Published by Grove Atlantic on July 2, 2019

Gettysburg might be viewed as the story of a midlife crisis, but near the end, two characters talk about engaging in a search for the profound. That conversation more accurately captures the theme of Gettysburg — the search for meaning that often happens in middle age, the search for a story to embrace that gives context to all our other stories. Perhaps it is the search for a way to escape a life of quiet desperation, a way to become one of those few people who make a difference in the way history will unfold. Or perhaps the search is for a way to accept the inevitability of death.

When John Reynolds Stanhope was a child, his family lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Stanhope (who goes by “Reynolds”) lived next to the Civil War battlefield, where he worked as a tour guide. Now he lives in Malibu and makes crazy money working for a famous television writer/producer named Norman Daley. Reynolds’ wife Stella has become a wealthy producer of spy movies. His daughter Bella is in college.

Reynolds recently invested in a Civil War costume and musket and signed up for a recreation of the Gettysburg battle that is being held in California, not the most authentic location, but a perfect place to act out a fantasy. His neighbor warns him against it because being perceived as one of “those guys” will stick with him forever. Yet Reynolds views the battle reenactment, strangely enough, as “an escape from the horror.” Given the nature of his work in Hollywood, participating in a fake war is his way to be authentic.

In the meantime, Reynolds has been pitched the idea of producing a reality TV show starring a former Playmate of the Year and a former Miss Universe from Spain, both in their 50s, who are best friends. They follow a self-help program called The Secret. They hope the reality show will empower women by revealing their depth, of which they have little, as well as their sexiness, with which they are loaded. The women are charming and funny, perfectly suited for reality TV. But is that really the kind of show that Reynolds wants to produce?

Reynolds’ drunken decision to attend the Gettysburg reenactment with the two women sparks most of the novel’s action. I love the women’s perspective on the “bunch of big old weird guys playin’ dress up,” which captures Civil War reenactments in a nutshell. Stella, Bella, and Norman eventually join the party, along with Bella’s friend Heather and the sons of the reality TV wannabes.

All of the characters, even those who are shallow but charming, are created in satisfying depth. Stella is less than understanding about Reynolds’ disappearance (particularly after she sees the former Playmate’s boobs), although she does want to understand Reynolds. Since Reynolds doesn’t understand himself, he can only quarrel in reaction to Stella’s criticisms rather than providing reassuring answers. How Reynolds’ decision to reenact the Civil War will affect their marriage creates most of the story’s dramatic tension.

The story offers explicit lessons, most of which are drawn from the Civil War. One is that no battle was ever won by quitting. Another is that Americans who whine about their lives don’t have it so bad, compared to men who marched barefoot for ten days, only to be slaughtered after arriving at the battlefield. Reynolds, like most people, is so obsessed with his own sense of dissatisfaction that he might need the Battle of Gettysburg to remind him of everything he has and to teach him what loss really means.

The Civil War came about because of a divided America. That division is a constant in contemporary life. Reynolds makes a speech near the novel’s end urging Civil War reenactors to remember, when they watch “these stupid cable channels and all the people that want to scare you into fighting the other side,” that the Civil War caused the deaths of 2 percent of the American population and caused wounds that still have not healed.

While that lesson is important, the book has a more subtle take on how Civil War enactments perpetuate the division of the country. Reenactors who wear blue feel a self-righteous sense of entitlement. They know they will win and are smug about protecting the Union. Reenactors who wear gray feel resentment that the rebels will not prevail. They don’t see themselves as perpetuating slavery but as protecting states’ rights. They fight for honor despite the knowledge that they will be vanquished. Reynolds believes that fighting for the Confederacy in a reenactment is about southern revenge that also plays out in country music and Fox News.

Gettysburg has a number of funny moments. While it is more of a family drama than a comedy, it is also a novel that defies characterization. Gettysburg raises more questions than it answers. The story unfolds over the course of a weekend, but very little is resolved. What Reynolds actually learns from his experience isn’t entirely clear, even to Reynolds. This might not be the right novel for a reader who can’t tolerate ambiguity. Readers who will appreciate a novel of ideas populated by characters who are both entertaining and thoughtful might want to put Gettysburg on their reading lists.

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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.

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.

Part history lesson, part showbiz satire, Gettysburg is what happens when a man is too much. John Reynolds is a lawyer/entertainment manager who is just going through the motions. Signing up for a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg is something that he feels will teach him something, let him feel something, let him find his life's purpose. Keeping all of this a secret from his family, Reynold's explore the battle and how it affects modern America.

There's a sub-plot with with a former Playmate and her sister-in-law that was excellent and I almost would have read that story instead of battle details.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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.

“He had come west almost without thinking about it. And he had stayed. And here he was. Twenty-Five years gone by, a small fortune made, a family built. A wife for his best friend, many good people in his life, a daughter for whom his devotion towered.”

Hollywood. The town where all dreams come true. The place where movie magic happens. All that and more was the reason why John Reynolds left his hometown Gettysburg to become a part of the entertainment circus.

Now, twenty years later, he is successful with a beautiful home and a wife and daughter, but he feels like he did not accomplish much in his life. When he experiences a creative depression while producing his own movie, he spontaneously decides to go home to participate in a weekend-long reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Without telling his wife, he gets in the car happy to get a break from his life, but he does not get far when he meets an ex-Playmate Delaney Bedford which in his youth was his dream girl and now pitches a reality TV show idea to him which has potential. So, instead of cancelling his trip, he decided to take her and her friend Marisol, a former Miss Universe, with him to Gettysburg and simply multitask.

The American lawyer, producer, and writer Kevin Morris brings a contemporary satirical read about Hollywood and its negative sides how people have to survive in his new novel. As the founder of Morris Yorn Entertainment Law Firm, which represents stars like Matthew McConaughey, Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Rock, and Zoe Saldana, he does have a quite the knowledge on how the "glamorous Hollywood" can look from behind the scenes.

I am always up for a little peek behind the curtain when it comes to movie making since we know not everything is as it looks in real life. The book does give a look into that but rather gives you an honest character who has it all and still feels lost in what he is doing. Plus, the story also puts his family into the spotlight. As it seems, his marriage with Stella is not in a good place from judging that he did not tell her that he will be away for the weekend. Stella herself feels caged and struggles with the genius of a daughter, Bella, who sometimes gives her a hard time. Soon, John’s escape trip gets even more chaotic when Stella and Bella surprise him at the battlefield.

The interesting part about this book is the indirect storytelling about a person who feels stuck, suffers from depression, and therefore tries to find something exciting new to get his nose in.

“But Norman was on to how the game worked: how the agents carved pieces out of broadcast license fees for themselves, how the agents teamed with the television studios – Lorimar, Warner Brothers TV, Universal – to fuck with the networks and their own clients by using two different financial models for each how one that said the program would never made money and one that showed the program would never stop making money: and how, through a blend of selling and fixing, lots and lots of money ended up in the wrong hands.”

Overall, I really would have liked to read more about Bella and not about her research about famous people, but more like looking behind the genius mind of hers. I would have wished for a little bit more of what is going on in Hollywood and how it really works. For me, I would have enjoyed a little more flavour to the writing style and perhaps a little less detail in a few scenes that caused me to get lost for a second or two while reading.

[To be published June 28th]