In the late nineteenth century, Newport, Rhode Island, was a cauldron of money, excess, and unapologetic greed, where reputations were made and lost in a whirlwind of parties and fancied slights. But amid the glamour of yacht races, tennis matches, and costume balls raged undeclared class warfare, scandalous doings, even madness. In 1893, railroad mogul Sam Driver, one of the few surviving robber barons of the lawless years after the Civil War, knocks on the door of fabled Newport with his daughter, Jenny, determined not to be turned away. In the past, his "new money" was tainted by his rapacious reputation, and even now, an enemy with a pedigree of wealth and position vows to slam every door in Sam's face. But he is determined to win a place in the strange rarefied world of Newport's brief summer season, presided over by social gadflies Ward McAllister and the androgynous Harry Lehr, both of whom will assist the Drivers...for a price. The Gods of Newport brings this gilded age of excess to thrilling life. It was a time and place whose extremes of greed, conspicuous consumption, and social striving have an astonishing resonance and relevance for the America we see around us today.
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"Loved the story line, loved the setting, time period, etc. It was a bit confusing at first, with who's who, but ultimately the story was wonderful. This is the timeperiod I'd love to dive back in time and live a day. " — Collsells (5 out of 5 stars)
"Loved the story line, loved the setting, time period, etc. It was a bit confusing at first, with who's who, but ultimately the story was wonderful. This is the timeperiod I'd love to dive back in time and live a day. "
“Jakes is a fluent storyteller, and his meticulous reconstruction of fin-de-siècle excess will have fans savoring the lavish details of jewelry, fashion, food and follies.”
“The prolific Jakes scores with a lush new historical saga set on the glamorous, windswept shores of late-nineteenth-century Newport, Rhode Island, the summer playground of the fabulously wealthy…Jakes displays his characteristic flair for class melodrama when he parallels the world of the rich and careless with the world of the hardscrabble underclass who work tirelessly to enable their ‘social betters’ to indulge in their summer idylls. He has fashioned yet another breezy, easy-to-read piece of historical fiction, sure to please his many fans.”
“Historical personages blend nicely with the fictional in Jakes’ neatly organized saga, and the folly and ambitions of a father and rapacious businessman are exposed and forgiven.”
" a little predictable and too much like all his books. "
" I found this interesting seeing that I live in Newport right now but I did not like Jakes' writing style. The story kind of dragged and then seemed to end abruptly. I enjoyed reading about streets I drive down and mansions I wander past. "
" Bit of a slow start but in the end an enjoyable read "
" This was good when I started it, but I had to turn it back in to the library and have not had the desire to pick it back up again. "
" I've read all of John Jake's books (love American history) and loved almost every one. This one covers the old money vs. the nouvea riche of the 1890's. "
" As a fan of John Jakes & historical fiction, this was a wonderful book. The story of class consciouness & The Gilded Age of Newport "society" was wonderful. "
" An easy and quick historical fiction read. "
" i read a large print version of this book and it was so relaxing and entertaining that it made we want to return to reading john jake s books which i will do. "
" John Jakes writes great historical fiction. This book takes place during the early 1900's and chronicles the elite Newport class. An interesting, fun read. "
" This book was not Jakes at his best. "
" I've always been a fan of John Jakes' historical fiction. He is a master of telling a story while giving a history lesson. Being from Rhode Island I was intrigued to see Newport through this time period. "
" I great look at the rich in Newport. Didn't know how much they had and how exclusive they could be. "
" I gave up mid way through. Too much of a soap opera with no likable characters. "
" I really WANTED to like this book. I felt like was poorly written which surprised me. The setting was fantastic, but I couldn't finish the book. I just didn't care about any of the characters. "
" The book was a bit too shallow for my tastes. The characters were one-dimensional and their behaviors were too predictable. I read it because I've been to Newport many times and I am aware of its history. "
" After seeing Newport and the mansions this fall I got a much clearer picture of just exactly how wealty these people were. "
" A step back in time detailing the filthy rich during the summers in Newport. Jakes does his research and cranks out another good story. "
" This was my first John Jakes Book. It is an interesting read on how the very rich lived and created their own high society class. Daily living was spent showing off what they had among themselves and little to do with helping the society in general. "
" I was only reading this for research on the Gilded Age but abandoned it a third of the way in anyway. So formulaic and cliched in every way. "
" Badly written, badly read. "
" Not a very satisfying book. None of the characters were that interesting. I finished the book but wouldn't recommend it. "
" Historical American fiction at its best - read his entire Kent chronicles in my twenties & he still delivers a very informative yet entertaining read "
" This was not one of Jakes' best. The only thing that kept me interested was the history of Newport. I found the characters and the story line under-developed. "
" light... easy... breezy. exactly what I expected. exactly what i wanted. not amazing "literature" but a fun read after spending a tourist-y weekend in Newport recently. "
" Fast reading. About the rich and famous in Newport. . . . old money, not new. "
" Fun to have just been in Newport, RI and be able to really visualize the historical references. "
" Boring!!!!!!! Tara gave me this because of the couple months that I spent in Newport. The portions that talked about Newport was kind of interesting since I had seen the mansions and walked the cliffs but the story was weak and wordy and the typical short fall of a male author. "
" A disappointment, predictable. "
" It was a little hard to get into but then you could almost imagine being in the 1800's and how they lived with horse and carriage and boats the main mode of transportation. "
" I listened to this in the car over a month-long period, while doing errands. I generally like John Jakes' books, but this one wasn't very good. But, of course, I had to know how it ended, so I listened to the whole thing! "
" Listened to Audio Book - Story of Father and Daughter with life and loves in social Newport RI in late 1800s - Not enough detail of the city but kept you going because of the personal drama. "
" Just could not get into this book. "
" I just love newport in the summer so I love it's history. "
" I love John Jakes! I had forgotten how much because it had been a long time since I'd read any of his writing. I'm hooked again. And now I want to visit Newport! Read this book and enjoy! "
" Not captivating me the way his others did. "
" Liked the setting in Newport and New York City but the story was rather lame and predictable. I thought John Jakes was a better writer than this. "
" This book is pretty predictable; however, it does include a lot of the social life of Newport. "
John Jakes is the bestselling author of Charleston, the eight-volume Kent Family Chronicles, the North and South trilogy, California Gold, and others. He has received a number of awards and accolades for his achievements as a writer, most notably a Cooper Medal from the Thomas Cooper Library and a Career Achievement Award from the South Carolina Humanities Association. He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Dramatists Guild, and serves on the board of the Authors Guild Foundation. A graduate of DePauw and Ohio State universities, Jakes currently lives in South Carolina and Florida.
Edward Herrmann (1943–2014) was one of America’s top audiobook narrators. He won multiple Audie Awards and twenty-two Earphones Awards, and his narration of the King James version of the Bible remains a benchmark in the industry.
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