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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I visited Gettysburg while I was reading this book, and it greatly enhanced my understanding of the book and the place. What a tragic war. Shaara does a great job explaining the strategy, personal dynamics, landscape, and mindset of the players.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Finished reading this book, its not like good vs evil or Ideology vs Ideology, it felt more like brothers vs brothers. The author has written the book in a way that when its union pov i am rooting for them, when its Confedrate pov i am rooting for them to win both sides have relatable characters and i got emotionaly attached to them in a span of 100 pages which is excellent for a short book of 349 pages. When the action began, I was there in the midst of the battle holding a gun and getting shells and rounds zipping and bombarding around me. I cheered when the union won and i also felt sad for a bunch of racists.i literally in verge of tears when Robert Lee said its was his fault. Definetly a 5/5
This is why I love being in a book club: I finished this great book that I never would have plowed through if I had chosen it on my own!
Yes, I am a history-lover, and this is one of the greatest historical fiction novels ever written -- but nevertheless I slogged through the first half of this one. I think my problem was the myriad of characters and points-of-view to keep track of, though all the battle tactics probably didn't help, either (I've never been good at following "action"). This isn't to blame the author; Shaara does a good job of presenting the cast of characters upfront (and as he reintroduces characters after an absence, he describes them with a couple adjectives to help jog the reader's memory) and he includes maps -- I'm just kind of slow. :-)
But as I got more familiar with the geography of Gettysburg and the officers who fought there, I found myself enjoying the book more and more. There are several scenes that were just packed with drama, most notably Chamberlin's order to "fix bayonets" at Little Round Top (I felt like that was the climax of the book) and then Pickett's Charge. I truly felt for Longstreet, the Confederate general who was called to lead the people he loved to war over a cause he did not agree with -- he reminded me of Mormon. I think Longstreet was my favorite character; I started looking forward to his chapters.
I knew next to nothing about Gettysburg before this book besides it being "the turning point of the war" (obviously a little snippet I'd memorized for an AP US History test), but because of this book, I have some details fleshed out. More than that, I have a deeper appreciation in my heart about the courageous acts of the soldiers who fought there, who died there. I'm adding Gettysburg to my list of places to visit someday!
I did wish that Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address had been included in this book somehow, although I realize at the same time that it's kind of out of the scope of this novel.
For those looking for clean reads: this is war, and there's lots of "hecks" and "darns" and taking of the Lord's name in vain -- plus some grisly scenes toward the end (though I thought it was all pretty respectfully done, considering that this is about the bloodiest multi-day battle in Civil War history).
Yes, I am a history-lover, and this is one of the greatest historical fiction novels ever written -- but nevertheless I slogged through the first half of this one. I think my problem was the myriad of characters and points-of-view to keep track of, though all the battle tactics probably didn't help, either (I've never been good at following "action"). This isn't to blame the author; Shaara does a good job of presenting the cast of characters upfront (and as he reintroduces characters after an absence, he describes them with a couple adjectives to help jog the reader's memory) and he includes maps -- I'm just kind of slow. :-)
But as I got more familiar with the geography of Gettysburg and the officers who fought there, I found myself enjoying the book more and more. There are several scenes that were just packed with drama, most notably Chamberlin's order to "fix bayonets" at Little Round Top (I felt like that was the climax of the book) and then Pickett's Charge. I truly felt for Longstreet, the Confederate general who was called to lead the people he loved to war over a cause he did not agree with -- he reminded me of Mormon. I think Longstreet was my favorite character; I started looking forward to his chapters.
I knew next to nothing about Gettysburg before this book besides it being "the turning point of the war" (obviously a little snippet I'd memorized for an AP US History test), but because of this book, I have some details fleshed out. More than that, I have a deeper appreciation in my heart about the courageous acts of the soldiers who fought there, who died there. I'm adding Gettysburg to my list of places to visit someday!
I did wish that Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address had been included in this book somehow, although I realize at the same time that it's kind of out of the scope of this novel.
For those looking for clean reads: this is war, and there's lots of "hecks" and "darns" and taking of the Lord's name in vain -- plus some grisly scenes toward the end (though I thought it was all pretty respectfully done, considering that this is about the bloodiest multi-day battle in Civil War history).
After reading "Killer Angels'', I not only felt like I had been at the Battle of Gettysburg, but that I understood it. Read this book and you will have a new appreciation for Civil War soldiers.
Recommended by staffer Sonia
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search?formids=target&lang=eng&suite=def&reservedids=lang%2Csuite&submitmode=&submitname=&target=killer%20angels%20shaara
Recommended by staffer Sonia
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search?formids=target&lang=eng&suite=def&reservedids=lang%2Csuite&submitmode=&submitname=&target=killer%20angels%20shaara
Still one of my favorite books of all time. If you like reading about American history (this one is about Gettysburg and the Civil War), then you will love reading this book told from the perspective of the men who were there. I've since been to Gettysburg and re-read this book again just before I went and really loved seeing the locations that formed such a big part of our country's history.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first read this book for a class on the Civil War a few years ago, but I didn't remember much about it beyond liking it. So, I decided to revisit it recently.
It's an excellent piece of historical fiction that does a great job of bringing real historical figures to light and remaining historically accurate while also doing a good job of telling a story. (A lot of historical fiction, in my opinion, works really well as history or really well as fiction, but it's rare for a book to do both well.)
Another thing I think it does well is bringing out the idea of the Civil War as being about brother against brother but without it literally being about brothers. I remember being in 4th grade and reading several children's Civil War books for a unit we did on the Civil War. Every single book we read about it featured two brothers on the other side, and it always just seemed so ham-fisted to me, even as a 9 year old. I knew even then that that happened during the Civil War, but I always felt like the way it was approached in fiction was overly melodramatic. So, I really like the way Shaara focuses on it through the viewpoint of officers who served with each other for many years and have dear friends on the other side. I thought it made the book quite poignant and heartbreaking.
Oh and if you read the book, you just have an excuse to watch or rewatch the movie based on it (another favorite of mine)--Gettysburg! :)
It's an excellent piece of historical fiction that does a great job of bringing real historical figures to light and remaining historically accurate while also doing a good job of telling a story. (A lot of historical fiction, in my opinion, works really well as history or really well as fiction, but it's rare for a book to do both well.)
Another thing I think it does well is bringing out the idea of the Civil War as being about brother against brother but without it literally being about brothers. I remember being in 4th grade and reading several children's Civil War books for a unit we did on the Civil War. Every single book we read about it featured two brothers on the other side, and it always just seemed so ham-fisted to me, even as a 9 year old. I knew even then that that happened during the Civil War, but I always felt like the way it was approached in fiction was overly melodramatic. So, I really like the way Shaara focuses on it through the viewpoint of officers who served with each other for many years and have dear friends on the other side. I thought it made the book quite poignant and heartbreaking.
Oh and if you read the book, you just have an excuse to watch or rewatch the movie based on it (another favorite of mine)--Gettysburg! :)
Excellent, writing that covers each perspective and makes one feel as if you are part of each event. Well deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.