16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Worst "Civil War" Book I Have Ever Read, January 2, 2001
The Civil War era is a gold mine for the novelist--everywhere you look there is tragedy, family strife, vicious politics, overturned lives, burned cities, collapsed civilizations.
I was amazed, then, to read such a leaden, uninteresting novel, filled with cardboard characters, pointless actions, unbelievable motives. Mr. Reasoner sifted through the colorful pageant of the Civil War, and came up with a novel reminiscent of a B-movie Western. With the dull, single-minded black/hats white/hats roaming this countryside, I expected Tom Mix to come over the ridge at any moment. The female characters, just like in bad Westerns, are especially stereotyped. The family matriarch, for example, is a religious zealot who loves her family but suddenly, arbitrarily decides to disown her eldest son. None of her children can figure out why she would do this, and neither can the reader--except that it moves the lead-footed plot forward another notch, forcing a character out of a posse (at last!) and into the battle.
The Southern viewpoint espoused in this novel reminds me of the Shirley Temple movie, "The Little Colonel," for the fervent (very fervent!) simplicity of the viewpoint and rosy, selective view of slavery. Virginians are Good, Abolitionists are Bad, even though, of course, the Really Good Virginians don't happen to own any slaves. In fact, the author is careful to make sure that none of the "heroes" in this novel are or ever have been slaveowners; thus any uncomfortable soul-searching on the part of a reader (are these really the good guys?) is avoided. Any other aspects of the North/South political conflict, such as immigration, the division of federal spending, and the wider issues of states' rights, which had as much if not more importance in 1860-1861, are brushed aside in favor of a sensationalist story about honest farmers and the froth-at-the-mouth abolitionists who harass them.
When our heroes at last rode off into the sunset, I was glad they were leaving, and glad I wasn't forced to follow them on their next adventure. If you are truly interested in Civil War-era drama, look to "Cold Mountain," "A Faded Coat of Blue," "The Black Flower," or "By Blood Posessed." "Manassas" is poor history, and fluffy writing.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story you won't be able to put down....., January 22, 2000
A vivid account of the Brannon family swept up in the choas of a war on the horizon. James Reasoner is a gifted writer with a knack for making you care deeply for his characters. Reasoner always holds a special place in his heart for the common man caught up in extraordinary events and times! His books will grab you by the throat and not let you go until all the way through. While there is just a little on the battle of Manassas at the end of the book, the events leading up to it will keep you turning the pages. My only complaint is there were really no good stopping points where I could put it down! I was compelled to keep on reading and found to my dismay that the book ended long before I was ready! I am now reading the second book and encourage James to write faster. I'm going to need that third book pretty soon and I have to know what is going to happen next to these well crafted characters. Don't miss out on this exciting series if you love to read!
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Thinly drawn characters, little war action, March 24, 2000
I had high expectations for a book titled "Manassas" but in the end was very disappointed. I thought the characters were not compelling, the action unfocused, and the story (its central drama itself a trite metaphor for the impending Civil War!) not very interesting. I just wanted it to be over so I could start another book.
My primary criticism, however, is that the title is extremely misleading. I hoped in the reading to be transported to the summer of 1861 and there experience in the mind of some interesting character the marching, the tedium, the heat, and finally, the battle as a 19th Century soldier might have experienced it. What were his thoughts, his memories, his dreams about to be shattered in war? Instead, the Brannon family's story lines seemed entirely removable from the events of the day. This tale of a county sheriff and his family's modest adventures could have been just as easily set in 1851, or in some other state with less at stake in the impending conflict. What little history that manages to intrude is accurate, but comes about in asides to a few newspaper accounts the Brannons read, and in merely a few pages of setting up the battle scene.
Maybe "Manassas" holds together better in its series, but it doesn't stand up well on its own. For a better series of Civil War historical fiction, featuring more complex characters, motives, and more complete history, I recommend Bernard Cornwell's four-volume Starbuck Chronicles series. Unlike "Manassas," Cornwell's books transported me to the 1860s.
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