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Summary: A great historical novel about the Battle of Gettysburg
Review: First published in 1974, I somehow avoided this book for more than a quarter of a century. What a mistake! Michael Shaara's book is the best historical novel I have read. Even though one knows the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg, you can't help racing through the book to find out the details, and to read about the thoughts and emotions of the key players, particularly Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and Joshua Chamberlain. There also are interesting glimpses of European observers, especially Arthur Fremantle of Britain (who is sure that the South will win). The descriptions of the three days of fighting are superb, but what I will remember best are the pages revealing the bitter emotions of Longstreet, who argues with Lee on strategy, advocating defensive tactics. Also very interesting are the sections on the role of the Confederate spy two days before the Battle, John Buford's stand in the town of Gettysburg on the first day, and J. E. B. Stuart's failure to tell Lee about Union Army movements. Above all, I will remember the senseless slaughter of brave men, fighting for their beliefs or just to stay alive. This is a beautifully written book, both illuminating and poetic in its descriptive passages and characterizations.
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Summary: You Can't Put It Down!
Review: The Killer Angels was written by Michael Shaara from the perspective of some of the major players in the Battle of Gettysburg. The author used a unique blend of fact and fiction interwoven together to tell the complete story of Gettysburg. Some of the main characters are Robert E. Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Winfield Scott Hancock to name a few. The author did a fantastic job taking the reader into both sides of the battle. I was especially drawn to the character of Josua Lawrence Chamberlain who seemed a leader above all others. The author won the Pultizer Prize for his work.
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Summary: This is how historical fiction should be written.
Review: I've grown tired lately of what the big name writers are offering as so-called "historical fiction". It's beginning to remind me of DAYS OF OUR LIVES in uniform. I recently went to hear John Edwards give a talk on his new book CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE. He mentioned that while writing the book he had been greatly influenced by Shaara's THE KILLER ANGELS. I don't consider myself much of a Civil War buff, but I like Edwards' book so much, I wanted to see what he was talking about. Shaara definitely managed to capture the human side of combat. You almost feel like you personally know Lee, Chamberlain and the other commanders at Gettysburg, as well as the common foot soldiers who fought and died that day. Perhaps if more world leaders--especially those who have not seen combat up close and personal, and therefore have no clue as to the real horrors of war--would take the time to read this book, the foreign affairs between nations would be conducted somewhat differently. Killer Angels tells it like it really is. Maybe along with Dickens, Orwell, and Hawethorne, Michael Shaara should also become required high school reading.
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Summary: The Battle of Gettysburg
Review: The Killer Angles by Jeff Shaara is the most interesting book on the Civil War I have ever read. The author gives you a detailed description of the Battle of Gettysburg from both the Union and Confederate viewpoints. You get into the shoes of the 5 most important generals of the Battle : Lee, Longstreet, Chamberlain, Buford, and Pickett. Not only does the author reveal the gererals moves on the battlefield, but he also reveals the generals feelings about the war in gerneral and the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history. The book is filled with heart-pounding descriptions of the Battle, especially Chamberlain his 20th Maine holding the Union line at the Battle of Little Round Top. to help you understand the positioning of the armies, there is a detailed map of the area around Gettysburg in just about every chapter.
If you are looking for a fast-paced easy reading book about the Battle of Gettysburg then the Killer Angels is for you.
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Summary: You Can Smell the Gunpowder
Review: You can almost smell the gunpowder. Michael Shaara brings the Battle of Gettysburg to life in this thrilling, Pulitzer prize winning dramatization of the Civil War's most famous battle. Each chapter focuses on the perspective of one of the Battle's key leaders - Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Chamberlain and Hancock. In preparing to write this novel, Shaara researched the personalities of each of these men. He tells us not only how they thought, but how they felt. For example, Shaara reveals Longstreet's grave doubts regarding the wisdom of the attack and Robert E. Lee's leadership during the days and hours preceding the battle.
The battle itself is described with such vivid imagery you can almost feel the fear of the men who know they are about to die. Like a spy moving from one side to the other, Shaara takes us behind the lines of both camps.
More American men died in this single battle than this country lost in the entire Vietnam War. Shaara reveals that Robert E. Lee, in spite of his reputation as one of our country's great generals, ordered his men to fight a battle that even his right hand man, General Longstreet knew had little chance of success. The book is well-researched, but its' true strength is Shaara's ability to place the reader in the middle of the battlefield and help us appreciate the true horror of the Civil War.
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Summary: Well written, historically accurate.....
Review: Shaara brings to life the infamous personalities of the Confederacy and Union at Gettysburg. From his research he puts together the personalities and behavior of those historical figures and defines them at one of their most famous moments. What I can't quite buy though is that just about all of the Confederate officers depicted, they all seem to be highly emotional and constantly worried what their cohorts are thinking. Like a bunch of schoolgirls on Prom night. Did they all break down crying like described with Longstreet and many others throughout the book? Lee is constantly whining about being old and not feeling good,(at least in his head). Many anguish constantly about their betrayal of their cohorts and their decision to join the secession. Most likely they came to terms with these things long before Gettysburg. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book and it's historical accuracy. After reading Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction, you get a bit spoiled.
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Summary: Beautifully Accurate
Review: This novel was, to this day, the most historically accurate I have ever read. It brings to life the lives of Robert E. Lee and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the midst of the largest battle ever fought on American soil. The story becomes so real and so accurate, that it is hard to label it as historical fiction. The Battle of Gettysburg is brought to life in the story, and the reactions of the men who were there are very real. What I personally like about this novel is that it is based not on history books, but on the writings of those who were actually there. The author, Michael Shaara, used the diologue to fill in the blanks and bring a feeling of realism to the story. There were no good guys or bad guys, but Americans doing what we have always done; fight for what we believe in. This book is a very moving novel, one which will make you think. I am sure this book is on every Civil War buff's shelf. Actually, it was this book that got me into reenacteing the Civil War.
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Summary: The Killer Angles Review
Review: Gettysburg, 1863- The sight of the three bloodiest days in American history. We've read about it thousands of times, in practically every American History book. But what was it like for those in charge of the chaos? Michael Shaara tells us his interpretations, through great story telling, and amazing description in his 1974 classic, The Killer Angels. This is a historical fiction book that is both imaginative, and innovative. We've heard stories of what it was like before. We've all heard of the booming cannons, the deadly gunshots, the restless hospitals, and the dying men. But what about the men in the headquarters? Shaara does a great job of expressing the emotions of the leaders. He describes what they felt towards their men, and what they went through with every decision they had to make. Shaara also does a great job putting emphasis on the little know historical facts, such as John Buford, a Union general who was never given credit for choosing the ground at Gettysburg. In addition to his great characterization, Shaara does not slack on the description end. "There were a few groans; most dead sounds from dying earth most of them soft and low. There was a fire far off, a large fire burning in the grove of the trees, men outlined against a great glare; a band was playing something disorient, something unrecognizable".
The exceptional emotion and description is what makes The Killer Angles a classic that is near impossible to put down. It shows what America's deadliest war was like from another view, thus innovating a new style, which will later be used in such novels as we were Soldiers Once, and Young. I found The Killer Angels to be both entertaining, and informative. This is a must-read for anybody who likes drama, action, adventure, and history.
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Summary: Great treatment of the battle of Gettysburg
Review: The events of the battle of Gettysburg come alive in this historical novel. Shaara tells the story with precision. The focus of the book is not so much on the battle itself as on the men who fought the battle. With a unique style, Shaara weaves pieces from several commanders (on both sides) together to form a clear look at what happened during those fateful three days and, more importantly, how those involved felt about it. Shaara makes the narrative flow with surprising fluidity, despite the less-than-adequate writing style and his obsession with adverbs. With Shaara, any (and every) adjective can be used as an adverb, and he uses them shamelessly. Try as I might, I cannot picture a man who "sat whitely" or "responded blearily." These abuses of the English language are a dime a dozen, and men do things guiltily, fatly, and blackly.
His odd writing style ignored, Shaara has done a great job on this work. The dialogue is believable, the characters vivid, and the detail precise, even down the many, many maps showing positions at different stages of the battle (for which I was very grateful). It seems his research was exhaustive and, while everything may not be completely accurate, he has done a great job of giving us a feel for what happened in this tremendous battle.
Anyone interested in the Civil War will definitely like this book. If you enjoy historical fiction or American history I would recommend it as well.
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Summary: The best civil war novel ever written
Review: In my opinion Michael Shaara has created a masterpiece that has no equal. He explains in such detail the events of the battle of Gettysburg, But at the same time shows us the people, not just a number on a casualty report but the way the people were when they wern't off fighting and being brave and dying valiantly for what they believed to be right and just.
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