The Long Road to Gettysburg

The Long Road to Gettysburg

by Jim Murphy

Narrated by Ray Childs, William Dufris, Terry Bregy

Unabridged — 2 hours, 0 minutes

The Long Road to Gettysburg

The Long Road to Gettysburg

by Jim Murphy

Narrated by Ray Childs, William Dufris, Terry Bregy

Unabridged — 2 hours, 0 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$12.43
(Not eligible for purchase using B&N Audiobooks Subscription credits)
$12.95 Save 4% Current price is $12.43, Original price is $12.95. You Save 4%.

Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers


Overview

Experience firsthand the bloodiest battle of the Civil war, through the eyes of two young teenage military officers - one from the North and one from the South. Corporal Thomas Galway was a 17-year-old Union soldier, while 19-year-old John Dooley fought for the South.

Murphy expertly weaves excerpts from their journals with vivid descriptions of the brutal realities of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War in general.

A Blackstone Audio production.


Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Excerpts from the diaries of two young officers, Lt. John Dooley of the Confederacy and Cpl. Thomas Galway of the Union army, are at the heart of this compelling account of the Civil War's bloodiest battle. Expertly blending details about the battle and each side's plans with the diaries, Murphy conveys all of the tension, tedium and excitement of the battlefield. Archival photographs of the site powerfully present young readers with a grim reminder of the high cost of waging this conflict. Several photos show dead horses and soldiers, their bodies not yet removed for burial. The conclusion explains what happened to the young officers after the war was over, neatly tying up the end of the book and making these men from long ago even more real to today's readers. Ages 9-12. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up—Balancing tactical and historical descriptions of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War with the firsthand diary accounts of two young soldiers, one Union and one Confederate, Jim Murphy's title (Clarion, 1992) is solidly narrated by Ray Childs, Terry Bregy, and William Dufris, each lending his talent to a different section of the text. The use of different voice actors for the narration is especially effective in helping listeners differentiate the Union and Confederate points of view, with snippets of snare drum music separating the passages to further reinforce the shifts in viewpoint. Another narrator reads the introduction and conclusion, which describe the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg and includes Lincoln's famous address. Key figures are quoted and given distinct voices, some more successfully than others. Listeners will get a sense of the emotion, pain, and fatigue experienced by the two soldiers through the performances, though occasionally the voice used for Galway, the Union corporal, sounds too similar to the narrative voice, making it difficult to differentiate the diary excerpts from the exposition. Overall, this is a worthwhile addition to non-fiction audiobook collections.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

From the Publisher

"The excellent use of quotes and descriptions from Dooley and Galway’s journals brings authenticity and immediacy to the narrative. By focusing on these two ordinary soldiers, readers get a new perspective on this decisive and bloody battle. A first-rate addition to Civil War collections."

School Library Journal, Starred

"Beginning and ending with the dedication ceremony at which Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, Murphy’s intriguing book presents the story of the battle from the points of view of two actual participants. . . . The firsthand accounts, drawn from Dooley’s and Galway’s own writings, give the narrative immediacy and personalize the horrors of battle. Like Murphy’s The Boys’ War, this volume is generously illustrated with period drawings, engravings, paintings, and, especially, photographs. An important addition to the Civil War shelf."

Booklist, ALA, Starred Review —

JUNE 2010 - AudioFile

The dedication ceremony of the national cemetery at Gettysburg sets the scene as Murphy weaves actual diary entries of two young officers, one Union and one Confederate, with battle details to create a compelling re-creation of the bloodiest battle of our nations's bloodiest war. The three narrators, Ray Childs, Terry Bregy, and William Dufris, do an admirable job of communicating the boredom of the wait juxtaposed with the terror of the combat as the Irish-American Cpl. Thomas Galway and the Virginian Lt. John Dooley record the battle from their unique perspectives. Sound effects give a “you-are-there” feel to the listening experience. A return to the dedication ceremony, including a recitation of Lincoln's address, and information about Galway and Dooley's postwar lives round out the program. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940169777321
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 05/01/2012
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 8 - 11 Years
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews