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rjvrtiska's review
4.0
I’ve been a Shelby Foote fan since watching the entire Ken Burns Civil War documentary in high school. His stories and Southern drawl are largely responsible for the series’s liveliness.
His ability to bring life to history’s pages are showcased in this first volume as well. I listened to the entire audiobook in about a month and a half. Though a history buff, I have to admit to a lack of interest in battle plans a recitation. I zoned out through much of the description of the battles, but still enjoyed the rich language. The personal and political narratives were excellently engaging.
Review of the audio: As much as I wish this had been read by Foote himself, the reading was very well done.
WARNING: Many direct quotes from the time period are used from the time period, including racist and inappropriate language. I had to be aware of playing this aloud without headphones with my children around. The “n” word is said at least once. This and other racist language would need to be explained in context to accidental hearers.
His ability to bring life to history’s pages are showcased in this first volume as well. I listened to the entire audiobook in about a month and a half. Though a history buff, I have to admit to a lack of interest in battle plans a recitation. I zoned out through much of the description of the battles, but still enjoyed the rich language. The personal and political narratives were excellently engaging.
Review of the audio: As much as I wish this had been read by Foote himself, the reading was very well done.
WARNING: Many direct quotes from the time period are used from the time period, including racist and inappropriate language. I had to be aware of playing this aloud without headphones with my children around. The “n” word is said at least once. This and other racist language would need to be explained in context to accidental hearers.
alex_kies's review
5.0
Can't really quibble with the scholarship, but the conclusions are often irksome.
jbjcubs's review
5.0
This is an EPIC read and I'm going to need to take some time before moving to the second volume. However, I can definitely say that as far as the Civil War goes between 1861 and 1863 I now know far more than I ever thought I would.
This is not a series for readers looking for a grand year-by-year overview of the Civil War. Rather it is for those who are interested in how the armies themselves rose and fell at each individual battle and skirmish along the various frontiers and in and around the two capital cities, only punctuated by zooming out to hear about the political and personal challenges facing Lincoln and Davis.
This is not a series for readers looking for a grand year-by-year overview of the Civil War. Rather it is for those who are interested in how the armies themselves rose and fell at each individual battle and skirmish along the various frontiers and in and around the two capital cities, only punctuated by zooming out to hear about the political and personal challenges facing Lincoln and Davis.
manuel_d78's review
4.0
That clearly took me a long long long time, but it is worth it. Heavy reading, a hell of an infodump and more details than you can stomach, but you learn
brucelee1255's review
4.0
This book makes the Civil War feel real in a way that it never did before. It's tremendous, if a little bit wordy.
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