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Summary: Wonderful in-depth account of the Civil War
Review: I loved the character devlopment. Rather than try to cover too much at once, this novel centers on one battle and really digs down into the hearts of a few key men. Fascinating!
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Summary: Me? Read about a war? ...and Love it?!!!
Review: Yes, I'm the one who fell asleep at the 'battle demonstration light show' at the Gettysburg Visitors Center (the first time through). I read 'Killer Angels' after having read 'Gods and Generals'. I've now just completed the trilogy with 'The Last Full Measure'. The journey this father/son took me on through their words and the visions they created for me is beyond my words. While on one hand I wish the story would continue and there was another book in the series to read, that would mean the war would have continued, and they did such an extraordinary job bringing it to life, I can FEEL how tragic it really was and how important it was for it to end. For me, 'Killer Angels' offered a palatable dose of detail on the role of strategy and chance related to the battle, sprinkled with helpful maps (thank goodness, for a war story novice like me to follow). But if Shaara had stopped there, he would have lost me. What he brought was the human side - the conveyance of the emotions, the confidence, the stark raving craziness of bayonet charges, the horror, the emotional struggles between 2 great leaders who disagree. I returned to Gettysburg this fall, did NOT fall asleep during the light show this time, found the memorials to Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine (that I even remember that regiment number!...) on Big and Little Roundtops, and had a completely different experience of what this stage of our country's young history might have been like, thanks to father/son Shaara. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: It is probably one of the most emotionally draining, awe inspiring, realistic novels I have ever read. "The Killer Angels" captured the battle of Gettysburg in all of its horror. I just finished the book and I am finding it difficult trying to write this review. This is not some dry history of another civil war battle. This is the story of Gettysburg, the key battle of the Civil War. The story told by Shaara is about people caught up in a battle that is reduces men to bloody statistics. Throughout this book you sense Lee's and Longstreet's, fears, weaknesses, and most of all their sadness. They are the killer angels sending men off to battle and perhaps to their deaths. I know this is a fictional account of the battle of Gettysburg but the reader gets a gritty realistic look into the war. The conversations between the Lee and Longstreet are just as you would expect them to be. Shaara is a master of dialog and has excellent sense of history. What I liked above all are his "voice" and his point of view. He seems to inhabit his characters and breathes life into them, this is rare in historical fiction. He also uses the vernacular of the time which adds the realism. Maps were very helpful also. It adds to the story when you are picturing a battle if you can see the topographical constraints and strategies of the officers. "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, won a well deserved Pulitzer Prize. I recommend this book to everyone and if you are a history buff this is a must read. To Summarize it in one word AWESOME.
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Summary: Not my father's Gettysburg
Review: I ran across this volume purely by chance while searching for a gift for my father-in-law, who likes history and the civil war in particular. I bought a copy for myself to check it out and could not put it down. I loved Shaara's approach of injecting personal feelings and character attributes into the major players, while maintaining the historical accuracy of the events. It transforms the stories of the battles from a history of events to a history of people. These weren't just the dusty icons from my fourth grade history book - these were real men with families, foibles and personal challenges. Men from both sides endured terrible hardships and were forced to do horrific things because they were willing to give everything for their cause. I liked The Killer Angels so much I was compelled to read Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals, and The Last Full Measure. They were also excellent.
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Summary: Good For The Novice, Might Be Old Hat For The Specialist
Review: Let me state right up front that I liked The Killer Angels. I just didn't like it as much as other reviewers did. I thought that many of the qualities that other reviewers have stated were strengths of the book were instead, weaknesses. For instance, Shaara has created a book that does get the reader into the mind of several of the battle's key participants. However, I also wanted to be exposed to the thoughts of some of the other participants, like Meade and Stuart. I would've also liked to have seen more emphasis on General John Reynolds' death. Reynolds' death was mourned by both sides, yet Shaara has him appearing and quickly dying without any consequence on the battle. While the effect of his death was diminished by the Union victory, it still deserves more than a passing mention. Other reviewers have also mentioned the effectively written battle scenes. I thought they were much too brief. Chamberlain does deserve a lot of credit for his actions on the second day. But, Warren and Weed also deserve a chapter for their bravery on Little Round Top as well. Additionally, Ewell deserves a chapter for botching the Confederate successes at Cemetery Hill (the other flank of the Union line) on the evening of the second day. Minimizing the actions of these other men gives an incomplete picture of the battle. A book must be very good if the basis for one's complaint is that there isn't enough of it. And there is much to praise about The Killer Angels. Each participant that is featured is a well-developed character, whose motivations and feelings are made very clear. Also, Shaara does a great job of describing the terrain and the conditions of the battle. However, I think I would've enjoyed the book more if this had been the first book I had read on Gettysburg. Having read several books on the subject, and having visited the battlefield twice, I think that I was just a little too familiar with the event to fully enjoy this book. In all, this book would be a great introduction to the battle's characters and events for someone with a passing familiarity with the subject. But, it is not the definitive work on those three days in Gettysburg.
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Summary: If Mystery Science Theatre 3000 did books . . .
Review: Simply horrible! It is filled with cliches and mixed metaphors and did nothing for me on any level. Nothing rings true in this story: not the characters, not the battle, not even the small talk. You'll either laugh or cry, but you'll recognize it as just plain bad. Read it to be amazed that it won a Pulitzer Prize!
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Summary: Do You Hate History?
Review: I hate to read history stuff. I finding it boring moronic macho story telling that only pyscho militia types enjoy. I avoid it at all costs and stick to my Oprah picks and other book-of-the-month list recommendations. But one day, for some odd unknown reason I picked Killer Angels up. I had just started 3 books that I had not finished so I figured what the heck I might as well not read this one too. Well holy cow. Shaara is amazing. This is not boring. This is not macho. [well a little bit] And it certainly is not for morons. [lest I be one too] This is a fascinating study of human hope, behavior and bravery. It is a chronicle of from where we came. It is an explanation of motives and hopes. I enjoyed is immensly.
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Summary: What They Thought
Review: Let's face it. History books can be boring, even when the event is something as glorified and action-packed as the Civil War. Readers remain detached from the stories, and the historical characters are defined by only by their distant accomplishments. Michael Sahara bridges this gap by letting us into the minds of the men who strategized and fought the epic war, using their letters, journals, and some guided imagination to create an absolutely gripping account. We learn about the burdens these men carried...in their military duty and their personal lives. He also successfully conveys the fear that ran through the young soliders as they approached a battle they were certain to lose. With this book, Sahara places himself in the upper echelon of the historical fiction genre.
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Summary: no need to be a Civil War buff
Review: For the non-american reader as I am, Civil War is a simple matter of blue coats fighting grey coats on the movie screen, and probably the only other book about the subject in life was Gone with the Wind. That's why I was amazed about how enthralling this novel his: I devoured it as it were a spy-story and subsequently I tried also the movie that I found perfectly satisfying. Everyone who feels the fascination of the battlefield with an emotional and an historical approach altogether should read this book (and see the movie that doesn't betray the novel).
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Summary: A Stirring Account of the Battle of Gettysburg
Review: It reads like a novel. In places, it could pass as a thriller. Little wonder that this book was made into the exciting movie, Gettysburg. Shaara made this important battle come alive. We see the principal characters - Lee, Meade, and Pickett. We feel their doubts and worries. But the hero of Shaara's story is Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a former college professor from Maine. Soft-spoken and seemingly out of place in the war's carnage, he knows most of the soldiers in his regiment. But when the chips are down, he and his Maine volunteers hold the left flank of the Union line in one of the most thrilling battles of the war. The book is terrific.
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