Customer Reviews

Gods and Generals

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

As someone who would read almost anything related to the Civil War, I was very disappointed by this book. I read and loved The Killer Angels because that book gave such a sincere look into the lives of the generals. But Gods and General's attempt was much too heavy handed. The book is overly sentimental, and badly written. The generals all seem to be suffering from acute martyr complexes. At some point, the writer seems to have forgotten that these were real people with (at least some) pedestrian human concerns. Instead, he seems to focus on the dying and martyring part alone. The generals no longer seemed real... they were too noble, even their flaws seem more idealistic heroic than human. And their triumph and failures read more like a Greek tragedy than a novel concerned with historical accuracy.
Additionally, the writer seems to have missed on that day where elementary writing classes emphasized the importance of "show not tell". There is no need to infer the meaning of his character's motivations--Jeff Shaara bashes his message through with a hammer.
I think what disappointed me the most was the underlying story in there that was struggling to get out. The book covers a fascinated time populated by extraordinary people. Their actions spoke volumes for their character, there really was no need to force the issue by overtly explaining and filling their every decision with melodrama.

My first love is Scottish History, but since I was raised on both sides of the pond, I grew to have a great love for the complexities of the War Between the States in the US. So, it was great pleasure I read this book.

Shaara, in this case Jeff, the son of Michael, had a hard act to follow. His father was the author of Pulitzer Prize Winning Killer Angels (1974). Killer Angels looked at the high watermark of the Confederacy which ended with the battle of Gettysburg. That was the single most important event of the whole War Between the States, in a war that shaped the United States. It gave such insight, such reality into the horror, the glory, the humanity and inhumanity of war, of Generals Lee, Hancock, Pickett and Chamberlain. Shaara's words brought alive the battle and made you feel it all, the anticipation, the frustration, the fear and the anger.

In Gods and Generals, Jeff picks up his father's pen and gives you another masterpiece. Though father and son, both have a different writing voices. Jeff picks up the threads of what happened before Gettysburg, a prequel to his father's award winning novel, giving you insight into the men facing what would be their hardest trial. He again centres on the driven Lee, the bumbling Chamberlain, the dashing Hancock, but we also see Jackson, the man who could march his men 40 miles in a day and then fight a battle, one of the most efficient Generals of the whole war on either side, yet overwhelming a religious man. What interested me most, was his portrait of Lee, his dedication to the Confederacy winning and yet the pain of being torn by his loyalty to the Union army he once served and likely of which he would have been General had he not resigned his commission.

A tour de force for a first time writer.

My first love is Scottish History, but since I was raised on both sides of the pond, I grew to have a great love for the complexities of the War Between the States in the US. So, it was great pleasure I read this book.

Shaara, in this case Jeff, the son of Michael, had a hard act to follow. His father was the author of Pulitzer Prize Winning Killer Angels (1974). Killer Angels looked at the high watermark of the Confederacy which ended with the battle of Gettysburg. That was the single most important event of the whole War Between the States, in a war that shaped the United States. It gave such insight, such reality into the horror, the glory, the humanity and inhumanity of war, of Generals Lee, Hancock, Pickett and Chamberlain. Shaara's words brought alive the battle and made you feel it all, the anticipation, the frustration, the fear and the anger.

In Gods and Generals, Jeff picks up his father's pen and gives you another masterpiece. Though father and son, both have a different writing voices. Jeff picks up the threads of what happened before Gettysburg, a prequel to his father's award winning novel, giving you insight into the men facing what would be their hardest trial. He again centres on the driven Lee, the bumbling Chamberlain, the dashing Hancock, but we also see Jackson, the man who could march his men 40 miles in a day and then fight a battle, one of the most efficient Generals of the whole war on either side, yet overwhelming a religious man. What interested me most, was his portrait of Lee, his dedication to the Confederacy winning and yet the pain of being torn by his loyalty to the Union army he once served and likely of which he would have been General had he not resigned his commission.

A tour de force for a first time writer.

I've finally gotten around to reading Gods and Generals, while Jeff Shaara contines to write about the Civil War and now the Revolutionary War. I read the Killer Angels when iIwas in about eight grade, which has been a few years. I just saw the movie version again a few weeks before reading this novel.
Its not an exhaustive account of the time period it covers, Shaara chooses the main characters of the Killer Angels and adds others like Jackson that are an important part of the novel. Shaara does skip some events or just explains them in a few paragraphs like Jackon's Valley Campaign. Its a good novel to introduce someone to some important people of the Civil War, especialy showing that they are human beings of varying degrees. I'm no historian, but I think the depictions of Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, etc. are generally acurate and if anything reading Gods and Generals should provide an interest to find out more about these fascinating people.

Fascinating portrayal of a sad time in US History, as told from the perspectives of the generals involved in these campaigns. I was most particularly moved by Lee and his torn loyalties to the US Army and his home state of Virginia, and most especially by the great Stonewall Jackson. I've come across the names in history classes (oh so long ago) and the occasional novel covering this period, but it was wonderful to have them brought to life as this author did, and we are once again reminded that was is indeed h***. One moment in the book that particularly touched me was during a retreat of Federal soldiers. One of them slipped in the mud and was told that since the general decreed the roads to be in good condition therefore there is no mud.

A very good book and recommended for anyone interested in this period of US History. Four stars instead of five as the author's habit of inserting a comma instead of the word "and" was a bit of a distration for me. I'm not sure where the editors were, and why they didn't correct it.

This book is great. I'd recommend it to everyone who loves the Civil War or just history in general! I want to read it again.

I loved this book. I'm only thirteen, and even i got into this book. it's full of blood and emotion, and i would have given it five stars, but for the fact that one of my favorite charecters died. Reading historical fiction is the only way i can learn about history, so i've read quite a few, and i absoultly loved this one. Terribly sad book, but also exciting. read it.

Gods and Generals is fantastic! I am in love with this book. I am in love with Generals Lee, Jackson, and Hancock. Jeff Shaara made every character a real, human person that the reader comes to know. He made all the events and battles realistic and you feel like you are there with the men, watching from above.

Shaara's writing style is engaging and enveloping; from the very beginning it just sweeps you along. This book even made me cry.

I highly recommend Gods and Generals. I even like it better than The Killer Angels, which is also a wonderful novel. They work really well together.

Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara is the prequal to the Pulitxer Prize winning novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Gods and Generals follows the lives of 4 men in the turbulent days leading up to the Civil War until just before the Battle of Gettysburg. Thomas Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Winfield Scott Hancock and JOshua Chamberlain are the 4 main characters and in the mix we see glimpses of some of the best known soldiers and civilians of the Civil War Era, including JOhn Brown, JEB Stuart, McClellan, Burnside, Longstreet and Hooker. Shaara's talent for writing is obvious in the first lines of this work. He is able to capture both the triumph and tragedy of the Civil War. When it comes of the battles, his accuracy is almost complete. Shaara does his research and provides the reader with the thrilling idea of being inside a historical figures mind. The only complaint I can make is that he does not delve into the insanity that strayed just beneath the surface with Jackson, instead promoting Jackson's obvious if misguided religious beliefs. Although Gods and Generals was made into a subpar movie, it is a first rate story with compelling character and explosive drama. Well done Shaara.

poorly written. nowhere near the writer michael was. sorry, but i did not like this book. best bet would be to re-read Killer Angels.