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Summary: Book Review of The Killer Angels
Review: Cannonballs soaring through the air accompanied by thunderous claps. Countless rifles firing, releasing tremendous force and a barrage of bullets. Thousands of men dead or wounded. The American Civil War is in full force, and the two armies have collided at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is the most significant battle of the war, which decides the future of the United States of America. The Killer Angels is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that takes the reader onto the battlefield. It masterfully depicts the bloodshed, bravery, and strategy at Gettysburg with complete historical accuracy, while maintaining the reader's interest and a state of unrelenting suspense. I feel The Killer Angels is a superb novel. The excitement of the combat pours out from every page. The writer uses such clear language that everything is easily perceived, and the maps help a great deal in understanding the events that transpired. The motives of both sides and the thoughts of the Generals are shown, providing very good insight into the reasons behind every decision, as well as the causes of the war itself. The story is told from the points of view of the important Generals involved in the fighting. This is a very important aspect, because it allows the reader to see both sides of the conflict and comprehend the moves each side makes, allowing for a full understanding of the ordeal. One can see why Buford decided to face the Confederates on the first day of battle although greatly outnumbered, or the reasons for Pickett's famous charge. This also shows the motives of each side in fighting the war. It may seem that the Confederates fought only to defend slavery, but the book shows that this is not so. Some commanders of the Rebel army were indeed outraged that people thought that the reason. Many of them did not even own slaves, and believed they were fighting for independence: freedom from the rule of the oppressive Washington government. The insight this book provides is terrific. From the mood of the armies, to the personalities of the Generals, to the emotions flying in the heat of battle, to the aftermath of the engagement and its effect on the Generals, not the slightest detail is omitted. You will feel as though you had been there at Gettysburg after reading this book. The combat is presented very clearly: the reader constantly knows what is going on and why. The Killer Angels is very suspenseful, for the reader is continuously wondering what will happen next: how will one General respond to the move of another, and will the plan work or not? The reader feels the agony that General Buford goes through as he orders his men to do their best to stop the Confederate advance, wonders if they will be able to hold until backup arrives, prays for backup to arrive on time, and questions whether it was a good idea in the first place. The book is full of unceasing action. It starts two days before battle when a spy brings General Longstreet the news that the Union army is very close. This catches the Rebs by surprise and they begin to mobilize for battle, although at first not believing the spy. Then there is the first day of fighting when Buford, commander of the Union cavalry, takes a stand against General Hill's troops at Gettysburg. Reynolds soon brings infantry to help Buford, and then Ewell's Corps and other Confederate divisions join the battle. The second day sees fighting at Devil's Den, on Little Round Top, and at the Peach Orchard and the Wheat Field, as the Confederates storm the Union forces with relentless attack, but the Army of the Potomac manages to stand its ground against the Rebels. On the third and final day of the battle, Lee orders a full-blown strike on the Union army along Cemetery Ridge despite Longstreet's disapproval of such a plan. The brave charge led by General Picket is stopped, and the Confederate army thus loses the battle of Gettysburg. All these events actually took place, and so I feel Michael Shaara has done a wonderful job in keeping The Killer Angels historically accurate. He has just changed some of the dialect so it is easier to understand, and eliminated the minor characters and unimportant occurrences for the sake of brevity. I enjoyed reading this book a whole lot. It was thrilling from beginning to end, and it fueled my interest in history. I was captivated by the battle scenes that came alive with the vivid details used by the author. The way the Michael Shaara managed to present both sides of the war allowed me to understand the true reasons for this bloody battle, and the causes of a civil war in America. I particularly enjoyed how much the Generals and soldiers were described in the novel because this allowed me to sympathize with them and understand their decisions and relationships with one another, as well as even put myself in their place, which made history much more interesting and personal than bare facts in a textbook could do. It was also a great idea of the author allow the reader to view the battle from the eyes of numerous different Generals. That definitely allowed me to comprehend all that took place, and all that caused it to take place, much better. I would certainly recommend The Killer Angels to others. If you enjoy history and the art of warfare, you will love this book. You will also find it worth your time if you just like a gripping story filled with excitement and adventure. Even if you do not know too much about the Civil War, you will not regret reading this novel. You will comprehend everything due to the clarity with which this book is written, and it will kindle your interest in history.
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Summary: The best Civil War book I've ever read!
Review: This book is an absolute MUST for all Civil War buffs. I have read this book at least 25 times, and I will NEVER tire of it. Shaara's characterizations of ALL the people involved, not just the main characters, bring the Battle of Gettysburg to life in a way that will stay with you forever. I especially enjoyed the details of the confederates' interaction with and reaction to Lt. Col. Fremantle of the British Cold Stream Guard. Also, Shaara's writing puts you in the shoes of the main characters...makes you feel like you are there. Finally, this book cemented and affirmed my true admiration for Gen. Robert E. Lee. He was truly a man of extreme intelligence, fiery moral and religious convictions, and more than likely the greatest military strategist the world had ever seen. If I could go back in history and meet any one person, Robert E. Lee would be at the top of the list. I have Michael Shaara to thank for that. And if you read this book and love it, DON'T MISS "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure" by Jeff Shaara.
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Summary: Why Study War Anymore: Echoes of Preceding Generations.
Review: My title is a takeoff on a 60s-70s chant--"We will study war no more." Michael Shaara's book, which won a Pulitzer in 1974, shows why we SHOULD study war. He has taken his vast knowledge of the Civil War in general, and Gettysbury in particular, and shaped an historical novel, not exceedingly long, than delves into the lives, motivations, thoughts, feelings, and goals, of many types of people who participated in this great struggle for definition of what it is to be American, to be a citizen of the United States (which, after the war, noted Shelby Foote, a singular noun).In my opinion, and knowing personally about Europeans' interest in our Civil War, this book belongs in the Canon of the Literature of Western Civilization...how can I say this? It isn't just because I'm interested in the same topic. On a recent airline flight, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour explaining "To Kill a Mockingbird" to a young European woman who was assigned that book to read in a high school in Texas....she was in her senior year, with a father in the oil business. Four months later, I received an e-mail, thanking me for that time, and she commented that her teacher was amazed that she had understood the book, and the issues (the enduring prejudice against blacks in the South long after "Reconstruction." Why is it relevant? We think we "reconstructed" Europe after World War II--and she realized we hadn't. The same problems we have 140 years after the spring campaigns of 1864, we also see in Europe only 60 years after the dawning of D-Day. We have International Courts, the EU, common currencies, almost instantaneous communication worldwide, and what progress has been made? A reading of the Killer Angels will stay with you, cause you to think, and demand that YOUR children study war. And so help us, the more who understand it, the better.
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Summary: Killer Angels review
Review: I really like the way Michael Shaara presents the battle of Gettysburg in The Killer Angels. His interpretation of primary sources - i.e. soldiers' diaries - is unique and outstanding, and it forms a very good story line. The novel is divided into chapters based on point of view. For the South, the book is told from the perspective of Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Armistead, Col. Fremantle, and Longstreet's spy Harrison. For the Union, Col. Chamberlain and Gen. Buford are featured.
Another characteristic that makes this novel so fascinating is how much time is spent behind the scenes. In many war novels, the action takes place mainly on the battlefields or at various places in between battles. That's definitely not so here. Some chapters are spent on the battlefields, but usually more activity takes place behind the lines. However, much of the book is set off the familiar fields of battle and takes place at army headquarters or somewhere else near the commanding offficers at night or early in the morning. These sections show in detail how much planning and how many tough, often critical, decisions go into winning - or losing - a battle and, on a larger scale, a war.
One diffficult thing about reading and comprehending The Killer Angels, however, is how many officers are involved. It can often get very confusing and, if you don't know who's who, it's pointless to read the book. A good way to keep characters straight is to print out a copy of the regimental order of battle for both sides at Gettysburg. ... Trust me, it helps a lot.
Possibly the most significant reason that this book is so fantastic is that Michael Shaara's writing style really makes you feel as if you are there and know the characters well. This is a very difficult concept to explain or understand, and there is only one way to truly grasp the meaning of it: read the book.
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Summary: Breathtaking and Innovative
Review: This book helped to launch an entire genre of fiction, the "historical novel", in which the author invents dialogue and interaction among a group of real life characters who all act in a manner consistent with their real-life models. Here, Shaara brings the battle of Gettysburg to life in gripping, emotional, historically accurate detail. The book will move you like few other "non-fiction" accounts of the battle or the Civil War itself ever can. Shaara doesn't appear to take sides in telling the story, as he cuts back and forth between extra-ordinary depictions of characters like Lee, Longstreet, Stuart on the Confederate side as well as Union participants like Joshua Chamberlain and George Meade. I especially enjoyed the interaction between Lee and Longstreet, who tried to talk Lee out of a frontal assault at Gettysburg in favor of a defensive maneuver in which the southern armies stood in the path of Washington D.C., as well as the heroic exploits of Virginia's Lewis Armistead, who gallantly charged under General Pickett hoping he wouldn't be forced to confront his good friend, Union General Win Hancock. The novel is filled with gripping, true to life storylines where generals and their inferior officers came to life in Shaara's skillful hands. The research done to support The Killer Angels was obviously meticulous, and the book includes maps to give the reader a sense of the overall development of the battle, to accompany the personal interactions of the participants. If you are a Civil War buff you owe it to yourself to read this book, which is far superior to the later, similar novels written about the war, both pre- and post-Gettysburg, by the late author's son Jeff Shaara. If you are not all that interested in the War Between the States, read The Killer Angels anyway, and you may find yourself looking for more, like the 3 part history of the war by Shelby Foote, which this novel inspired me to read. I give it an enthusiastic five stars.
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Summary: This book is cool = D
Review: The Killer Angels reviewed by Joseph Lee The Killer Angels, written by Michael Shaara, will surely not disappoint the fans of books on war and battles. Shown by this novel, it seems that Michael Shaara is an expert at this topic of story. This novel will keep you intensely caught up as if you were reading straight out of a Civil War journal that got every glimpse of the battle of Gettysburg. It's not a surprise that this book has won the Pulitzer Prize. With its maps and its well-written text that people can understand in very well, the novel is easy to follow through. Even though this novel is only based on three days, it will give out very good information. The book is mainly based on the characters of General Robert E. Lee and General Mead. Although they are the main characters, many sections of the novel are put towards General Chamberlain, General Longstreet, General Buford, and General Pickett. Each chapter goes to a general and his men. It reveals the things they went through and what kind of fighting each regiment had through both eyes of the Confederate and the Union. This novel truly showed what two sides of one nation and the dreams of both sides were fighting for in the four bloodiest days of the United States of Americas history. This novel makes a reenactment in your head. Showing that not only did the soldiers go into war with just orders, but with honor, pride, dreams, vengeance, and moral issues that was stirred up by the society of the 1800's. As Michael Shaara shows the generals, he doesn't just tell the reader a story but he brings in the reader by showing the mind of the Generals. Shaara shows things like the strategies the Generals had, the ideas that the Generals came up with, how the Generals felt about the other side, and on what they felt about the war (why their in it and why should they be). For anyone who wants to know more about the Civil War or just wants a great a good adventure, this book is strongly recommended. I feel this book was just extraordinary in detail and in climax. Chapter after chapter the climax builds and builds and even though the reader knows what went on in the war, this novel is still strongly recommended. This novel may just give the reader some things they didn't know.
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Summary: Wow.
Review: The Killer Angels is one of, if not the greatest and most compassionately written war books of anybody's generation. By showing both sides of the fight without showing favorites, Shaara really does show that there are no winners in war. He gets through all the myths and goes straight to the meaning of this legendary battle. Taking place in the few days before and after the Battle of Gettysburg, Shaara depicts a feeling of camaraderie and hope in both armies. The main characters, such as Peter Longstreet, Joshua Chamberlain, and Robert Lee, are beautifully developed and readers will get up close and personal with their thoughts and feelings of what is going on during their day.
The South is portrayed not as slave drivers with a thirst for power, but rather as people fighting for what they believe in. As a soldier for the Confederacy put it, the war was not about slavery. Instead it is as if the South joined a club, and as easily as they were admitted, they want out, but the North will not have that.
Placed through out the book is a series of maps to better the understanding of the peril of each army's stance in the war. Greatly researched, the maps provide positions of different brigades and squadrons, their general, and an estimate, shown in size, of how many soldiers are in each group. Shaara also seperaes the book into different days, starting on day 1 and ending on day 4. The first two days are spent explaining each army's predicaments and feelings of their situations. The second two are an in-depth portrayal of the losses and emotional roller coaster war can rage on soldiers.
Not being an avid Civil War enthusiast, several people recommended this book to me, and it could not have been a better suggestion. This book surpasses far and beyond what a movie could in entertainment and educational value. I found myself flipping page after page as I became engrossed in Michael Shaara's interpretation of the American Civil War in, The Killer Angels.
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Summary: Three Days of Fury.
Review: I was always interested in Americas' Civil War and had read some excellent books on the subject such as "A Brotherhood of Valor", "Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg", "Battle Cry of Freedom" but "The Killer Angels" is a very special one.
Michael Shaara has performed an excellent research on private papers of the protagonists of this battle. Based on this material he produce a griping story, presenting the men that march to the tragic encounter, with their ideals, memories, sorrows, doubts, hopes.
He follows Generals Lee and Longstreet, Colonel Chamberlain among others, penetrating their most intimate thoughts in a way the reader can't avoid wondering how is it possible.
Mr. Shaara does not pick sides, he presents the reader with the confronting "Cause", which every man into the field believes to be just, and for which is willing to shed his blood. The valor and self sacrifice these men deploy, is reflected in each page of this incredible good book.
Enough maps are shown enabling the reader to follow the displacement of the armies in the field.
For the readers interested in this matter, the son of Michael Shaara, Jeff, has written "Gods & Generals" and "The Last Full Measure" telling the events preceding and following this crucial struggle.
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Summary: Why Study War Anymore: Echoes of Preceding Generations.
Review: My title is a takeoff on a 60s-70s chant--"We will study war no more." Michael Shaara's book, which won a Pulitzer in 1974, shows why we SHOULD study war. He has taken his vast knowledge of the Civil War in general, and Gettysbury in particular, and shaped an historical novel, not exceedingly long, than delves into the lives, motivations, thoughts, feelings, and goals, of many types of people who participated in this great struggle for definition of what it is to be American, to be a citizen of the United States (which, after the war, noted Shelby Foote, a singular noun). In my opinion, and knowing personally about Europeans' interest in our Civil War, this book belongs in the Canon of the Literature of Western Civilization...how can I say this? It isn't just because I'm interested in the same topic. On a recent airline flight, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour explaining "To Kill a Mockingbird" to a young European woman who was assigned that book to read in a high school in Texas....she was in her senior year, with a father in the oil business. Four months later, I received an e-mail, thanking me for that time, and she commented that her teacher was amazed that she had understood the book, and the issues (the enduring prejudice against blacks in the South long after "Reconstruction." Why is it relevant? We think we "reconstructed" Europe after World War II--and she realized we hadn't. The same problems we have 140 years after the spring campaigns of 1864, we also see in Europe only 60 years after the dawning of D-Day. We have International Courts, the EU, common currencies, almost instantaneous communication worldwide, and what progress has been made? A reading of the Killer Angels will stay with you, cause you to think, and demand that YOUR children study war. And so help us, the more who understand it, the better.
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Summary: When the Union come march home
Review: The Killer Angels was a good book.I liked how it changed Generals, for example, from Lee to Chamberlain. It was a long book. It had all 4 days of the battle of Gettysburg.The Generals having to go thourgh hard battles. All the men having to kill the other men.
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