The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War by Michael Shaara Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War
Book Review: A Novel of Gettysburg
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an outstanding work of historical fiction. The book deserves the praise it has received. There is much more to this novel than can be captured in any movie or TV series on the Civil War. The book is a fitting introduction to the Civil War and to the Battle of Gettysburg. The book illustrates a lesson too easily forgotten --how fiction, well done, has the power to give meaning to fact.The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 -- July 3, 1863. It remains, probably, the pivotal battle of the Civil War and has been written about endlessly.
Michael Scharaa's novel is in four large chapters, one for each day of the battle together with an introductory chapter setting the stage. The story is told in sections devoted alternately to the perspectives and roles of many of the leading protagonists: the Confederate Generals, Lee, Longstreet, and Armistead, the British writer Freemantle, a guest in the Confederate camp, and the Union Generals Chamberlain and Buford.
There are many excellent historical studies of the Battle of Gettysburg (Steven Sears and Noah Trudeau have written two recent ones) and it is worth thinking about how these studies differ from the picture of Gettysburg we see in "The Killer Angels".
The novel gives a vivid picture of each of the three days of the battle, but it is more selective, focused picture than we get in the histories. The novel concentrates on the events on Little Round Top -- the far left of the Union line on the second day of the battle, July 2. The hero is Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and his men from the twentieth Maine who hold of a furious Confederate charge over the boulders of Little Round Top and help save the Union position.
The novel also concentrates on Pickett's doomed charge on the third day of the Battle. We see a great deal about General Armistead (in Pickett's Division) who dies after reaching the Union lines and remained a devoted friend of Union General Hancock over the wall.
The novel form (fiction) allows the writer to concentrate on specific scenes, as Sharaa does well in "The Killer Angels", to a degree the historian cannot. The novel also allows the writer to explore the relationships among and the thoughts of the protagonists to a degree that goes beyond the historical record. Sharra exploits this possiblity to the utmost. He gives the reader interchanges between Lee and Longstreet, for example, that are entirely plausible, that make them come alive, and that cast great light upon their activities and motivations during the Battle. We see a great deal of Colonel Chamberlain, of course. The reader hears Sharra recreating Chamberlain's innermost thoughts and is encouraged to think about the making of a hero.
The novelistic form also allows Sharaa to use characters to express their views of the meaning of the War. The reader is given an unforgettable picture of what both sides thought they were fighting for and is invited to think about the War and the Battle for him or herself.
This novel will not replace historical studies for those interested in learning more about the Civil War or about the details of the Battle of Gettysburg. But it is a thoroughly admirable novel which captures something of the harshness and the heroism of the War and of the American character. It will give the careful reader a good understanding, or a good way to work through to an understanding, of the events of these three days in 1863. "The Killer Angels" will encourage the reader to think about, and to deepen his or her appreciation of, our country's history.
Book Review: A Powerful Work that Transcends Culture
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an Australian and have always possessed a curiosity about the American Civil War. I was loaned a copy of what a friend of mine said was a great book about the Battle of Geetysburg. I was enthusiastic but someheat put off by the title of"The Killer Angels".I can assure you I was not put off for long! This is a fine work and in my opinion the single finest piece of writing I have ever read. Interest in the subject helps of course but this is much more than a historical novel.
This rich drama uses one of the major events of US history as a canvess on which to paint and depict the various aspects of humanity, human frailty and inhumanity which are a part of war. But more than this, the style in which this work is written also offers a keen insight into the workings of the minds of the central characters of Lee, Longstreet and Chamberlain. The quality of the writing places the reader at the centre of not only the action of battle but also the decsions which shaped its outcome and the personal interactions and conflicts which contain lessons in strategy, management and leadership.
The truly remarkable aspects of work this transcend whether or not you are American. It is not surprising that Michael Shaara won a Pultizer Prize for this novel. I encourage any serious reader I know to read this book and indeed it has has crossed the country with me several times. This is a novel which looks into the heart of humanity under the extreme conditions of the horror of battle.
Shaara's son Jeff has performed an admirable job with the "bookend" novels he has written to from a civil war trilogy. I would rate "Gods and Generals" a 4 star compared to "The Killer Angels" 5 but would rate "The Last Full Measure" as very nearly the equal of the original.
Book Review: A Stirring Account of the Battle of Gettysburg
Summary: 5 Stars
It reads like a novel. In places, it could pass as a thriller. Little wonder that this book was made into the exciting movie, Gettysburg. Shaara made this important battle come alive. We see the principal characters - Lee, Meade, and Pickett. We feel their doubts and worries. But the hero of Shaara's story is Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a former college professor from Maine. Soft-spoken and seemingly out of place in the war's carnage, he knows most of the soldiers in his regiment. But when the chips are down, he and his Maine volunteers hold the left flank of the Union line in one of the most thrilling battles of the war. The book is terrific.Book Review: A Welshman's view of your'e civil war's greatest battle
Summary: 5 Stars
In June 1979 ,having always had an interest in the american civil war, I visited Gettysburg. After the bus tour around the battlefield and visits to various museums I made my way to catch the Greyhound Bus back to Pittsburg. Havig just alittle time left Iwent in to abookshop
and chose one book to bring back. It turned out to be the most moving thrilling account of the war I have ever read. I must have read it many times since and never tire of Shaara's brilliant description of men under fire. The release of Turner's film re kindled the interest for me and am determined to visit Gettysburg one more time in the near future. Also,to visit Chaimberlain's house in Brunswick is another ambition.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.(That's welsh for "Thanks very much)Book Review: A classic that will never die
Summary: 5 Stars
I was told I could read this book for extra credit by my College American History Professor. The only reason I read it was because I wanted the extra credit to get an "A" in the class. Not only did I end up getting an "A" in the class, but I got pulled into, page by page, the greatest battle in American History. The Battle of Gettysburg.This book was wonderful. The battles, vivid and real, make you feel like you are on the battlefield fighting on whichever side you agree with.
The book is written, chapter by chapter, in the views of the major players in Gettysburg, and the Civil War. You get to know these American greats on a personal level and understand how they feel.
The movie based on this novel, entitled, "Gettysburg", is just as powerful and does a great job of following the novel.
Although Michael Shaara is not around anymore, his son Jeff Shaara has continued, with his fathers writing style, this wonderful saga with the battles before Gettysburg, in "Gods and Generals" and the battles after Gettysburg, in "The Last Full Measure". Do not pass this wonderful piece of literature up. You will walk away from this book with a real sense of knowing about our American Civil War.
Enjoy