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Summary: Maybe one of the top 5 Civil War Books
Review: I read this book about 20 years ago, and have seen the movie "Gettysburg" that was based on it. It would hard for me to think of any book about war that I regard more highly. Michael Sharra is masterful in describing the unfolding of the battle, and what many of the main characters such as Lee, Longstreet, and Chamberlain might have though and said. Even more, his story telling skills are compelling. This book is hard to put down. When I read Longstreet's "From Manassas to Appomatox," this book provided a vivid context. I recommend The Killer Angels to anyone who wants to know more about the battle of Gettysburg. I have visited the Gettysburg battlefield several times, and I can tell you, having read this book made the experience incredibly meaningful and vivid. It is simply one of the ten or so best books I've ever read.
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Summary: Just do it
Review: This is one you just need to read.
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Summary: Historical storytelling at it's finest!
Review: This book represents American historical storytelling at it's finest. An absolultely divine page-turner; one of the most profound insights on the Civil War I have read. This book presents history in a compelling manner that is easy to read but still encapsulates the thoughts and emotions comprising the American Civil War. It is beautifully divided into chapters aptly named after the officers they portray. Each character's experiences jump through the reader to give him an understanding of the common themes of the North and the South. Common themes including the reasoning behind the war, specifically slavery or state's rights and family against family, and friend against friend are presented in manner that exonerates the humanity of both points of view. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in American history, military history, American philosophy, or just interesting reading.
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Summary: Magnificent Histry Brought to Life
Review: I read this book as a requirement for a college class and boy am I glad they required it. It is a fabulous fictional work on the civil war and any history buff can enjoy it completely.
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Summary: A look into the lives of soliders
Review: I went to Gettysburg in person last year. I knew the story of the battle, but I didn't know all of the details. It would have been so much more rewading to go their after reading this book. It was writen so well, that every place mentioned came alive. You feel like you know the charecters because their thoughts and actions are so vivid. If I was to go their now I could stand on one of the many monumental places I could think "I know what happened here and I know who did what and what they might have been feeling at the time." The only problem was that it seemed that on the first day whenever there was action going on it would switch to a charecter who was out of the action, but only on the first day. This is truly how historical fiction is supposed to be written!
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Summary: The Gettysburg soap opera
Review: A gripping and easy-to-read tale of war and the men who fight. Lee's monstrous ego is pitted against the incompetent bureaucracy of the Union high command. In addition to its entertainment value, I understand it is surprisingly accurate -- a truly rare combination.
Rating:
Summary: Simple yet somehow sublime
Review: This is history alive. You're reading about the most great and terrible day American soil has ever seen and you're in the thick of it for the long haul. Even if history lessons bore you, Shaara's narrative is elegant and beautiful. It reads more like poetry, I mean come on, it won the Pulitzer Prize. You root for the bad guys, Lo Amristead to reunite with Winfield Hancock, you root for the bad guys, Longstreet not to get in trouble and suffer the pangs of controversy because it wasn't his fault, you root for the bad guys because you want to see the pompous windbag that is the brilliant General George Pickett ride into a victorious glory, instead of the horrible and crippling defeat at the hands of the superior Union army. You root for Chamberlain, this simple religious man and school teacher to sweep the enemy back and save the day. It's action packed and adnventurous and you simply can't put it down. It is superbly moving and just gut wrenchingly emotional. It is the most unconventional of story tellings thrown on top of a history lesson ever.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I am not a Civil War buff, although I was aware on a certain level of the significance of the battle at Gettysburg. This Pulitzer Prize winning historical novel has changed that for me. I was so engrossed in the novel that when I finished, I immediately began looking for other sources on the battle, and on the war in general. This novel takes you right into the middle of the battle and into the minds of some of the major historical figures on hand (not the least of which is Robert E. Lee). I was thoroughly engrossed and completely captivated by this rich historical fiction.
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Summary: Fictional Story of a Battle similar to Battle of Gettysburg
Review: This novel is a fictional narrative of a battle that resembles the Battle of Gettysburg. Please remember this! This book is no more a historical account of the Battle of Gettysburg than Colleen McCullough's "First Man in Rome" is an account of the life of Marius and Sulla.If you want to know about the Battle of Gettysburg, read Coddington's masterpiece, or try Pfanz's excellent books. Thomas Desjardin also wrote a very good book about the 20th Maine and the real Joshua L. Chamberlain. Desjardin puts the 20th Maine's intense skirmish with the 15th Alabama on Vincent's Spur into perspective. Shaara unfortunately places considerable emphasis on the engagement because it makes for a dramatic story, not because it was of monumental historical significance. In their first real taste of battle, the ~450 brave boys from Maine outfought the battlehardened ~450 soldiers from Alabama using superior tactics and advantageous terrain. Had the 20th Maine fled however, the exhausted, thirsty, and unsupported 15th Alabama would have run into the virtually uninjured 83rd Pennsylvania. The significance of the 20th Maine's success was that these raw troops killed, wounded, or captured more than they themselves were killed, wounded, or captured. They did not, however, by their actions that day save the Union. I must also take exception with Shaara's bizarre portrayal of Lee. Douglas Freeman's biography of Lee is the place to look for a historical account of Lee. If you are looking for a fictional tale set during the Civil War, this may be the book for you. If, however, you want to know what happened at Gettysburg and why, look elsewhere.
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Summary: Excellent listening
Review: George Hearn and Ronald F. Maxwell do a superb job of reading Michael Shaara's already excellent text. Hearn's voice in particular brings the characters alive: he does an excellent job of distinguishing each character's voice and articulating each one in a manner that is true to the image evoked by Shaara. His reading is clear and forceful. Lee's voice is soft and dignified, as it should be; Pickett's is playful and youthful; Chamberlain's is thoughtful and studied, careful in his choice of words; Armistead's is wistful; Longstreet's is taciturn, resigned, and practical. It is a genuine delight to hear someone read a text so well.
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