37th out of 3,146 books
—
13,781 voters
The Killer Angels (The Civil War: 1861-1865 #2)
In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Shattered futures, forgotten innocence, and cr...more
Mass Market Paperback, 355 pages
Published
August 12th 1987
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1974)
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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 this moment...more
I am not really a fan of books about war. I have trouble envisioning the action and the maneuvers of the troops, and I find that I get lost in the details and just don't really care about the characters.
Because of this, I didn't have high hopes for The Killer Angels, but it was this month's selection for my book club, and I decided to give it a try.
This book was incredible. I did have some trouble keeping track of the characters. I ended up making myself a cheat-sheet with things like, "Longstre...more
Because of this, I didn't have high hopes for The Killer Angels, but it was this month's selection for my book club, and I decided to give it a try.
This book was incredible. I did have some trouble keeping track of the characters. I ended up making myself a cheat-sheet with things like, "Longstre...more
This is one of those books which changes the way people see a subject. It is a fictional account of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, putting words into the mouths of some of the best-remembered participants, most notably Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet, and Union Generals Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and John Buford (actually Chamberlain was a colonel at this battle, but eventually attained the rank of Major General before the end of the war). The book violates...more
Apr 22, 2008
Lynn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
History buffs, people who want to learn US history in a fictional format.
Shelves:
historical-fiction
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/lo...more
The maps! Oh, man, the maps.
I am not so much of a nerd about the Civil War that I could have already recited every detail of the Battle of Gettysburg and how it came to be, and the story of every regiment that fought in it or anything like that. But I'm enough of one that the other day I randomly found myself on a Battle of Gettysburg kick, thought, "Hmm, I should watch Gettysburg," and only then discovered Gettysburg was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Sign me up. (That would be the Pu...more
I am not so much of a nerd about the Civil War that I could have already recited every detail of the Battle of Gettysburg and how it came to be, and the story of every regiment that fought in it or anything like that. But I'm enough of one that the other day I randomly found myself on a Battle of Gettysburg kick, thought, "Hmm, I should watch Gettysburg," and only then discovered Gettysburg was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Sign me up. (That would be the Pu...more
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.
My Civil War buff fr...more
My Civil War buff fr...more
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 when you cons...more
Obviously, you might enjoy this book more if you are a battlefield/history nerd, but even just the human element is quite gripping, especially when you cons...more
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 stuff you've b...more
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 stuff you've b...more
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 the Civil Wa...more
I'm about 2/3 through this wonderful historic novel and have concluded that The Civil War is still being fought in our country. What do you think?
March 6th. Just finished this book this morning. It was a slow read for me because I was constantly looking back to pick up the names of the key players in this historic and moral war (on both sides). Winston Churchill's quote about this war resonates with us today: “Thus ended the great American Civil War, which must upon the whole be considered the n...more
March 6th. Just finished this book this morning. It was a slow read for me because I was constantly looking back to pick up the names of the key players in this historic and moral war (on both sides). Winston Churchill's quote about this war resonates with us today: “Thus ended the great American Civil War, which must upon the whole be considered the n...more
Nov 12, 2008
Susan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history flops who don't know one battle from another
Recommended to Susan by:
Bill Reynolds
Shelves:
historical-fiction
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.
Then I found out...more
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.
Then I found out...more
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. Also, v...more
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 Angels. I think this book wa...more
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 Angels. I think this book wa...more
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 during this particul...more
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 during this particul...more
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
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.
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 thanks to...more
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 much death and senseless...more
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 much death and senseless...more
Shaara portrays Gettysburg through the character of a half dozen officers on each side. Lee and Longstreet are to be expected. Buford and Reynolds are deeper choices because their focus is in the battle's opening moves. Joshua Chamberlain and Lo Armistead are at key places: Little Round Top on the 2nd day and Pickett's Charge, respectively. Shaara writes lean, direct, effective prose. (See Ralph Peters's "Cain at Gettysburg for another, similar book that focuses on Meade and Longstreet.) "The Ki...more
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 derive...more
Aug 05, 2011
Jared Shipley
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", "The Killer Ange...more
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 m...more
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 of the b...more
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 introductio...more
A telling detailed account of the United States most important battle fought by Americans, against Americans, and for Americans in a time where things simply had to change. The author may have received a Pulitzer for "fiction" in this book but I find the detail too level to be considered anything but "non-fiction".
One of my favorite passages in this book:
"Aimed fire now. He heard a man crying with pain. He looked down the hill. Darker down there. He saw a boy behind a thick tree, tears running...more
One of my favorite passages in this book:
"Aimed fire now. He heard a man crying with pain. He looked down the hill. Darker down there. He saw a boy behind a thick tree, tears running...more
The Killer Angels, by Jeff Shaara, was one of the best books I have ever read by far. I have read many books about American wars and military history and have enjoyed this one more than others because of the way Shaara writes. He adds so much detail and gives the reader a clear vision of troop movements, fire fights, and war conferences. During the most intense scenes,I almost felt like I was a part of the action, smelling the gunpowder in the air, hearing the screams of the dying and wounded, o...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Coverage of Gettysburg | 17 | 30 | May 12, 2013 09:23pm | |
| Dumb | 16 | 209 | Mar 15, 2013 04:50pm | |
| Waste of time. | 11 | 143 | Mar 15, 2013 02:45pm |
Michael Shaara (June 23, 1928 - May 5, 1988) was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents (the family name was originally spelled Sciarra, which in Italian is pronounced the same way) in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division prior to th...more
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“There's nothing so much like a god on earth as a General on a battlefield.”
—
17 people liked it
“The truth is, Colonel, that there's no divine spark, bless you. There's many a man alive no more value than a dead dog. Believe me, when you've seen them hang each other...Equality? Christ in Heaven. What I'm fighting for is the right to prove I'm a better man than many. Where have you seen this divine spark in operation, Colonel? Where have you noted this magnificent equality? The Great White Joker in the Sky dooms us all to stupidity or poverty from birth. no two things on earth are equal or have an equal chance, not a leaf nor a tree. There's many a man worse than me, and some better, but I don't think race or country matters a damn. What matters is justice. 'Tis why I'm here. I'll be treated as I deserve, not as my father deserved. I'm Kilrain, and I God damn all gentlemen. I don't know who me father was and I don't give a damn. There's only one aristocracy, and that's right here - " he tapped his white skull with a thick finger - "and YOU, Colonel laddie, are a member of it and don't even know it. You are damned good at everything I've seen you do, a lovely soldier, an honest man, and you got a good heart on you too, which is rare in clever men. Strange thing. I'm not a clever man meself, but I know it when I run across it. The strange and marvelous thing about you, Colonel darlin', is that you believe in mankind, even preachers, whereas when you've got my great experience of the world you will have learned that good men are rare, much rarer than you think.”
—
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Mar 11, 2013 07:11pm
Mar 15, 2013 02:36pm