Best historical Novels. | FerrariChat

Best historical Novels.

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by UroTrash, Jun 14, 2004.

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  1. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    I recently finished "The Year of Jubilo" and "The Black Flower" both by Howard Behr, both excellent Civil War novels. Anyone else have favs to share?
     
  2. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

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    Ahhhh, are you going to list any? This is your thread, don't be lazy.
    Well have at it boy!
     
  3. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Forgive me, I hit the wrong button and sent it into cyberspace without the text!! amended above....
     
  4. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

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    I liked where the old guy had that young girl staying with him. Can't think of it's name. The old guy had horses and the girl was a "lost soul". You know the one, she would go out to the barn, bend over the rail and let the old guy bang, o wait, that's not really historical.
     
  5. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    OK, how about hysterical novels?
     
  6. Feffman

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    "How The Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahil.

    Mark (A Lot Irish) Pfeffer
     
  7. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Eight Time F1 World Champ
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    I don't recall the comlete title. It had Angels in it. The novel is about Gettysburg. How those men and boys mustered out of those trees and headed up that incline into the gates of hell, I'll never know.
     
  8. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Killer Angels.
     
  9. whart

    whart F1 Veteran
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    Here are a few great ones:

    History, a Novel (yep that's part of the title) by Elsa Morente-very well known in Italy, english translation now back in print. About the poor and WWII.

    A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller -probably classified as Sci-Fi, but its about the archeological layering of societies, one on top of the other, with profound misunderstanding of what came before.

    A Small Death in Lisbon by Robert Wilson- flashes back and forth between WWII and present day, tied together by a detective mystery.

    Aztec- Gary Jennings- might seem hokey to some, but as i remember it, a big, sweeping saga.

    Pillars of the Earth- by Ken Follett- not a spy book- about the building of a cathedral outside Paris in the early Middle Ages.

    Dale- The Killer Angels by M. Sharra (sp?). I can give you others depending on topic of interest.
     
  10. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Eight Time F1 World Champ
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    Yes please.
     
  11. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Thanks, that should about cover my summer reading.
     
  12. vincent355

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    i believe the author is Jeff Sahara. He wrote three book, the killer angels, gods and generals, and another one which escapes me at the moment. They are well written historical fiction, and make for good reading though he takes poetic license at times.
     
  13. Robin

    Robin F1 Rookie

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    Favorite at the moment is Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Jumps back and forth between a modern dot.com startup setting up secure network and data warehouse in the south pacific, and the history of British codebreakers in Bletchley Park. Can't even begin to describe how it all ties together.. Stephenson is a genius at that sort of thing. But if you like WW2, tech nerd stuff, weird humor, codebreaking, etc.. it's a killer read.

    I'm currently about a 1/3rd of the way through the prequel, called Quicksilver. It's about the creation of the Royal Society, the group of natural philosophers who kicked off modern science and the renaissance. Neat stuff.

    -R
     
  14. Tspringer

    Tspringer F1 Veteran

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    The Killer Angels was written by Michael Shaara. Its a fantastic novel on Gettysburg and the movie Gettysburg was based on this novel.

    Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure were written by Jeff Shaara, Michaels son. Michael passed away years ago. Jeff's books are a prequel and sequel to his fathers masterpiece and they are good, but not as good as The Killer Angels.

    If you want to read a really fantastic Civil War fiction book... I strongly recommend Gettysburg by Newt Gingrich and William Fortschen. (yes... THAT Newt). Its a fictional "what if" account of the battle that goes into what could have happened if Lee had been more forceful in command and opted for a battle of manoever rather than a frontal assault on the second day at Gettysburg. Its a truely masterful work, very accurate as to personalities and geography.

    The sequal to Gettysburg has also just come out: Grant Comes East. It also is very good and highly recommended. Clearly another book in this series is coming as well.

    Some other good historical books:

    To Fly and Fight by Col. Bud Anderson. This is probably the best WWII autobiography I have ever read.... and my library has several hundred. Bud Anderson was a triple ace in WWII flying P-51s with the 352nd Fighter Group. Chuck Yeager sometimes flew as his wingman and is to this day his best friend. A must read if your into WWII history.

    If your just looking for some pure fiction but in an interesting historical setting and your into military themed stuff.... read any of the series of books by WEB Griffin. He is a master at character development.


    Terry
     
  15. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    I must say, I read about half of Killer Angels right after reading The Year of Jubilo.

    I gave up as the prose were so dry, I simply could not keep interested. Jubilo is beautifully written, lovely in imagery and more about the state of mind than the historical context.

    Howard Behr was the curator of the Faulkner museum in Oxford MS, and obviously there is an influence, but as the dust jacket says "Faulkner never wrote as beautifully as Howard Behr". Not really hyperbole.

    My brother just gave me a copy of "Grant Comes East" for my birthday, sounds like it will be good.
     
  16. Tspringer

    Tspringer F1 Veteran

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    The Killer Angels poorly written? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I think you would get an arguement from most on that point.

    It did win a Pulitzer Prize you know.


    Read Gettysburg before you read Grant Comes East. You really need to read them in order to enjoy them to the fullest.


    Terry
     
  17. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
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    A great book about the Civil War and its contemporary culture is Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz (sp?). Jewish NY journalist spends a few months touring locales in the South, getting to know eccentric locals and documenting their stories and dramas.

    I also found Killer Angels to be dry. Good, but dry. LOL I remember going to see Gods and Generals in the theatre and we sit down and the credits are starting and my friend turns to me and says, "wow, this is going to be 3 hours and 50 minutes, eh?" WHAT? I had no idea it would be that long :), and it sure felt like it during the second half. As a movie, Gettysburg was much better.
     
  18. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Odd isn't it? I just could not get into it. Probably just me. I realize that it is generally highly regarded.

    I don't think it was poorly written, just a little superficial and dry.
     

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