Customer Reviews

Manassas (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

There is at the moment and indeed there has been for several years a resurgence of interest in the civil war novel as a popular genre. This book and I would assume the others in the projected series of eight are an attempt to capitalise on that new level of interest. The First Battle of Manassas intrigues me; it was the battle that introduced the horrors of war to a naive public and a mainly inexperienced set of armies. So I bought this book with some anticipation. On reading it I was extremely disappointed - it is not about Manassas, indeed the battle features only at the very end of the novel. I don't like being misled and unfortunately that is how I felt by the title of this book. Imagine selecting off a menu only to have the wrong dish sent to your table. Usually you'd send it right back! However, I was willing to give this book a chance, to redeem itself, to convince me that the title didn't matter as the writing was so powerful that it made up for any concerns regarding any possible misdirection.

The book focuses on the lives of the Bannon family in Culpeper County, Virginia. Specifically it follows one member of the family - Will a local sheriff - as he attempts to round up the `bad guys'. Do not expect a novel packed full of civil war period historical detail, outlining the social, political and economical events of the time - those details do not exist within the pages of Manassas. What is left is almost a pulp western, short on details and lacking in excitement. The characters in the novel are one-dimensional; consequently I had no concern about what happened to them, how their lives developed.

So in conclusion the title is misleading, the writing is not the best Civil War fiction I've read, and the plot and character development is limited. I did not enjoy this novel; it didn't hold my attention to the end although I managed to get to the end! There is some really good civil war fiction out there - works such as The Killer Angels, the Starbuck series by Cornwell, Look Away and Until the End by Coyle - that are far superior to Manassas and I would direct your attention to them before you open the pages of this book.

MANASSAS, the first volume in James Reasoner's The Civil War Battle Series, introduces us to the Brannons, a farming family from Culpepper, VA. The family consists of the widowed matriarch, Abigail, her five sons, Will, Mac, Cory, Titus, and Henry, and her daughter, Cordelia.

MANASSAS is more of a prelude to the War, setting the stage for troubles to come. As county sheriff, Will Brannon, the eldest, has to deal with the trouble-making Fogarty clan. His problems with the Fogartys will follow him into battle at Manassas, as the war begins.

The book is fast-paced and well-researched. This is a novel, and, as such, will not necessarily please those historical purists who insist on complete accuracy. However, the story is gripping, and the violence sometimes graphic. For anyone interested in the time period, or the War itself, this is very entertaining reading.

People are mostly content with thier lives in Culpepper, Virginia in January 1861. However, Lincoln has been elected and the inhabitants feel that once he is inaugurated, their lives will change. They worry that it wouldn't be for the better.

Will Brannon, at age thirty, is the sheriff of Culpepper County, his brother Matt, is twenty-five, and a better horseman, Titus is twenty-three a born hunter, Henry is a rambunctious age nineteen, a mixture of the others. Cordelia is their younger sister.

In the time before the action of the war started, the family reminded me of the 1965 movie "Shenandoah" with Jimmy Stewart. That family also had a peaceful life and attempted to stay apart from the war.

The three Fogarty brothers are low-life criminals. They are a particular thorn in the side of Will as he attempts to get enough evidence about their crimes in order to arrest them.

When the war begins, Will becomes one of the first to enlist. Being a former sheriff and owning a horse, he is made a captain.

The book tells of the universal enthusiasm and optimism for the war, even from the local preacher. None of the hardships or terrible days ahead are even imagined.

In the later part of the book, we follow Will and his men as they come under Brigadier General Stonewall Jackson and their first action nears.

At home, the women do patriotic things such as sew uniforms for the soldiers while the men continue to operate the farm.

I enjoyed the story and remembering the days that led up to the start of the war. Will Brannon is an enjoyable character to follow and the book provided an easy read and entertainment, particularly for those who enjoy historical events about the start of the Civil War.

This Civil War soap opera starts in January 1861 in Culpeper County, Virginia with the Brannon family. Widow Abigail spends all her spare time praying over her brood, five boys and a girl all named by her late husband after characters in Shakespeare's plays. Just your ordinary dirt farmers in the back roads of Virginia. The key character is William Shakespeare Brannon (Will), who has the misfortune of being the local sheriff. His run-ins with the dastardly Fogarty brothers are the main events in this novel, despite what the title might suggest. In terms of his life, the outbreak of the Civil War comes at a good time for Will, because things are getting really hectic back at the farm.

"Manassas" is very much a soap opera novel as you can tell from the cast of characters, such as Will's siblings: Macbeth (Mac) has a way with horses, even the mysterious gray stallion that visits in the dead of night; Titus is a real marksman with his Sharp's rifle; Coriolanus Troilus (Corey) Brannon headed out West to make his fortunate before the book began; Henry has his eye's on the daughter of the richest man in the country; and Cordelia likes to lie naked in the tall grass. You can just anticipate trouble ahead for each and every one of them. The issues of the day sound like tired political arguments, although these farmers surprisingly seem to be more concerned with being anti-abolitionist than being pro-states rights. Despite the title, "Manassas" reads more like a western than a war novel, with Sheriff Will doing the job no one else wants. Only at the end when he goes off to join the Confederate Army do you get a sense that what is past is prologue and this series (supposedly 8 books--a true Civil War buff can probably figure out the 8 battles) is about to seriously get under way. Hopefully once the war begins in earnest, these books will step it up a level. Reasoner's book is certainly readable, but I never would have picked it up if I were not enticed by the Book 1 in "The Civil War Battle Series" label. I will plug on through the series because these are easy reads for the commuter lifestyle, but so far this series is a pale imitation of other period novels such as "North & South."

This first of a promised series of eight books about the U.S. Civil War introduces a Culpepper, Virginia, family with just enough detail to carry the reader on to the gist of the book, namely the Battle of Manassas, Virginia. A skillfully drawn work, it blends history and fiction smoothly and credibly, providing this (Yankee) reviewer with the "other" side of the great debate over why the South fought so ernestly. The second volume in the series, "Shiloh" , is equally compelling. Due out in April, I cannot wait for the third.

As a fan of BEACH MUSIC (Conroy) type fiction, I loved this book. It seemed to protray the south and southerners as vivid, strong-willed, emotional characters. People with whom I would be proud to identify with. I thought the book was extremly well written and look forward to # 2 in the series if I can find it. Please hurry.

I am usually just a casual reader, but the more I read the harder it was for me to put it down. It took a week to read part 1. I read parts 2 & 3 on one Sunday. This book is amazing. I can't wait to get the next one, I just ordered it.