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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was required reading for my eleventh grade U.S. History class, but it is a very interesting read. It was pleasant being inside the heads of these famous people involved in the Battle of Gettysburg.
I certainly felt a connection with all of the people and I became very invested during the parts where the battles began. The bayonet charge led by Chamberlain was absolutely breathtaking.
At some parts, the writing seemed to drag, as descriptions of the locations and dialogue between people were very lengthy. However, Shaara definitely knows how to write snippy, action-packed sentences that get your attention.
If you want a book that digs into the Battle of Gettysburg and gets into the heads of the people present, Killer Angels is certainly for you.
I certainly felt a connection with all of the people and I became very invested during the parts where the battles began. The bayonet charge led by Chamberlain was absolutely breathtaking.
At some parts, the writing seemed to drag, as descriptions of the locations and dialogue between people were very lengthy. However, Shaara definitely knows how to write snippy, action-packed sentences that get your attention.
If you want a book that digs into the Battle of Gettysburg and gets into the heads of the people present, Killer Angels is certainly for you.
The Killer Angels is a masterwork of not only historical fiction but also writing in general. Beyond the book being filled with spot-on historical accuracy, the characters are written so damn convincingly I don't not think anyone is sure where the real person begins and the characters in the book end.
Shaara rightly lays out the cause of the war being slavery repeatedly in the text, but damn if I didn't choke up when Lo Armistead breaks down in tears over the friends he has lost, and the friends he now directly fights against. Whether true or not, I will now always believe that immediately before Pickett's charge Armistead thought "I should have shared more". Killer Angels, more than any other book I have ever read, breaks my heart with the tragedy of war.
It is also notable for bringing public attention to the battle of Little Round Top and the restoration of General Longstreet's military reputation which had been tarnished by southern propaganda for a century.
Whether you want to learn more about the Civil War, read an anti-war novel, or are just looking for a great book, read The Killer Angels, it has it all.
Shaara rightly lays out the cause of the war being slavery repeatedly in the text, but damn if I didn't choke up when Lo Armistead breaks down in tears over the friends he has lost, and the friends he now directly fights against. Whether true or not, I will now always believe that immediately before Pickett's charge Armistead thought "I should have shared more". Killer Angels, more than any other book I have ever read, breaks my heart with the tragedy of war.
It is also notable for bringing public attention to the battle of Little Round Top and the restoration of General Longstreet's military reputation which had been tarnished by southern propaganda for a century.
Whether you want to learn more about the Civil War, read an anti-war novel, or are just looking for a great book, read The Killer Angels, it has it all.
I am being a bit generous with a four-star rating when 3.5 is perhaps more appropriate for this book. The Killer Angels is oft cited as one of the best books about the American Civil War, specifically the Battle of Gettysburg. As a fan of historical and war fiction, I was quite excited to dig into this book — a Pulitzer Prize-winning one at that.
The Killer Angels reminds me a lot of a Bernard Cornwall book. There is an elegance and clarity to the way warfare is described by both authors, making it very easy for readers to picture who is where and what is happening. It also helps that Shaara is super generous with his maps, detailing troop movement at every step of the way.
Another thing I like about this book is how it is told from both the Confederate's and the Union's perspectives. It is easy to paint one side as bad and one side is good in the history books. After all, when the victors say they fault against slavery and tell you that the other side fought for slavery, it is easy to figure out who are the villains and who are the heroes. However, like most historical events, the reality is often more blurry than that. While it is true that the beloved General Robert E Lee thought black people were somehow less than white people, most of the people fighting in the Confederate army were fighting for a bunch of other reasons, like family, land and their fellow soldiers out on the field. Similarly, even though the Union was all about abolishment, there is an interesting scene in the book when Union soldiers encounter an injured black man, and the protagonist on the Union side, Chamberlain, has to grapple with his own prejudices about black people. Contrary to what a lot of critics seem to have mentioned at the time of this book's release, I don't think this is an apologist's take on the American Civil War. Instead, I think it drives home the point that the Cause — whatever that means — is often set by the people higher up on the chain of command. Everybody else below is fighting for reasons of their own.
Which brings me to the parts that I dislike about the book. If you are here for in-depth character development, I am not sure you are going to get a whole lot of that. The story basically begins with the onset of the Battle of Gettysburg, and unless you have a passing knowledge of the war and the characters involved, Shaara isn't interested in holding your hands through their introductions. I personally am a fan of a major battle being broken down into its individual components, but I can see other readers really struggling with the minutiae.
Another thing is that, even though the story is told through multiple perspectives on both sides of the battle line, most of the characters sound more or less the same. The Confederate's Longstreet and The Union's Chamberlain are different enough from their contemporaries, but the book also features a myriad viewpoint characters that sound exactly the same. As much as I enjoy reading about how Longstreet tried desperately to convince Lee that the final charge is a terrible idea, it isn't so exciting to read the perspective of Armistead, who is given one, maybe two chapters before being killed at the end. My point is that none of the side characters are very distinct from one another, and you end up with multiple perspectives thinking, observing and saying more or less similar things.
One last thing is that slavery, no matter how much the Confederate characters want to deny it, is at the centre of the war. However, slavery isn't something that is addressed very often in the book, and Shaara doesn't seem to interested in examining the issue either. Like I said, what I find fascinating is when even the Union soldiers express their prejudices against black people, and I think it is interesting to present these conflicting ideas even within the ranks of the Union soldiers. Between the battles, instead of describing the soldiers preparing food and playing musical instrument, maybe it will be interesting for them to engage in a debate about the POINT of this whole war. On that front, I am a little disappointed that Shaara does not explore that side of the story more.
While I feel that the book is a little bit long, it does finally pick up one Day Two of the battle, once things get going. I think it is still a recommended read for anyone who has a passing interest in the Battle of Gettysburg, but unfortunately it is not going to give you a good overall look at the American Civil War. Also, a Pulitzer Prize? I don't know, it doesn't seem like it deserves one.
The Killer Angels reminds me a lot of a Bernard Cornwall book. There is an elegance and clarity to the way warfare is described by both authors, making it very easy for readers to picture who is where and what is happening. It also helps that Shaara is super generous with his maps, detailing troop movement at every step of the way.
Another thing I like about this book is how it is told from both the Confederate's and the Union's perspectives. It is easy to paint one side as bad and one side is good in the history books. After all, when the victors say they fault against slavery and tell you that the other side fought for slavery, it is easy to figure out who are the villains and who are the heroes. However, like most historical events, the reality is often more blurry than that. While it is true that the beloved General Robert E Lee thought black people were somehow less than white people, most of the people fighting in the Confederate army were fighting for a bunch of other reasons, like family, land and their fellow soldiers out on the field. Similarly, even though the Union was all about abolishment, there is an interesting scene in the book when Union soldiers encounter an injured black man, and the protagonist on the Union side, Chamberlain, has to grapple with his own prejudices about black people. Contrary to what a lot of critics seem to have mentioned at the time of this book's release, I don't think this is an apologist's take on the American Civil War. Instead, I think it drives home the point that the Cause — whatever that means — is often set by the people higher up on the chain of command. Everybody else below is fighting for reasons of their own.
Which brings me to the parts that I dislike about the book. If you are here for in-depth character development, I am not sure you are going to get a whole lot of that. The story basically begins with the onset of the Battle of Gettysburg, and unless you have a passing knowledge of the war and the characters involved, Shaara isn't interested in holding your hands through their introductions. I personally am a fan of a major battle being broken down into its individual components, but I can see other readers really struggling with the minutiae.
Another thing is that, even though the story is told through multiple perspectives on both sides of the battle line, most of the characters sound more or less the same. The Confederate's Longstreet and The Union's Chamberlain are different enough from their contemporaries, but the book also features a myriad viewpoint characters that sound exactly the same. As much as I enjoy reading about how Longstreet tried desperately to convince Lee that the final charge is a terrible idea, it isn't so exciting to read the perspective of Armistead, who is given one, maybe two chapters before being killed at the end. My point is that none of the side characters are very distinct from one another, and you end up with multiple perspectives thinking, observing and saying more or less similar things.
One last thing is that slavery, no matter how much the Confederate characters want to deny it, is at the centre of the war. However, slavery isn't something that is addressed very often in the book, and Shaara doesn't seem to interested in examining the issue either. Like I said, what I find fascinating is when even the Union soldiers express their prejudices against black people, and I think it is interesting to present these conflicting ideas even within the ranks of the Union soldiers. Between the battles, instead of describing the soldiers preparing food and playing musical instrument, maybe it will be interesting for them to engage in a debate about the POINT of this whole war. On that front, I am a little disappointed that Shaara does not explore that side of the story more.
While I feel that the book is a little bit long, it does finally pick up one Day Two of the battle, once things get going. I think it is still a recommended read for anyone who has a passing interest in the Battle of Gettysburg, but unfortunately it is not going to give you a good overall look at the American Civil War. Also, a Pulitzer Prize? I don't know, it doesn't seem like it deserves one.
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Life given to these men in battle so long ago. Visceral response to the words on the page. Great book.
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, you know the ending but are swept along.
The name of the spaceship in my first (circa 9th grade) novel was the Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. This story is offered to explain the fifth star.