel something. The Robicheaux novels will always have my heart, but the Holland family is fantastic!

*This can be read as a stand-alone, but as always, is better if read as part of the series so as not to miss small details.