Shiloh

A Novel

By: Shelby Foote

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

This fictional recreation of the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 is a stunning work of imaginative history, from Shelby Foote, beloved historian of the Civil War. Shiloh conveys not only the bloody choreography of Union and Confederate troops through the woods near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, but the inner movements of the combatants' hearts and minds.  

Through the eyes of officers and illiterate foot soldiers, heroes, and cowards, Shiloh creates a dramatic mosaic of a critical moment in the making of America, complete to the haze of gun smoke and the stunned expression in the eyes of dying men.  

Shiloh, which was hailed by The New York Times as “imaginative, powerful, filled with precise visual details...a brilliant book” fulfills the standard set by Shelby Foote's monumental three-part chronicle of the Civil War.

©1952 Shelby Foote (P)2019 Tantor

Great so detailed

He really did an amazing job with this little book wish it was longer otherwise 5 stars and great voice for the audio

worth the reading (listening)

Presents the topic in a semi-fictional imaginative way. Hits hard. Engaging, Some of the stories are knitted together in clever ways. Narrator is excellent, I have just one minor criticism and I may be wrong: Some of the dialogue sounds to me more like Foote than real period characters...but I am no expert on Civil War era lingo.

Foote reveals a more personal side of his Civil War interest

For tells the story of the battle of Shiloh through the eyes of a random collection of individual soldiers - northern and southern. Both sides clearly believed in the right of what they were fight for. Heroics are mainly forgotten except for Forests charge. An enjoyable addition to Foote's cannon.

Can’t stop listening...

This book was an awesome narrative about the Battle of Shiloh. Shelby Foote is one of my favorites. Never a bad read!

Difficult as a first “read” on tape

I find this book to be a real stretch for Foote. He tells the battle of Silo (a battlefield I’ve visited with a guide dressed as general grant)through the voice of a yankee deserter and a southern fighter. The performance is poor because it’s difficult to tell whom is speaking. Also, it’s not really about the battle. It’s about narrative factionalize accounts of the men involved. I found the performance and the story troublesome. Maybe reading the book will bring it into focus. I believe Audible failed on this one.

Shelby Foote At His Best

Listening to this audio book of Foote’s Shilo was a complete joy! If there had been pages, I would have been turning them one after the other! 👍

Battle of Shiloh from mainly a Confederate perspective

Since Ken Burns Civil War series I’ve been a Shelby Foote fan. Excellent book with vivid descriptions of the engagement at a personal level. I found the book tended to focus on the Confederate side of the battle. None-the-less a great engaging read.

Great read.

Personal and moving stories of participants of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War

Great frame to « see «  the battle

Foote’s usage of multiple perspectives to tell the story of the battle gives readers a real sense of the chaos at Shiloh.

Eminently listenable

The characters depicted in this story provide an accessible way to understand the emotional, psychological, and military aspects of the Battle at the Place of Peace. The story is a reminder that the late Shelby Foote remains a national treasure.