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Nov 23, 2011

Stephen rated it:

Michael Shaara's passion gave life to something unique and singularly extraordinary in this Pullitzer Prize winning novel. With high-charged, emotive prose, lush descriptions and fully-fleshed characters, he transforms the The Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest engagement of the Civil War, into a gorgeously rendered and deeply personal story populated by flawed, ordinary men caught in an extraordinary concatenation of circumstances by the machinations of Fate. Shaara’s reduction of More...

34 comments like (41 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2008

Lynn rated it:

I wanted to really like this book in its entirety, but I got bogged down in the specific tactics of the battle of Gettysburg. I tried to study the maps and think about the positions of the various divisions....but ultimately realized that effort was detracting from what was really important to me: the motivations for the Civil War, the differences between the Southerners and Northerners, the perceptions each had of the other side, the role belief in God played, the human factor in the winning More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2008

Ann rated it:

Actually, I really like this book--I just don't think "It's Amazing" even though I have read it three times. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good read in historical fiction, who is interested in US history and, especially, the Civil War. Shaara does a good job of sketching the tenor of the times, the sentimentality and the conflicted feelings of the men. It's a terrific book for high school students who might otherwise find the history aspect less than compelling.

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0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Kate rated it:

When I was young my parents took us to Gettysburg a few times and for some reason, I really fell in love with the landscape and the reverberating sense of history. Just walking in the fields and woods where these battles took place is a rather striking feeling and whenever I read this book, I am immediately and fully reminded of that feeling.

Obviously, you might enjoy this book more if you are a battlefield/history nerd, but even just the human element is quite gripping, especially w More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2011

A.B. rated it:

Normally when I hear a book won a major literary prize I run screaming in the opposite direction, but the topic has always interested me and the way the author dealt with the subject had me turning the pages like a novel.

Being an Aussie, the American Civil war was just something I was taught at school, it had no real relevance. Undoubtedly, US citizens have a totally different perspective from their much closer connection. So I understand if for some of you the book is overload of st More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

David rated it:

The Cumberland County Library asked me to speak to their book group, part of the North Carolina Humanities Council "Let's Talk About It" series devoted to Civil War fiction. I began by talking about the challenges to the reader in The Killer Angels: keeping the geographies and personalities clear, clarifying and grasping the perspectives of North and South, and the simple disadvantage of knowing how the battle comes out. But I also introduced some special challenges to reading about More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 12, 2008

Susan rated it:

The Killer Angels finally makes the Battle of Gettysburg come alive in my mind. No matter how many times I visited Gettysburg growing up and when my children were young; no matter how much I love the stone walls and sun bleached rail fences; I never quite got it.

Everything was a puzzle. While my husband talked about the placement of troops and why various Generals were where they were, I was clueless to understand what I saw as a series of moving mazes laid one on top of another.
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1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Feb 17, 2008

Kelly rated it:

Great historical fiction about the battle of Gettysburg. A much more entertaining way to learn about this historical event. It was really interesting to see how the author sympathized with certain characters (Longstreet from the South and Chamberlain in the North) and how wars worked at that time. So much of it was guesswork and luck. I also liked his bringing to light the complexities of war, specifically this one where you had brothers, fathers and friends fighting against one another. Als More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 13, 2007

Lani rated it:

My dad's side of the family are all crazy Civil War buffs, so I've been raised knowing about a lot of these characters.

I fell in love with the movie Gettysburg when I was in middle school, but didn't tackle the book until a few years later. It was the first time I could really keep track of battles and generals and troop movements. It put a face on the Civil War.

Since then I have read nearly all of Shaara's son's books - including the prequel and sequel to The Killer Ang More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2007

Troy rated it:

This book was assigned reading when I attended the Army Management Staff College. Before that, I had never heard of it, other than it was what the movie "Gettysburg was based on.

The story centers around the days immediately prior to, during, and after the Battle of Gettysburg. Instead of just going over historical facts about the battle, Mr. Shaara gets inside the head of several of the main participants in the battle. He puts into words what these men may have been thinking dur More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 28, 2008

Tom rated it:

I'm tempted to say a lot of this book wasn't really my thing, but the more I think about it, the more I find parts I enjoyed. I mostly picked it up to help me get a better handle on Gettysburg in an entertaining way, and it not only helped me visualize the conflict, but also gave me a fuller sense of military tactics throughout the Civil War. It's probably dumb of me to admit, but after a handful of books, this was the first time where ideas like defensive lines and flanking maneuvers really cli More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2008

Miste rated it:

An amazing account of the Battle of Gettysburg. Not for the faint hearted. Very detailed account of the battle and the different troups invovled and why it turned out the way it did. If you like history, this is a good one. Might be too long on battle details for some. I found it very intriguing.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 16, 2009

Greg of A2 rated it:

Simply a great novel. Yes, a must read for historical military fiction fans but it even reads well for anyone who can appreciate great writing and especially if you like action sequences. The description of the battle at Little Round Top is an unforgettable piece of writing.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2009

Peter rated it:

The Killer Angels is the story of the battle of Gettysburg. It is told from the point of view of commanders and soldiers of both sides. The story is both exciting and tragic, doing justice to the people and ideals both sides fought for. It won the Pulitzer prize. The perfect book if you ever wanted to know about the civil war.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

krisabelle rated it:

This was AMAZING. I wish I'd read this in high school when we were studying the Civil War because it gives you such an incredible insight into the hearts and minds of the people on the battlefield. I really loved a lot of the characters and I cried when the book concluded. I ordered “Gettysburg”, the movie based on this book, from Amazon and can’t wait to watch it. I will definitely be reading Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure; my interest in the Civil War is higher than ever thank More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2008

Kristen rated it:

This was an incredible book. I have loved the movie "Gettysburg" ever since I saw it in the theater with my dad years ago. We went to Gettysburg years ago, which was amazing. My dad has been trying to get me to read this book for years, and I wish I had read it earlier.

Chamberlain, Lee, and Longstreet were incredible men; I felt like I got to know them better in this book. It was really hard to read about the decisions made at Gettysburg, knowing that they would bring so mu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 08, 2009

Catherine rated it:

My first book on the civil war that I really liked. I've read three times. (Manly cause I forget and want to remember)

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2011

Chris rated it:

Shaara received the Pulitzer prize for this work, and it’s no surprise. In addition to being a great novel, it is meticulously researched history. Says the author in his preface, “I have avoided historical opinions and gone back primarily to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents. I have not consciously changed any fact.” It is truly astounding to note that much of the private dialogue in the novel wasn’t merely hashed together and ‘splopped’ in there, but were d More...

2 comments like

Aug 05, 2011

Jared added it

I don't like categorizing Shaara's novel as "historical fiction." Historical narrative is probably more suited, since Shaara is not telling a fictional story, but rather going where straightforward history books don't - into the minds and feelings of the people involved. Shaara writes in the introduction that he wanted to know how it FELT to be in the midst of the war, like Stephen Crane did, and the only way was to write about it. However, unlike Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" More...

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Apr 20, 2010

Joyce rated it:

Winner of the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Killer Angels is a remarkable work. Within the pages of one book, it manages to recount an excellent history of the Battle of Gettysburg with fictional 'insights' into the minds, thoughts, and actions of several of the major players on both sides.[return][return]To deal with the historical aspect: Shaara's account is mostly accurate; those inaccuracies present are unintentional and minor. One inaccuracy that probably has become fixed in the public More...

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Jan 14, 2009

Tony rated it:

Shaara, Michael. THE KILLER ANGELS. (1974). ****. In spite of all the accolades this novel has received, I have been avoiding reading it because of the film, “Gettysburg” that was made from it. I thought the film was terrible, and that reflected negatively on my image of the book. Turns out that I was wrong, and that the book was indeed a good one, and accomplished its purpose of describing the battle of Gettysburg in terms of human interest. What the author does is chronicle the events o More...

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Jan 13, 2009

Fredsky rated it:

This must be a 4, or even a 5, I guess. I am not a history person at all. I know people who can deliver statistics about battles and information about everything for the Civil War. I am not one. So, reading this book, I was totally ignorant of the general sweep of the war, whether this battle was the end or the beginning of the end or even the beginning of the war, whatever! In fact, I had a hard time understanding the maps, which were drawn simply enough. Luckily Shaara had a little intro More...

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Jan 28, 2012

theduckthief rated it:

”No need for hurry now, too tired to run, expecting to be hit at any moment. Over on the right no horse, Kemper was down, impossible to live up there. Armistead moved on, expecting to die, but was not hit. He moved closer to the wall up there, past mounds of bodies, no line any more, just men moving forward at different speeds, stopping to fire, stopping to die, drifting back like leaves blown from the fire ahead. Armistead though: we won’t make it. He lifted the sword again screaming, and moved More...

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Jan 03, 2012

Ted rated it:

I've read the book twice, it is a very moving historical novel.

The Killer Angels purports to relate the thoughts and motivations of the leaders in the battle of Gettysburg, as well as the details of all the crucial actions across the battlefield over three days, as experienced by the leaders and soldiers. Of particular interest are the depictions of the Confederate leaders (Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, et al). Longstreet is presented as arguing against the decision by Lee to take the More...

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Dec 06, 2011

Allyson rated it:

This is definitely not a book I would have picked myself but it was a book club choice and I reluctantly started it. Once I got through the confusion of who was on which side I found myself engrossed in the story. After reading this book your interest in the civil war will definitely be piqued. I now want to visit Gettysburg and have already borrowed the move “Gettysburg”! I loved how Shaara was able to portray the real personalities and feelings of the major players during the three day bat More...

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Nov 24, 2011

Christine rated it:

This summer a friend and I were trying to decide on a destination for a short trip. We knew it had to be reasonably close, because we only had what amounted to an extended weekend but it also had to be far enough to make it seem like a mini vacation. We were suffering from a terrible case of the "been there, done thats" when my friend mentioned a long time desire to visit Gettysburg. A desire brought on by playing a video game of all things. Although I had no overwhelming desire to vis More...

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Oct 28, 2011

Lucy rated it:

I was in Maryland when I read this. I thought I was going to be going to Gettysburg and wanted to know more before I went. (As it turned out, I never made it.) As historical fiction, this is a good introduction for learning about the Civil War... not as dry and pedantic as a textbook. Even though there were lots of simple drawn maps, they weren't enough for me. I would have liked photos of the terrain to help me picture the scenes. The story is told mostly from the point of a few of the pa More...

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Oct 19, 2011

Lillie rated it:

I liked this book for the historic value, but I was not so much into how confused I felt the whole time I was reading it. Perhaps I am slow, and don't know my American history very well, but I usually don't have this much trouble following what's going on. I appreciated the maps that are throughout the book!!! But still felt like I was missing too much.
It is always hard to read about war, especially from the leaders points of view. The first half of the book lacked human feeling. The sold More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Juan rated it:

The book is quiet interesting it takes place during the civil war specifically, The Battle of Gettysburg. The book moves back and forth between characters, in other words back and forth confederecy and union armies and what the generals and soldiers are expieriencing. Lee the Confederate army Major General leaves matters or war more up to General Longstreet who seems to be more of the back bone of the Confederacy. Longstreet moves north into Philadelphia and doesn't know the position of the Unio More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Jason rated it:

I've lived in the Washington D.C. area for most of my life and Virginia for the last 16. I love history, but the U.S. Civil War never really held my interest. I live only minutes from the great battlefields that dot the landscape surrounding D.C., and Gettysburg is only a 90-minute drive away, but it was completely off my personal radar.

One week ago, my wife who teaches sixth grade took our family north, just over the Maryland border into Pennsylvania to see the hallowed Gettysburg gro More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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