I wanted to read this before a trip to Gettysburg this week. I am so glad I did. It's an amazing novel. The characters are vividly drawn. There are no villains--just flawed men caught up in the war they were living through. The confusion of battle is captured brilliantly. At its heart, it's a study of three men. A man so beloved and so sure God was on his side that he led his troops to certain defeat. A man that knew what was going to happen, but could not break through his commander's surety and had to watch his fears come true. Another man who found bravery in desperation and almost literally stumbled into a victory that set up Pickett's doomed Charge and ensured victory for the Union Army. I am not a Civil War buff, but this book really caught my interest. Highly recommended.

What a great book! I loved the personal touch the book put on Gettysburg. The death of war was handled superbly, not too descriptive, just telling enough for you to understand without being horrifying.



I flipped the last page in hopes of finding another chapter to read, but alas, no. I fortunately have two more books to go already.



I've found two new heroes, Chamberlain and Longstreet. My view of General Lee has slipped. Not claiming I knew much about him, but he's the one you hear about all the time, not Chamberlain and Longstreet. I'd like to know more about Reynolds. He died to soon in the novel to get a full picture of him. Amistead also sounds like an interesting character to learn about.



I hope the next novel is as good as this one was, I can't wait to crack it open. I picked these books up on a whim at a yard sale, I am so glad I did!

An amazing re-creation....

What can you say about a book that won the Pulitzer Prize. Shaara has recreated the Battle of Gettysburg in a way that makes you feel as if you were there. Reminded me of the old TV show with Walter Cronkite,"You Are There".
This is a great read and an accurate account of the events and emotions that went into this fight. it is interesting to read about mistakes that could have made the outcome very different.
Some of the political commentary could be out of today's news, which helps show through history that people do not really change.

A really interesting novel. I don't even know how to describe it considering most of what occurred in the novel is based off reality- and yet it seems so dark and unimaginable.

One of my all time favorite battle books.
dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was sick twice recently and listened to several audio versions of books I'd read previously. I admire this book tremendously for its authentic feel and powerful storytelling. Finish date estimated.

From a historical perspective, I'm glad I read this book. It brought to life a critical moment in American history and showed the (likely) emotions of those involved in the very fragile business of war. From a mechanics perspective, this was a very difficult read. The sentences are choppy, although probably justified given the environment. I'm sure the author intended to convey the confusion and mental conflict of the characters. Additionally, if I had known how pages would be given to discussion of Civil War battle tactics, I probably would never have picked up the book.

3.5 stars

Okay, I am very likely in the minority here, but then again, I am probably not the intended audience for this. War maneuvers in books is just not my cup of tea. It's why, as much as I loved the Fellowship of the Rings trilogy, I had a really hard time getting through the third book. I just can't picture a battle and easily grasp the strategies behind it partly because I am directionally challenged. So I just don't get it when it comes to talking about all the ins and outs of a battle plan. What I did love about this book was in how human the author made the characters. Perhaps not surprisingly, I've always thought about Lee as the rebel who was fighting for the right of the south to own slaves, which is evil in my book. And depending on who you talk to, he is the one who was ultimately responsible for the south losing the war. But Shaara really made him, if not more accessible, at least more understandable. I had no idea he was so well loved but his men would have done anything for him, including laying down their lives (which many of them) for his ideals. The general feeling I got from the author was that his idealism was possibly the main reason why so many soldiers lost their lives and that towards the end, he just didn't pay attention to or listen to his main advisors. At one point, I felt so sorry for Longstreet as he failed to convince Lee of an alternate course of action that may have saved more lives. As much as battle books are not my cup of tea, I thought the author did a great job of trying to bring back some humanity into this bloody war as he talked about how the key players related to each other. So I'm glad I read this book, and I definitely learned more than a few things. I think this is a book that I probably have to pick up again in the future and give it another listen. Maybe I'll pick up more nuances in the future. So, well done to the author--I definitely didn't hate this book, and I learned some things AND I might give it another chance in the future.

Granted, I read this at 15. I really dislike the majority of American history and I hate that high schools harp on The American Revolution for an entire school year. THERE'S MORE HISTORY OUT THERE.