RIP John Jakes

[huskerblitz]

John Jakes, author of the North and South trilogy and the 8-volume Kent Family Chronicles passed away Saturday at age 90.

For me, he was the spark that lit my interest in history. Or rather, turned my interest into a burning passion. I know not everyone loved the melodrama of his novels, but he admitted he loved melodrama and I loved reading his.

John Jakes, Whose Historical Novels Hit the Jackpot, Dies at 90

His sagas of the Revolution and the Civil War sold tens of millions of copies, were adapted for TV and put him in the pantheon of big-name authors.

www.nytimes.com

 

[7thWisconsin]

I remember reading some of his books when I was a teenager back during the US Bicentennial. There wasn´t a lot of 18th century historical fiction on the market then. His books were potboilers, but I´ll admit to reading them.

 

[Lubliner]

I read the first three in the Kent Family Chronicles and became disenchanted with his style of writing (format). That had also happened with Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels after the first 20 of them. I get that often with fiction writers such as Uris, Wambaugh, Wouk, Benchley, Michener, Fleming, Tolkien, but strangely enough Stephen King is immune to this phenomenon.
Lubliner.

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

He sparked a lot of interest in history, and for that he should be lauded. RIP.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I read the first three in the Kent Family Chronicles and became disenchanted with his style of writing (format). That had also happened with Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels after the first 20 of them. I get that often with fiction writers such as Uris, Wambaugh, Wouk, Benchley, Michener, Fleming, Tolkien, but strangely enough Stephen King is immune to this phenomenon.
Lubliner.

Someone gave me a piece of advice once that with popular fiction writers, you should only read the first thing they wrote. More will be a disappointment. That rule has proven itself to me many times.

 

[LCYingling3rd]

Okay, maybe closer to "bodice ripper" than history, I have to admit North and South introduced the Civil War to many who would have been uninterested. If just a few maintained an interest in the period and began seriously studying it that is good.

RIP

 

[Yankeedave]

Loved the mini series.

 

[FarawayFriend]

Sorry to read this!
I watched the TV series but was not impressed, I did not like the actress (forgot her name) who played Madeleine, and I admit I did not like Patrick Swayze as Orry Main either.
So it took me more than 30 years before I finally read the trilogy and found the books really gripping. To me, often the books are so much better than their TV adaptions and "North and South" was no exception to that rule.

RIP John Jakes - I definitely enjoyed the hours I spent with your books!

 

[Lincoln56]

I watched the TV series but was not impressed, I did not like the actress (forgot her name) who played Madeleine,

Lesley-Anne Down was the actress.

I did not enjoy the TV series either though, as there was such a lack of representation of the ACW era at that time, l watched the entire thing. Though wouldn't again.

 

[stu613]

I can only imagine the political spin Hollywood would put on "North and South" if they were to remake it today.