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Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is the BEST novel about Texas history. The majority of characters are based on actual people of the time, David Crockett, William Travis, Santa Anna, Gail Borden and more. Harrigan brings them to life, gives them breath, gives them hopes and dreams, and makes them human. I'm originally from Texas and have visited the real Alamo in San Antonio many times. Most people, during their first visit, are amazed to find that the Alamo stands in the middle of the city. At the time of the battle it was across the river from the town. One cannot get a good sense of just how big the Alamo compound was, in 1836, by visiting the actual place. The plaza, where most of the fighting took place, is now covered by a street, shops and the U.S. Post Office (where Travis was killed). But, when you read GATES OF THE ALAMO you believe you are there; you can visualize the place, the smells, the cold, the pain, and the hunger. You find yourself totally immersed in the characters of the book with their desperate attempts to survive a very brutal and bloody battle. The battle, as written by Harrigan, comes to life. Even though this book is a novel, what Harrigan has written about the battle is based on the most recent research. His interpretation of the battle is mesmerizing and moving. The story is told from the perspectives of Mexican officers and soldiers and the Texans. Harrigan is fair in his portrayal of these characters and, because of that, one has a deeper understanding of what motivated these people to fight and die before dawn on March 6, 1836.
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Summary: The Iliad, Gone With the Wind, and so much more.
Review: The Gates of the Alamo is one of the best works of historical fiction that I have ever read. Harrigan illuminates the the mythical Texas battle in new ways by bringing us the lives of common people involved in the siege in battle. These characters give you a real palpable sense of the time from both sides of the conflict. Harrigan has created a n epic about the bloody birth of Anglo Texas that is a must read.
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Summary: The Gates of the Alamo is Terrific!
Review: Buy this book. You won't be able to put it down. Harrigan is a very talented writer. The characters in this novel are wonderful. I can't say enough good things about it.
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Summary: Hungry for more Harrigan
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read, and I'm an avid reader. It's in the same vein as "Lonesome Dove" - another of my favorite books. This really just made me want for Stephen Harrigan to write more!
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Summary: The Gates of the Alamo
Review: There have been many stories written of the battle at the Alamo, but this is definitely the one that brings that event in Texas history to life. It is excellent, well written, well researched. In my opinion, Gates of the Alamo is worthy of a Pulitzer Prize for best historical fiction. I am going to nominate it!
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Summary: The good guys vs. the good guys.
Review: This is one of the best historical novels I have read, ranking right up there with the finest works of Gary Jennings or James Michener. Unlike Michener, though, Harrigan is a master of characterization. Mary Mott is one of the most intriguing characters in American fiction, and when she is in the story the novel soars. The characters' interrelations are so well done, in fact, that the actual siege of the Alamo is almost subtext. There are many aspects of this novel that you will enjoy, from the smooth narrative to the sometimes thriller pace (and sometimes not) to the botany lessons to the symbolism of the birds and the sawfish. This is the book Mr. Harrigan was born to write, and it's a great gift to the readers of the world.
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Summary: Excellent research, but gratuirous violence
Review: I read the book with great interest, as I am a Texan, and I wished to get a clearer idea of the actual events at the battle of the Alamo. Mr. Harrigan's book provided a well-researched and superbly written chronicle of the event. I agree that his book also provides some background concerning the viewpoint of the Mexican leaders. I have a couple of problems with the book. All of the main characters are repeatedly beaten, shot, stabbed, and/or clubbed before the battle of the Alamo ever begins. I understand that the Texas frontier was a rough place, but I think it is a little over-done. Also, the sexual disfunction of the botanist Mr McGowan is a little destracting and does not really serve the main story line. The sentence structure and choice of words are first rate and compare favorably with "Lonesome Dove." And the attention to historical accuracy is evident and appreciated by this reader.
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Summary: Move over Larry McMurtry....
Review: Stephen Harrigan expertly captures a time in history that fascinates to this day. The bonus is the point of view of the Mexican attackers of the shrine. The blend of history and fiction is seamless. A great read, start thinking about the casting for the movie.......
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Summary: A gem in literature of fact
Review: The Alamo is the holiest of Texas shrines, a haunted little mission built at the crossroads of fact and fiction, and in the gospel of Texas, perhaps a vestige of Creation itself. With characteristic hubris, Texans can trace this new millennial world to the blood spilled at the Alamo, a game of six degrees of historical separation: Without the Alamo, they say, there could have been no Battle of San Jacinto. Without the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas could not have existed. Without Texas, westward expansion would have been stymied. Without the West, the U.S. would merely be an Atlantic power, at best, and would not likely have risen to a world power. And without the U.S. as a world power, the world as we know it today would not exist. So there is no surprise that a gifted Texas writer such as Stephen Harrigan would return to the touchstone of this single, epochal event to tell a riveting new story, in much the same way writers have so often returned to the story of Creation. This book is a new masterpiece in the literature of fact. The strength of Harrigan's extraordinarily authentic novel is in its superior storytelling, no small thing when staring down the hot barrel of history.
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Summary: Worthwhile, a bit revisionist, but great historical fiction
Review: This is an intriguing and somewhat revisionist novel about the battle of the Alamo and the tensions which led up to it. It takes three fictional characters (a mother, her son, and a botanist) and uses their personalities and vantage points to develop a human size story within the saga of Texas Independence. It also deftly portrays both Mexican and Texan viewpoints and emotions. A worthwhile novel for those interested in history as seen through fiction.
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