Invaders in Our Town: The Battle of Gettysburg Through the Eyes of Some Who Lived It by James M. Faber

Invaders in Our Town: The Battle of Gettysburg Through the Eyes of Some Who Lived It Reviews

• 
  Pat

  I won this book through Goodreads.
  
  I was intrigued by the premise of Invaders in Our Town. Most Civil War books focus on the troop movements and commanders, so a book from the civilian viewpoint seemed promising. And it did indeed live up to its promise. Mr. Faber captures the different voices of townspeople he follows through the battle. His descriptions of food, clothing, and homes are helpful in imagining the lives that are being disrupted. I wished for photos of the main characters, but realize there probably aren't any. The photos of some locations as they currently appear added to the realism of the book. Indeed, I had to keep reminding myself that it is a novel and that some characters (named by Mr. Faber in the About This Book section) were not based on historical figures.
  
  I was also impressed by the pains James M. Faber took to place Invaders in Our Town in history. Albert Pan's maps allowed me to follow through the action. The historical backgrounds that began each section of the book were excellent. And there was even a bibliography.
  
  My main complaint- I wish to know what happened next to Gettysburg and the townsfolk. The months following the battle must have been just as horrendous to live through. A sequel would be appreciated, but in the meantime I'll follow through on the bibliography.
• 
  Ron Casey

  I won this book through Goodreads.
  
  Very insightful and brilliantly written, if you like historical fiction that you will love this great book.
• 
  Dick

  “Invaders in our town: the battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of some who lived it.”
  
  This book is a novel and I read very few novels. I am a student of American history and of the civil war specifically. My focus is usually on the social and political and rarely on the military aspects.o
  
  I have been to Gettysburg four times and this book made me think that I need to go once agai, while I still can.
  
  Most books I have read on this huge battle focus on the military, strategy, tactics and of course second guess the military men in charge on both sides. Hindsight they call it. One of the things we hear often is how could they have lost track of large groups of men? While overlooking the simple fact that views were very often limited and/or misled by dust clouds.
  
  That is not what this book is about, though the movement of men in much of the 3 days is covered, from the view of civilians. Rather, this covers the human element and as seen through the eyes of this northern city so crucial to both sides. Most of the named civilians are named and can be documented as having been there and lived as described.
  
  This book makes this a very human experience and one feels like – during the course of the story – you actually get to know these people. Very personal in that regard. There are very few books that touch on the human element of this huge and ultimately tragic event. That is especially so of those civilians who were forced to endure the horror right outside their front doors. Or indoors like the only civilian to die . . . Virginia “Ginnie” Wade..
  
  The book includes some soldiers, who were from Gettysburg, John Wesley Culp, who enlisted in the Confederate Army and fought with the 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment, part of the Stonewall Brigade; and Johnston (Jack) Hastings Skelly, Jr., who volunteered in 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Culp and Skelly were boyhood friends and shared many of the same friends while growing up in Gettysburg. Their experiences during the time covered by this book were intertwined.
  
  The story is mainly told through the words and expressions of these characters. This is made possible only by the imagination of the author, strengthened by the author’s research into each of them from a great deal of information available concerning the battle and the people who lived it.
  
  Many of the buildings and residences referenced in this book are well preserved. These places are available for viewing if the reader plans a visit to Gettysburg in the near, or distant, future. Which is a huge draw for me. Photos of these building today are included so finding them on a return trip would be very interesting.
• 
  Gloria Serrao

  This book of civil war fiction was a good journey into the lives of those who lived in Gettysburg during the battle - as the rebel soldiers attacked and the ebb and flow of the battle as seen in the eyes of the civilians. It brings many of the well known characters and heros alive - Ginnie Wade, Wes Culp, and shows the battle through their eyes as they hid, helped soldiers and made tough decisions such as "do I feed the rebel soldiers at my Inn?" I remember names and battles better when there is a "story" behind that name, so this book was helpful for me as I continue to learn about this battle.
• 
  Andrew Chmyr

  Interesting book. At first, I was not too pleased with it. It just seemed strange to see the people of the town actually being portrayed as just that people. Until now I'm afraid to admit that they were just names attached places. Seeing them as people caught in the horror of a major military battle right in their own backyard makes them more than that. This different approach makes me think about what happened here as more than just military movements, ordnance, and casualty figures.
• 
  South Brunswick High School Library

  I purchased this book from the author at the Gettysburg National military park museum shop. It provides an interesting account of what the many citizens of the town thought, heard, and felt during the three days of the important civil war battle. Having walked the streets during our recent trip, the book offered a new perspective on the historical record.
• 
  Brian Niemiec

  It took a while to ramp up, but this book did a great job of covering the complicated relationship of the town and the invading Rebels. I really enjoyed it and recommend it even if you aren't a Civil War buff.
• 
  Garrett Pruzinsky

  If your economy and way of life revolve around slavery, perhaps it’s a shit system. Just a thought. That being said all the non-traitorous citizens from Gettysburg were great.
• 
  Kris Lugosi

  I won this book on a goodreads giveaway...very glad I did.
  
  This book was my first introduction into historical fiction. Although I loved this book, I do not think historical fiction is my type of writing. That being said, this review will reflect the content and not my lack of interest in historical fiction.
  
  Invaders In Our Town is a book set during the Civil War, days prior, days of, and after of the Gettysburg Battle. The book breaks down into primary character chapters where the author does a great job of reintroducing the character each time without being repetitive. I liked the way he chose to do this given the fact there are a lot of characters in this book. Most are real people surrounded by filler characters the author imagined to add the fiction part to this book.
  
  I very much enjoyed the historical facts Faber gives the reader. When there are parts where the characters are in town buying goods and trading their items, I like getting the breakdown of how much everything cost during that time period; historically accurate and interesting. The interaction between the characters was kind of dry when it came to the dialogue. I do not know if this is just my ignorance of the way people spoke back then but a lot of it sounded rehearsed, very much like playing the Oregon Trail game and the type of greetings and conversations the computer characters would have with you if you stopped to chat. Other than that though, once the characters started actually talking and having more of a conversation, the dialogue felt more natural. I feel like the author grew into his characters the more the story goes on.
  
  My favorite character had to be that of Mr. Burns. A crotchety, bitter, old ex-constable of the town with a def. chip on his shoulder. Despite this, he is really the only one of the people in the town astute enough to keep on his guard from the rebel army. The author does a wonderful job with this character and the others that surround him.
  
  I could go on and on about the other characters, but really one must read it to get the feel of the time, which Faber captures beautifully. I liked that Faber included pictures of many of the main characters homes as they stand today along with other structures of the town. I would have really liked to see photos of these homes and places as they were back in 1800’s, a side by side comparison if you will. The maps included were excellent and helpful in referring back to. All in all, a very satisfying read.
  
  
  I enjoyed this book…a lot actually, and I couldn’t put it down. That’s saying something. I agree with the reviewers that I too would love a sequel to the aftermath of this terrible battle that I can’t seem to read enough on.
  
  
• 
  Ira Therebel

  I didn't know much about the Battle of Gettysburg. As most of North American history my knowledge of it could be summarized in a few sentences. This wonderful historical fiction changed that by giving me a great introduction to the event as well as awake more interest to look up more information.
  
  This book is based on author's research of it and most characters are based on real people. The variety of characters makes it better to imagine the event. We see the battle through the eyes of civilians whose town was invaded, black people for who the outcome can bring severe results of being captured back into slavery, a girl whose loved one is in the battle, soldiers on both sides etc. And even as a reader I can take my side on the political aspect of the battle, the author does a great job to make me understand and emphasize with people on both sides. This was my favorite part of the book: seeing the interactions between Confederates and people from Gettysburg and get to know more about the feelings they had and how they dealt with the situation. This is also why my favorite characters were Culp, based on a real person who was born in Gettysburg and fought on the side of Confederates, and Jones, who I was bummed to find out was a fictional character but still made this book very enjoyable for me.
  
  Besides great characters the author also did a great introduction to us on the setting, describing it and what life was like very well. I was especially happy about him including pictures of the parts of the town where the action took place as they look like now.
  
  The simplicity of the dialogues would have resulted in me cutting down on rating if it was just fiction. But in this case it made it actually much easier to understand the historical part of it. I usually have trouble reading war books, not for emotional reasons but because the language makes it hard for me to keep up and imagine it, but in this case I had no trouble.
  
  *I got this book for free through goodreads giveaways*
• 
  Scott L.

  I bought this book on a trip to Gettysburg, as the author was signing books in the Visitor's Center Bookstore, I did receive a signed copy. I truly enjoy reading historical fiction, and also about Gettysburg, so I thought that this book would be a good one to satisfy both of those. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my standards of excellent writing.
  
  The author did include many of the viewpoints of Gettysburg civilians, that much is true. Unfortunately for the book, the author made what I feel are some critical errors in writing historical fiction. The first error he made was that he tried unsuccessfully to capture the Southern dialect. It's my opinion that authors should not try to capture the dialect of a region. It's very annoying to the reader. Just write the words and let the reader provide the dialect within their imagination. The second error is a much more difficult one, but the dialogue in this book comes across as very formal and stiff. Even the scenes between two people who are very close (such as Sallie and Joseph Broadhead) seem like they are speaking at each other and not to each other. The third error in the book was the chronological timeline: the author kept jumping backwards and forwards in time as he tried to give each character's movements and thoughts during the entire day. I would suggest that keeping to the timeline with shorter points of view would've served the author better. Finally and most notable, some characters were unresolved! What happened to the Butlers? The author leaves them in the church bell tower! What happened with Tillie Pierce and Sallie Myers? We have no idea! As far as I am concerned, the story remains unfinished! Although the ending sequence is good, it left me very unresolved.
  
  There are much better books than this one to read about Gettysburg, I would recommend this one with great reservation, and it would not be a book that I would go out of my way to buy.
  
• 
  Lyle Appleyard

  I received a copy of this novel through the Goodreads Giveaway.
  
  When I started to read this book, I had a set of expectations. I was expecting the book to tell more of the battle, but it was more of the immediate effects of the battle. The story is told through what the current and former inhabitants of the town of Gettysburg during the famous battle that took place in around their town during the U.S. Civil War. This book tells the story of Battle of Gettysburg as how the residents saw it. As it affected them. It is their little stories that make up the novel. This is the real cost of war.
  
  The author did a great job of developing the characters in the novel. Each chapter focuses on a different character in the novel and tells the reader how the battle is affecting them personally. Most of the characters in the novel are/were real people. There are a few made up to help in telling the story. You begin to feel for the characters and sympathize with them. Even the character at the beginning of the story that you want to hate.
  
  It did take me awhile to get into the book. The first 70 pages was dedicated to telling what happened on a day before the battle. It seemed very long and drawn out as the author was narrating what seemed the most mundane conversations. Everyone saying "Hello" and "How are you?" The story does pick up as it gets closer and into teh battle. In hindsight, I believe the author wanted to contrast the town before and after the battle.
  
  I enjoyed the book. The author did a lot of research to get this book written.
• 
  Tina Neff

  Very creative novel showing the Battle of Gettysburg from the perspectives of multiple civilians. It uses a third person omniscient narrator with each chapter overlapping in time. The author does a nice job with the slowed moment writing technique whenever there is an injury or death he wants to hilight. He also pulls everything together nicely in the end subtly addressing a local Gettysburg legend. I did not give 5 stars simply due to minor technical/grammar/typo errors.
• 
  Joyce Terranoa

  Great book!!!! I love to read stories of the Civil War era, but you story of the Battle of Gettysburg was fantastic. You have the reader right in the story. I thought I was right there through the whole battle and with the people of Gettysburg and I felt sorry for the ones that were lost especially Ginny and John Culp. Again great writing.