Customer Reviews

Until the End - A Novel of the Civil War

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Until The End is the second and final instalment of Harold Coyle's Civil War series. As with the first in the series - Look Away - the novel chronicles the lives of the Bannon brothers as they continue to fight on opposite sides of the conflict. Although Until The End is the second instalment of a series it can be read as a stand-alone novel. However, I would encourage you to initially read Look Away.

As with Look Away, Until The End is a splendid read if you're interested in the battles of the Civil War. This novel takes us to the end of the war and includes amongst others, battles scenes from the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, a particularly realistic account of The Bloody Angle, Jubal Early's aborted raid on Washington, the mud of the trenches at Petersburg and the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House. Although there are chapter notes at the end of the book I certainly benefited from a little previous knowledge of these battles. If you're able to get a copy you would find it useful to have The Conservation Fund's `The Civil War Battlefield Guide' as a reference source

I feel that the author has fine-tuned his skills in writing about this subject matter, as a result Until The End is the better of the two novels. It still has the realism of the War but has lost some of the need to over elaborate on the nature of social relationships that was to be found within Look Away. I enjoyed the focus on the Bannon's personal lives in the shape of Harriet Shields and Mary Beth McPherson and found that Coyle had developed this element of the plot in a more believable manner than the previous novel.

Until The End, as with Look Away, can not be described as high literature, it does not have any hidden agendas and it does not try to convert the reader to any particular Civil War bias. It is, however, fast paced, realistic, gritty and enjoyable. If these are qualities that you enjoy in your Civil War fiction then whether read on it's own or as a conclusion to the story of the Bannon brothers I do recommend this book to you.

Look Away and Until the End were my first 2 Civil War novels. I was not dissappointed. The battles are described in vivid detail. Coyle makes the 1860's come alive with wonderful plot AND character development. The only bad thing that could possibly be said about this book is that it is not "to be continued".

Until the End kept me at the edge of my seat. It is a gripping story that brings home the torment that families had during the Civil War. It brings together the Bannon family, again. Mr. Colye also leaves the door open for more about the newly expanded family after the war. It's one story that I will not forget in a long time. I recomend it to readers of all interests.

I give Until the End 5 out of 5 stars. It is an excellent novel about all the aspects of life in the civil war. It does not try to glorify war at all; in fact it describes the horrors of war very well. The author has obviously done a lot of research, and though the main characters are fiction, the actual events they are in are not, as can be seen by his explanation in the back of the book. Not only does he show life in the army for both the Union and Confederate soldiers, he describes a field hospital and the conditions they were in. He shows how the protective shield that is the myth of the glory of war breaks down from stress on the battlefield, exposing the soldiers to his previously hidden internal conflicts between sacrificing his individuality and honoring his sense of duty. The book also really engages the reader, and they feel a loss with the people in the book, like with the loss of their friends to enemy muskets. It also has a very engaging sub-plot dealing with the brother's lives and their eventual reunion. This is an excellent book.

Look Away was my first book on Civil War. I continued with Until the End. Well, Mr. Coyle did a great job. Excellent books!!! I would highly recommend these books to anyone who loves history.

If you haven't yet read _Look Away_, which is the first novel in this series, then you're in luck...because you can now read both books consecutively, without a lapse in between. You will find yourself immersed in the lives of these two Irish immigrant brothers, James and Kevin, both fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War.

I found _Until the End_ to be a much better written novel than the first, but both books are very strong in battle descriptions and a "you-are there" feeling. This second book develops relationships between the two brothers and the women in their lives, and this insight into the women broadens both the sensitivity and scope of the story. Kevin's love, Harriet Shields, is serving as a nurse for the Union, and her experiences and journal entries provide a real understanding of the human suffering. Mary Beth McPherson, James' girl, reflects the Southern experience and devastation as she struggles to keep her farm and cope with personal losses.

Like _Look Away_, _Until the End_ makes no judgments about which side was "better" or "worse", "right" or "wrong". The reader gains a real understanding of the day-to-day feelings and activities of officers and ordinary foot soldiers on both sides of this devastating time period in our history.

In this book, I like the description of the battles that James and Kevin Bannon are in. Being a seventh grader and a Civil War buff, I found this book to be one of the best that I've ever read. The description of all of the death, despair and poverty during the war really hit home for me. Hopefully, it did for you too. This book was really informative about life during the American Civil War and I learned a lot from it. Great job Harold!!!!!!!!!!

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Superbly researched, authentic battle action is the
centerpiece of this Civil War novel of two brothers
who personify the conflict. Coyle's fine narrative
skills take the reader along into combat as it
was in the black powder era, standing shoulder-to-shoulder
with your comrades looking into the jawa of death.
Great story-telling; highly recommended.

Here's a gosh 'n by golly read for avid Civil War enthusiasts. Harold Coyle is well-known for his military history writing and this work is no exceptuion. The "Brother (North) vs. Brother (South)" is the way some of this bloodletting war was fought, or at least one relative paired against another.If the length (510 pages, with notes) is disturbing just remember this (uncivil) war went on for four sanguine years. Instead of one "glorious battle" looked for at the outset it took a grinding down process to finally end it. Coyle manages to capture this aspect quite well.The women (bride and sweetheart) are able to reconcile first although not under the best of circumstances. And, the brothers? What's your best guess or estimate?

Love Harold Coyle books. Read the 1st book Look Away and couldn't put it down. Will be starting this book soon.