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duparker's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars At times this is a brutal book, as it should be. Andersonville is one of those mythic places Americans don't want to admit occurs on our soil. It was brutal, dirty, and tragic. This book totally captures that and more with a really well written and dense story with many different tales strung together to form the overall arc.
lekakis's review against another edition
1.0
A 360 on gruesomeness - different viewpoints about the history of this horrific prison. But, was it interesting? Some of the short stories - it's more of a collection of short independent stories rather than a coherent book - were interesting. The majority were not though. The introduction of so many persons without a common thread other than they are in this prison or die there... whatever... the book was really bad. One of the few books i had trouble finishing. Also the view of the southern plantation owners.. >>>>>
karp76's review against another edition
4.0
"Their story is not graven only on stone over their native earth, but lives on far away, without visible symbol, woven into the stuff of other men's lives." There is an enormity to the subject of war and the incarceration of those participants engaged in the acts of war. There is by extension, an enormity in the construction of a work attempting to capture and render these subjects abstractly and artistically, in some vain attempt to understand or perhaps even to rationalize the manifestation of that enormity. There must be a delicate handling, and too, a separation, and a humanizing of such things. That is the only way it can be done. It is the only way any of this can be digested. Herein, we are presented with such glimpses of humanity, past lives lived better and worse, choices made, rendering a pastiche of horror and history rising out of the Georgia wilderness. There is nothing light here. The narrative eases us with its telling, its abstraction of swearing off certain stylistic norms, moving freely between thought and speech, fact and embellishment all the way to fiction, presenting only what it can, only what it is able, not what we can experience or imagine, but what we must attempt to remember, however noble or difficult that act may be.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
1.0
I didn’t hate any of the characters, because I just couldn’t care about them.
It was a long, lame book.
Another clunker for the Pulitzer committee.
It was a long, lame book.
Another clunker for the Pulitzer committee.
drewmoody321's review against another edition
3.0
"Open for only 18 months from 1864-1865, 52,000 Union soldiers were housed at this infamous and notorious prisoner of war camp called Andersonville. The 27-acre camp was surrounded by a stockade made of pine logs with a small creek that ran through the center. The prisoners had no shelter, except for makeshift tents made for those who had the resources; this meant the prisoners were forced to suffer through intense heat in the Georgia summer, rain, and the cold of Georgia winter’s with no defense. The creek became a combination of bathing, toileting, drinking, and a cesspool disease. The men were given little or no fresh meat or vegetables and scant food in general. They suffered scurvy, gangrene, diarrhea, dysentery and various other diseases. By the time the Civil War ended, 13,000 Union soldiers died within the prison’s four walls, and many more died from health complications with a year or two of being released.
Decades later, author MacKinlay Kantor put together about 25 years of research in order to write the most complete novel he could about the prison. Simply titled Andersonville, this controversial book—which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956—was immediately declared one of the most important books ever written about the American Civil War." ~ Drew
http://thepulitzerblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/entry-82-andersonville-by-mackinlay-kantor-1956/
Decades later, author MacKinlay Kantor put together about 25 years of research in order to write the most complete novel he could about the prison. Simply titled Andersonville, this controversial book—which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956—was immediately declared one of the most important books ever written about the American Civil War." ~ Drew
http://thepulitzerblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/entry-82-andersonville-by-mackinlay-kantor-1956/
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting novel. The plot is all over the place and the list of characters is so long, you basically have to give up on remembering everyone's name/situation if you want to maintain your sanity. Almost every character, no matter if they are a major or minor characters gets a full backstory which grinds the plot to a halt quite often.
And yet I enjoyed this book from time to time. I cannot in good faith say I enjoyed the entire thing and I truly believe the plot does not justify the length, but it was nevertheless entertaining enough for me to finish.
I can't imagine I'll ever think about this book or the story again (like I have done with other historical fiction epics) but I am ultimately glad I read it as I enjoy American Civil War era fiction and have grown to enjoy the genre of historical fiction epics.
And yet I enjoyed this book from time to time. I cannot in good faith say I enjoyed the entire thing and I truly believe the plot does not justify the length, but it was nevertheless entertaining enough for me to finish.
I can't imagine I'll ever think about this book or the story again (like I have done with other historical fiction epics) but I am ultimately glad I read it as I enjoy American Civil War era fiction and have grown to enjoy the genre of historical fiction epics.
daisyporter's review against another edition
5.0
It's 750 pages of dialogue with no quotation marks. It doesn't have any women other than one silly virgin and one wise whore. It's primarily about war and feces.....so much feces. Nevertheless, amazing and brilliant.
zena_ryder's review against another edition
5.0
This is on my list of all time favourite books. It's fantastic. It's very long, but I never felt it needed to be shorter. It's beautifully written, and the characterization is amazing. The author creates so many believable characters, and you feel that you get to know them, even though some are around only for a single chapter. In the book, many characters make short chapter-long appearances - long enough for us to get to know them before they die (usually) and leave the story. It's a very effective way of getting a feel for just how many people were imprisoned at Andersonville and how tragic all that suffering and death was.
If I had to come up with some criticisms, it would probably be these:
1. I didn't quite care enough about Ira Claffey and his family. I needed to love them more.
2. Slaves are largely ignored in the story. In a way, this is a virtue - because slaves simply were just in the background of the lives of many Southerners, just like tools and horses. However, I still felt a desire to hear more from them.
If I had to come up with some criticisms, it would probably be these:
1. I didn't quite care enough about Ira Claffey and his family. I needed to love them more.
2. Slaves are largely ignored in the story. In a way, this is a virtue - because slaves simply were just in the background of the lives of many Southerners, just like tools and horses. However, I still felt a desire to hear more from them.
bibliophiliac's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0