Manassas

Disappointed in 1st book

As the first book in a large series, 'Manassas' really disappointed. While some of the character development was interesting and necessary (if predictable), the description of the battle and the dialogue between the men fighting it smacked of a B- John Wayne movie. I will give the 2nd book a try but am not optimistic. For better character development, more historical accuracy and more intense battle scenes, I would recommned the Starbuck series by Bernard Cornwell.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

good background fiction...not much civil war

This is an enjoyable story - but as the first in a series it's focus has to be to build the foundation for a broad array of characters. As a result there is actually very little devoted to Manassas itself. I will purchase the next in the series, however, as I think ther series has potential to develop further in the later books.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Not sure what I think

I’m not much into historical fiction, but really like history.

This is more of a story than about history.

Maybe, it’s character development for the rest of the series.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good read!

What did you love best about Manassas?

Good story line leading up to the war.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Will is a well rounded and believable character. .

If you could rename Manassas, what would you call it?

Why War!

Dissapointed

What would have made Manassas better?

A better story line as well as more reference to the actual battle

What didn’t you like about LLoyd James’s performance?

Hard to listen to his voice

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Manassas?

Only listened to the first 30 minutes

Dissapointing - expected history of the battle

Any additional comments?

This book may be interesting to those who enjoy reading fiction of the civil war period but did not hold my interest as one seeking history of the civil war battle.

Great Subject+Weak Story= Big Let Down

I was excited to see a story with such a rich setting, but found too many clich?s and not enough history background. The story is made to sound as if it would be focused on the civil war, but sadly the parts devoted to the actual battle are brief and a minuscule portion of the overall story. The historical descriptions were mediocre at best and at times incorrect. I doubt I will listen to the other books in this series.

Great Characters

I love history, but I'm not good at remembering all the dates and facts. So I started reading historical fictions where there is a story and characters intertwined with historical fact. I happen to love this series even though I'm only on the 3rd book. I also want to give credit where credit is due to the narrator LLoyd James. He has made each character come alive. I have listened to other books with only a few characters and they all sound the same. Thank you Mr James. And thank you Mr. Reasoner for writing 10 great books.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Feuding and fighting

This book is clearly establishing characters for what promises to be a long and interesting soap opera of a tale of the civil war from the point of view of a southern farmers family rather than from a planter's or general's view point which is the normal fare for novels.

The narrator does a good job with bringing the accents to the characters and keeping the energy running thru the story.

Manassas is the appetiser with the main courses still to come.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful