Andersonville

De: MacKinlay Kantor

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

Acclaimed as the greatest novel ever written about the War Between the States, this searing Pulitzer Prize-winning book captures all the glory and shame of America's most tragic conflict in the vivid, crowded world of Andersonville, and the people who lived outside its barricades. Based on the author's extensive research and nearly 25 years in the making, MacKinlay Kantor's best-selling masterwork tells the heartbreaking story of the notorious Georgia prison where 50,000 Northern soldiers suffered - and 14,000 died - and of the people whose lives were changed by the grim camp where the best and the worst of the Civil War came together. Here is the savagery of the camp commandant, the deep compassion of a nearby planter and his gentle daughter, the merging of valor and viciousness within the stockade itself, and the day-to-day fight for survival among the cowards, cutthroats, innocents, and idealists thrown together by the brutal struggle between North and South. A moving portrait of the bravery of people faced with hopeless tragedy, this is the inspiring American classic of an unforgettable period in American history.

©1955 MacKinlay Kantor (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A classic narrator reading a classic work is an unbeatable combination. Grover Gardner is one of a handful of readers who could make the phone directory sound interesting, but when he reads this novel about the infamous Confederate prison camp, the result is a performance that is hard to turn off...." ( AudioFile)

Too Long!

Takes every story remotely related to Andersonville and add it to they story! Seemed like it would never end. Went on and on

Epic story

I loved the branches of storylines and characters and how they all inevitably make it back to Andersonville. It helped build the world and context around Andersonville and made me appreciate it more.

interesting story

it is a good story of Andersonville marred by repetition. every scene seems to be narrated with multiple similes repeated from endless points if view. wanted to finish but lost patience with repetitions.

Civil War Andersonville prison

MacKinlay Kantor has written this historical novel that includes more truth than nonfiction books.
Also the reader is fit for the task of narrating this classic.

What did I miss?

An avid reader of anything Civil War, I occasionally chose an historical novel. I visited Andersonville three times before I read the novel and was very familiar with the major events (horrific conditions, struggles to survive, hanging of the six) and characters (Wirz). Given the fact the author generally stuck to historical fact, I'm thoroughly disappointed that he left Wirz riding on a train to Washington, rubbing his neck. I thought, what a great way to follow on with his trail and eventual demise as the only Confederate to be hung for war crimes. But rubbing his neck is as close as we got. I actually reversed the recording, thinking I must have missed that part. Nope. Otherwise, a wonderful mixture of fact and fiction. Grover Gardner is the best. Period.

A true classic comes to light...

50 years after my mother cried while reading this book, I finally listened and it was as rich and emotional as she described it. I have read numerous non-fictional accounts of the atrocities of Andersonville and had thought that no fiction could touch the realities of history....I was wrong...This book is a must read for any Civil War enthusiast who wishes deeper insight and emotion to the darker parts of that conflict...I was enthralled...

Not what I was expecting.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Create an actual story line with characters that one could identify with. Get to the point.

Has Andersonville turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I like historical novels but this one just didn't do it for me.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Grover Gardner's performance was not the problem with this book. He did an admirable job.

Was Andersonville worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

I was expecting a compelling story about the notorious, Confederate Civil War prison of Andersonville and maybe if I hung in there long enough, the story might have actually gotten around to it. I tried several times but this story just meandered around from one little vignette to another with no real story line and no clear characters. I had a hard time following all of the characters that meandered in and out. Couldn't identify with any of them. They were not clearly defined. Very difficult "story" to follow. It was a lot of little muddled stories about some people living in the rural South during the Civil War and Andersonville was not even mentioned. I tried to stick it out to see if it was going anywhere and finally gave up out of frustration.

Great performance!

If you could sum up Andersonville in three words, what would they be?

Great performance. lol dhd hfh elie lfj skjhf wqeid kjhfsf kjahd kjhdfkfjh dkd kdh daoieu askadj

Long but worthwhile

This is a very good read. It is long and prosy, however it is also a brutal expose of a POW camp from the American Civil War. It is brutal and sad, but also uplifting and hopeful. Many people think that the world hasn't changed for the better, however, if you read history, you cannot argue that we have come a long way regarding human rights in the last 100 years. Man's brutality to man has been a constant thru the ages. This book shows the human side of some inexplicably tragic historical events.

History is good to know. Horrible as it was.

Hate it that our people live this way. History is powerfull knowledge. This was enlightening to the brutal ways people mis-treated people in the most inhumane careless cruel and hateful ways possible. It so sad but it shows how far mankind has come since those days. This book was worth buying though I wish it was not so very long.