Gods and Generals: A Novel of the Civil War

very powerful book

the book was so well written its hard to put down. the way the author brings you in to the battles is wonderful. a must read you will enjoy.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A read that draws you in page by page

This book is great for readers looking for a taste of American Civil War history. It present the battles and characters in a way that brings them to life and makes you feel like their your best friend. It makes you want to keep reading and learning about the Civil War, which is a very important event in our nations history.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Shaara is the Gold Standard for Historical Fiction

For some reason, the vast percentage of Civil War literature is in the form of overly-abundant and increasingly repetitious history books. Good novels of the Civil War (and the Revolutionary War) are few, far between and most likely written by someone named Shaara. While Shaara is not quite as lively as Bernard Cornwell's enjoyable, yet formulamatic rehash of his Sharpe novels, The Starbuck Chronicles, "G&G" certainly has a great deal more depth. The book is also much less laborous and burdenome than the incredibly over-baked movie version.
If you are at all interested in the subject matter Shaara is the best.
I also reccomend The Flying Dutchmen by Andrew B. Suhrer. The novel is a real page-turner and can't be beat for entertaining reading whether you are interested in the Civil War or not.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Greatest Book Since The Bible

Gods and Generals was written with great accuracy. It keeps us spell bound actually taking us back to April 1861 through May of 1863. It wraps our minds in the spirit of the day. We are there next to General Lee, Jackson, Hood, Chamberlain, Hancock and Burnside as their orders are given and taken. A great Southern point of view of the war that seperated two nations in bitter conflict. Fantastic second part of the trilogy. Jeff Shaara wrote a masterpiece. He is a great writer. He is equal to his Dad, Michael Shaara.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

If you are interested in the Civil War, this is a Great overview of the leadership from both sides. This is fictionalized history in the vein of James Michener and John Jakes. I had a hard time putting it down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of the best novel written on the Civil War

Jeff Shaara simply wrote a masterpiece when he wrote "Gods and Generals". While the writing isn't as good as his father?s "The Killer Angels", J. Shaara gave us all of the background information you could want on the major players. Lee, Jackson, Chamberlain, and Hancock all become alive for the reader. Characters like Winfield Scott, Albert Sidney Johnson, and J.E.B. Stuart all have interesting parts in the story, and are characterized very well. Everything from Lee's participation in crushing John Brown's Raid, to Chancellorsville is covered in this novel, and it is a must have for any student of the Civil War or anybody interested in a good read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended by this Civil War buff

Gods and Generals is a book that follows four leaders of the Civil War, looking at their lives and careers in the years leading to and the first 2 years (approximately) of the war. While the characters in the story are pulled from history (General Robert E. Lee, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, General Winfield Scott Hancock, and Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Chamberlain), it is fiction in that the author delves more into the characters than history records. If you're looking for an accurate history book with very detailed information about battles, then this isn't the book for you. While Shaara does give ample information about troop movements and battles, he spends more time exploring the characters, their motivations for fighting, their family lives, and their relationships with the other soldiers.

I'm a history buff and particularly enjoy learning about the Civil War. So, I really enjoyed this book. As I read I had a strong urge to watch the movie Gettysburg, which was based on his father, Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels, to get the rest of the story. Oh and Gods and Generals was also made into a film. And as I researched a little more, I learned that there is one more book in this Civil War trilogy, The Last Full Measure, which covers what happens after Gettysburg.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A terrific novel for any fan of history

This is best Civil War novel I have ever read. Move over Red Badge of Courage. Readers will be amazed at how well Shaara tells this story of the Civil War from the points of view of General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. I also thought that the ending was very touching.

Great Education -

In this prequel to The Killer Angels, Jeff Shaara pays homage to his father's book by continuing to keep the reader riveted by humanizing historical minutia. You will not be disappointed as you get to know Stonewall Jackson and understand his importance to General Lee and the Confederate Army. The heroics of Chamberlain's charge down Little Round Top become even more significant as you learn more of the key men involved in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. This is another must read!

Civil War Comes Alive

Jeff Shaara Writes just like his father Micheal Shaara. The characters really come to life in this book. It's not a biography or a historical document of the Civil War battles. It's a connection to each person in their own thoughts and feelings. All of the major players of the battles just before Gettysburg are mentioned, their stories told through them. It's a good book for anyone who appreciates history, and historical novels. This is not your everyday book, it's truly one of a kind.

Hooked On Shaara

I've only recently discovered Jeff Shaara, and while this is his first book, it's the fourth of his that I've read and I've yet to be disappointed to any degree. His ability to bring history alive is unmatched. A prequel to his father's masterpiece, The Killer Angels, Shaara takes us back to the build-up for war and relays the story to us through the eyes of 4 key men...Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Winfield Scott Hancock and Lawrence Chamberlain. Each fascinating in his own way and each fighting for very different reasons. The war may have been brough on by slavery, but at an individual level, each man fought for his own reason and many of them were different. Take a brief trip back in time into the minds of these men as they waged the bloodiest war in American history. You will not regret it.

Gods and Generals

Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals was a good book overall. Shaara's detail was very impressive. His style of portraying the war through the eyes of the Generals fighting in it was a unique way to look at the war. Also, the unbiased portrayal of both sides was very enjoyable. Overall, Gods and Generals was a very well written and entertaining account of the first part of the U.S. Civil War.

A must have for History, Civil War buffs.

Excellent writing, story lines, read it twice

If you like and enjoy history and novels this is one book for you.

Michael Shaara wrote one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read dealing with the Civil War battle of Gettysburg titled "The Killer Angels". His son Jeff has now picked up the mantle of continuing this fine story of our nations bloodiest war on our soil by writing :God's and Generals". This book leads the reader up to and into the Battle of Gettysburg. It tells of the smaller fights and scrimishes that set the stage for Gettysburg. Jeff's writing style is very easy to read and almost makes the reader believe he must have been in the tent or room with the characters when they were speaking. Very entertaining and the most enjoyable part was, while the book is basically a novel, it is based on facts and real places, people, and events which gives you a history lesson without being dry and boring.

Great Read

Gods and Generals was a great book to read. I could not put it down. It kept me turning the pages wanting to know what happened next. It was a great story and told the first half of the Civil War in great detail. Anyone who is interested in the Civil War should read this book.

History without the boring aspects

Great for readers who want to learn about history without the long boring details. Captures the sorrows and excitments of war in both victories and defeats through great character development. This is a great historical fiction that maintains the readers attention throughout the entire story. This actually made reading history fun and kept the reader wanting to learn more.

MAGNIFICENT

A well written, well thought out, historically accurate drama of probably the most important event in the history of our country. It had to be written. After having read his father's 'Killer Angels', one felt that the rest of the story must be told, and Jeff has done this magnificently. A must read for all avid Civil War readers.

Great for Book Groups

Our book group read this book. Most of the women went ahead and read the whole series. It really changes the way you understand both sides of the story. A lot of hearts were broken during this time in our history and Shaara helps you feel the pain and in the end hope for better.

GODS AND GENERALS

I enjoyed reading this prequel to Killer Angels. Jeff Shara has provided the background that was missing in Killer Angels and has brought the people to life. I also watched the movie, which I felt didn't in any way come close to giving the book the treatment it deserved. It was too one-sided, where Mr. Shara's book was very well rounded.

Awesome

This book is great. I'm a student of the Civil War. I like his amazing drama. His accounts of Williamsburg, Second Bull Run, Frediricksburg, and even John Brown's Raid are amazing.I'm using my mom's email because I'm not old enough.