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Gettysburg: A Novel
As a young man, John Reynolds fled his provincial hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for Los Angeles, lured by the promise of a life fueled by the excitement of show business. But after 20 years in Hollywood, Reynolds feels existentially unfulfilled. He resides in a beautiful mansion with his wife and daughter, and his business is booming, but Reynolds remains despondent as his attempts to pivot into producing his own movie projects fail again and again.
Depressed and at a creative dead end, Reynolds finds himself inexplicably drawn back to the historical setting of his he has secretly signed up to participate in a weekend-long reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg in the unlikely California town of Enchino, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Just before his departure, an ex-Playmate - the very centerfold of Reynolds’s adolescent daydreams - pitches him her idea for a reality TV show. When Reynolds impulsively invites the former Playmate and her best friend, a former Miss Universe, to accompany him to the reenactment, his plans for a solitary weekend of self-discovery run amok.
With a compulsively listenable narrative that offers a satirical portrait of Hollywood - the deal-making, the politics, the pitches - Gettysburg is an intelligent and powerful book about contemporary America.
Copyright 2019 by Kevin Morris. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. “West” Words and Music by Lucinda Williams 2007 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Publishing, LLC; “Ingrid Bergman.” Words by Woody Guthrie. Music by Billy Bragg 1998, 1999 Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc./Admin. by Bug Music and Chrysalis Music/Admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC; “All About That Bass.” Words and Music by Kevin Kadish and Meghan Trainor. Copyright 2014 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, Year of the Dog Music and MTrain Music. All Rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC and Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219. All Rights on behalf of Year Of The Dog Music and MTrain Music Administered by Downtown Music Publishing LLC. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC; “Buffalo Soldier.” Words and Music by Noel Williams and Bob Marley. Copyright 1983 EMI Longitude Music and Music Sales Corporation. All Rights on behalf of EMI Longitude Music Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC.
Depressed and at a creative dead end, Reynolds finds himself inexplicably drawn back to the historical setting of his he has secretly signed up to participate in a weekend-long reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg in the unlikely California town of Enchino, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Just before his departure, an ex-Playmate - the very centerfold of Reynolds’s adolescent daydreams - pitches him her idea for a reality TV show. When Reynolds impulsively invites the former Playmate and her best friend, a former Miss Universe, to accompany him to the reenactment, his plans for a solitary weekend of self-discovery run amok.
With a compulsively listenable narrative that offers a satirical portrait of Hollywood - the deal-making, the politics, the pitches - Gettysburg is an intelligent and powerful book about contemporary America.
Copyright 2019 by Kevin Morris. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. “West” Words and Music by Lucinda Williams 2007 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Publishing, LLC; “Ingrid Bergman.” Words by Woody Guthrie. Music by Billy Bragg 1998, 1999 Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc./Admin. by Bug Music and Chrysalis Music/Admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC; “All About That Bass.” Words and Music by Kevin Kadish and Meghan Trainor. Copyright 2014 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, Year of the Dog Music and MTrain Music. All Rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC and Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219. All Rights on behalf of Year Of The Dog Music and MTrain Music Administered by Downtown Music Publishing LLC. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC; “Buffalo Soldier.” Words and Music by Noel Williams and Bob Marley. Copyright 1983 EMI Longitude Music and Music Sales Corporation. All Rights on behalf of EMI Longitude Music Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC.
- GenresFiction
Audible Audio
Published March 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 27, 2019
Not sure this book wants to be a satirical novel or a serious retelling and interpretation of the Battle of Gettysburg. At its best, it’s reminiscent of Thomas Berger or Stanley Elkin. I’m not sure those wanting to read a show-biz satire are going to want to slog though details about the battle, and the main character (Reynolds's) interpretation of what it means to today's America. And those who want to read about re-enactors and the Civil War may not be interested in the side plot involving a former Playmate and her former-Miss Universe sister-in-law. I thought the characters were terrific (especially liked the relationship between Norman and Bella) but I admit I skimmed through a lot of the battle descriptions.
July 8, 2019
John Reynolds (called Reynolds by most) is a successful lawyer/producer/entertainment magnate who now seems to be going through the motions of life in Hollywood. Reynolds decides to signup for a Gettysburg reenactment and keep it secret from his family. As the reenactment weekend moves along, Reynolds search for life's purpose is in full force, while his family and friends find out where he is and they all descend upon the reenactment to Reynolds' dismay. By the end of the weekend, Reynolds is a new man, having evolved into his next chapter of adulthood.
The draw of this book is Hollywood escapades and the civil war reenactment and how the two seemingly opposite things are mixed together. I wanted to connect to the main character, Reynolds, more and he wasn't particularly likeable to me. Some of the supporting characters were fun and entertaining, while others were rather wooden and therefore inaccessible as a relatable characters. The situation that is crux of the story is fun and the action of the reenactment is exciting and pleasantly engaging. There are several subplots along the way, my favorite being Reynolds mentor, Norman, and Reynolds daughter, Bella, have a special connection, it feels like a grandfather/granddaughter relationship, with lots of respect and familial affection between the two of them.
Overall, I thought Gettyburg was a little unfocused, but certainly there were some great moments of brevity and harsh realities that will keep the reader engaged. Fans of Civil War reenactments will enjoy this book more than most and Morris does a good job of describing the reenactment scenes so that the reader feels like they are out in the field with the performers.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic, Kevin Morris, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The draw of this book is Hollywood escapades and the civil war reenactment and how the two seemingly opposite things are mixed together. I wanted to connect to the main character, Reynolds, more and he wasn't particularly likeable to me. Some of the supporting characters were fun and entertaining, while others were rather wooden and therefore inaccessible as a relatable characters. The situation that is crux of the story is fun and the action of the reenactment is exciting and pleasantly engaging. There are several subplots along the way, my favorite being Reynolds mentor, Norman, and Reynolds daughter, Bella, have a special connection, it feels like a grandfather/granddaughter relationship, with lots of respect and familial affection between the two of them.
Overall, I thought Gettyburg was a little unfocused, but certainly there were some great moments of brevity and harsh realities that will keep the reader engaged. Fans of Civil War reenactments will enjoy this book more than most and Morris does a good job of describing the reenactment scenes so that the reader feels like they are out in the field with the performers.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic, Kevin Morris, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 14, 2020
This was an interesting novel that I admittedly considered putting down a few times, but ultimately just kept flipping the pages. I was intrigued enough to keep on going through this clash of Hollywood and Civil War culture.
There are two primary veins of the story that intertwine all the way through: it's partly about life as a TV producer in Hollywood and partly about finding some measure of fulfillment in your heritage and hobbies.
Protagonist John Reynolds grew up in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a town that's inevitably tied to its grisly history. Reynolds was in fact named for a fallen hero of the battle and even gave tours as a young man. But then greater things called, and John moved out to Hollywood to pursue his dream. While it wasn't what he expected, he found great success, and now, as a middle-aged man who's starting to feel empty — his TV producing is rather shallow and soul-sucking — he's looking for something more.
In a surprise to everyone in his circle — his wife, daughter, friends, etc. — John finds some of that meaning in a Civil War re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg that takes place in the middle of Southern California.
The people around him don't get it. Why would a wealthy and successful man take up such a weird hobby? Why does he have this desire to feel connected to the place he willingly fled from?
There's just something sort of engrossing about the story. The Civl War angle of course piqued my interest anyway (and the satirical bits about Hollywood and show biz were good); but I also enjoyed the seemingly genuine feeling that come from connecting with real people and in valuing one's heritage. There's a couple of strange-ish plot threads, but ultimately it was a pretty fun book and a quick/easy read.
There are two primary veins of the story that intertwine all the way through: it's partly about life as a TV producer in Hollywood and partly about finding some measure of fulfillment in your heritage and hobbies.
Protagonist John Reynolds grew up in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a town that's inevitably tied to its grisly history. Reynolds was in fact named for a fallen hero of the battle and even gave tours as a young man. But then greater things called, and John moved out to Hollywood to pursue his dream. While it wasn't what he expected, he found great success, and now, as a middle-aged man who's starting to feel empty — his TV producing is rather shallow and soul-sucking — he's looking for something more.
In a surprise to everyone in his circle — his wife, daughter, friends, etc. — John finds some of that meaning in a Civil War re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg that takes place in the middle of Southern California.
The people around him don't get it. Why would a wealthy and successful man take up such a weird hobby? Why does he have this desire to feel connected to the place he willingly fled from?
There's just something sort of engrossing about the story. The Civl War angle of course piqued my interest anyway (and the satirical bits about Hollywood and show biz were good); but I also enjoyed the seemingly genuine feeling that come from connecting with real people and in valuing one's heritage. There's a couple of strange-ish plot threads, but ultimately it was a pretty fun book and a quick/easy read.
March 3, 2020
Wow. Hard to classify this one. A Hollywood novel about the Battle of Gettysburg? An inspirational family drama with sexy women, drugs and three-Martini lunches? Whatever genre this brief but somehow charming novel belongs to, I really liked it.
It was breezy reading, take it to the beach, but amazingly, I think it had some serious things to say about the Civil War, which is examined through the lens of a Hollywood attorney taking part in a battle re-enactment in Enchino, and contemporary culture.
It was breezy reading, take it to the beach, but amazingly, I think it had some serious things to say about the Civil War, which is examined through the lens of a Hollywood attorney taking part in a battle re-enactment in Enchino, and contemporary culture.
July 17, 2019
A solid read that shows “finding yourself” doesn’t always go as planned. Self-discovery is a messy business, and sometimes you have to get more confused before you can begin to make sense of things.
Overall, I enjoyed the main character’s relationship with the future and the past. There are moments the dialogue/monologues seem forced, but those moments do not overshadow the fun and incite this book has to offer.
Overall, I enjoyed the main character’s relationship with the future and the past. There are moments the dialogue/monologues seem forced, but those moments do not overshadow the fun and incite this book has to offer.
October 26, 2020
Perhaps I'm reading this at the wrong point in my life. I'm a 20 year old who's looking forward to a career in Hollywood (or at least adjacent) and this is more of a disillusioned retrospective.
Some parts of this book were really gorgeous, some very informative, some very "old man yells at cloud" and I think it earns it. I'm just not at that point in my life yet. But now I want to learn more about the Civil War, weirdly enough.
Some parts of this book were really gorgeous, some very informative, some very "old man yells at cloud" and I think it earns it. I'm just not at that point in my life yet. But now I want to learn more about the Civil War, weirdly enough.
July 15, 2019
I couldn't get into this one. It felt like the author was debating on whether to write nonfiction or fiction when writing this. There were parts that were really informative when it came to the battle at Gettysburg, but then there were parts that were satire about showbusiness. I felt like the book would have been good if the author had picked either historical fiction or satire to focus on.
July 20, 2019
I wish I knew what to say about this book. At first it sounded super great and I really wanted to love it. I truly tried. I will tell you although it is not for me do not count this author out. I really liked his prose and his talent but this book is not for me and that is ok! Thats part of the beauty of this book as I know it is for someone.
July 31, 2019
Recommended
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
April 6, 2020
Maybe the book went over my head...but I didn’t get it. What was the point? Nothing at all seemed to connect and the long rants in the head of the main character didn’t make any sense at all.
March 16, 2021
When I was 15 I went to Civil War reenactment and it stands out as a defining moment for me. So I could relate to the main character, Reynolds, as he attends the event. He uses history to do self-exploration and rediscover is roots. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews