Hey Bill, did you pick that "Black Flower" up at the source? I remember that we had the option of going to meet the author, buy the book, and tour something or another, but I needed toothpaste worse than another book so I skipped out on that shore trip.
Regarding the ending of "Cold Mountain," Frasier's excuse was "that was the way it happened." It was based on one of his relatives. As a fiction writer myself, I know what a lame explanation that is.
Maybe I ought to read "The Odyssey" and then read "Cold Mountain" again, and find the Cyclops, Circe, and all the rest.
My favorite character in the book was Ruby.
Zou