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North and South #3
Heaven and Hell
The last days of the Civil War bring no peace for the Main and Hazard families. As the Mains’ South smolders in the ruins of defeat, the Hazards’ North pushes blindly for relentless industrial progress. Both the nation and the families’ long-standing bond hover on the brink of destruction.
In the series’ epic conclusion, Jakes expertly blends personal conflict with historical events, crafting a haunting page-turner about America’s constant change and unyielding hope.
In the series’ epic conclusion, Jakes expertly blends personal conflict with historical events, crafting a haunting page-turner about America’s constant change and unyielding hope.
781 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
John Jakes
389 books887 followersJohn William Jakes, the author of more than a dozen novels, is regarded as one of today’s most distinguished writers of historical fiction. His work includes the highly acclaimed Kent Family Chronicles series and the North and South Trilogy. Jakes’s commitment to historical accuracy and evocative storytelling earned him the title of “the godfather of historical novelists” from the Los Angeles Times and led to a streak of sixteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers. Jakes has received several awards for his work and is a member of the Authors Guild and the PEN American Center. He and his wife, Rachel, live on the west coast of Florida.
Also writes under pseudonyms Jay Scotland, Alan Payne, Rachel Ann Payne, Robert Hart Davis, Darius John Granger, John Lee Gray. Has ghost written as William Ard.
Also writes under pseudonyms Jay Scotland, Alan Payne, Rachel Ann Payne, Robert Hart Davis, Darius John Granger, John Lee Gray. Has ghost written as William Ard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
November 9, 2013
In the final installment of the North and South series, Jakes examines life in the United States after the Civil War. Using his strong collection of characters and their various situations, Jakes shows that the end of the War was not the end to all issues. In some cases, it only served to fan the flames and make things worse. Charles Main becomes the new main character from the South, who grapples with life as a Confederate soldier who wishes nothing more than to assimilate back into society and serve his country. His attempts to serve are met with scorn and drastic measures, exemplifying that the divisions between the northern and southern states remain strong. The US Government chose to begin its westward expansion in this third novel, faced with the daunting task of settling the west and ‘taming’ the Indian population. Meanwhile, some of the scheming characters who were banished from their homes in parts of Book One and Two return to claim land or status within the family. Heaven and Hell is not without its dramatic nature and Jakes keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as he pushes the story along. By the end, the story comes full circle, with some strong editorial commentary from the perspective of life at the US Centennial. A classic piece of fiction that, if the reader has the time to invest, is well worth the effort. Any reader who wants a multi-dimensional view of the times, complete with great character development, is sure to be impressed by reading the North and South series.
Jakes has done a fabulous job in Heaven and Hell to illustrate that the end of the War was not the end of all issues between Americans. The Lincoln and Johnson proclamations to end slavery did not become a decision accepted in all household without issue. The view of the free man took many a long time to accept and, truth be told, it was only the pressure that people like LBJ brought to the issue a century later that brought equality, in some form or another. Jakes also illustrates the birth of the KuKlux Klan from this unrest. He readily explains that there were many who simply could not accept equality and chose to exterminate those who thought they could use the end of the War to take up their place in society. Jakes even touches on the geographic divisions in the country and how, as he began in Love and War, where someone lived did not necessarily determine their views. Northerners were just as likely to be pro-slavery but want to hold onto their land as those in the south were anti-slavery. It was a matter of land more than value or views that fuelled the War for many soldiers, which could be an argument for soldiers today as well. Creating strong story lines and intricate characters made the final book in the series all the stronger. Jakes tied up many of the stories that flow through all three books and does so in a powerful and entertaining way. Any reader who takes the time to read and absorb the nuances will find themselves highly entertained for sure.
A word about the overall series before I end this review. Jakes does not try to weave a tale with a historical backdrop simply to entertain. He uses history as an impetus to move the story along. With a strong cast of characters undergoing numerous plots within the larger story, Jakes permits the reader to see the entire picture, a piece at a time. History is not simply what floods the pages of a textbook, but the small things within the battles or the stories within the larger era. Jakes takes something as well-known as the Civil War and spins it to show all aspects of life in the North and South, not simply the battle for slavery or freedom. He also brings in such storylines as Western settlement of the Indians (which clashes so strongly with the fight to free the black man not 5 years before) and the rise of the Klan to react to the new freedoms the black man earned. These types of sub-plots act not only to entertain, but also to enrich the larger storyline for the reader.
Kudos, Mr. Jakes on this spectacular piece of work and powerful series. It will receive my approval for anyone looking to read a masterful tale that goes beyond two families, friends from the beginning, torn apart by war. Great work!
Jakes has done a fabulous job in Heaven and Hell to illustrate that the end of the War was not the end of all issues between Americans. The Lincoln and Johnson proclamations to end slavery did not become a decision accepted in all household without issue. The view of the free man took many a long time to accept and, truth be told, it was only the pressure that people like LBJ brought to the issue a century later that brought equality, in some form or another. Jakes also illustrates the birth of the KuKlux Klan from this unrest. He readily explains that there were many who simply could not accept equality and chose to exterminate those who thought they could use the end of the War to take up their place in society. Jakes even touches on the geographic divisions in the country and how, as he began in Love and War, where someone lived did not necessarily determine their views. Northerners were just as likely to be pro-slavery but want to hold onto their land as those in the south were anti-slavery. It was a matter of land more than value or views that fuelled the War for many soldiers, which could be an argument for soldiers today as well. Creating strong story lines and intricate characters made the final book in the series all the stronger. Jakes tied up many of the stories that flow through all three books and does so in a powerful and entertaining way. Any reader who takes the time to read and absorb the nuances will find themselves highly entertained for sure.
A word about the overall series before I end this review. Jakes does not try to weave a tale with a historical backdrop simply to entertain. He uses history as an impetus to move the story along. With a strong cast of characters undergoing numerous plots within the larger story, Jakes permits the reader to see the entire picture, a piece at a time. History is not simply what floods the pages of a textbook, but the small things within the battles or the stories within the larger era. Jakes takes something as well-known as the Civil War and spins it to show all aspects of life in the North and South, not simply the battle for slavery or freedom. He also brings in such storylines as Western settlement of the Indians (which clashes so strongly with the fight to free the black man not 5 years before) and the rise of the Klan to react to the new freedoms the black man earned. These types of sub-plots act not only to entertain, but also to enrich the larger storyline for the reader.
Kudos, Mr. Jakes on this spectacular piece of work and powerful series. It will receive my approval for anyone looking to read a masterful tale that goes beyond two families, friends from the beginning, torn apart by war. Great work!
June 23, 2014
Wanted to like this book, but I hate when characters I've grown attached to become The Woobie, endlessly beaten down for dramatic effect. Charles is not allowed to be happy or content, EVER. And really, resurrecting a Big Bad from the dead just to drive the story forward strains the limits of my credulity. And I absolutely hate what he did to Cooper, one of my favorite characters from the first two books. I suppose a thwarted idealist could possibly become that twisted, but it doesn't make for fun reading. Mont Royal is saved in the end by Virgilia (of all people) but I don't buy that someone as supposedly clever as Ashton could have been that easily defeated. The ending seems mostly happy for all concerned, but did Jakes really have to toy with our emotions so much to get us to the happy ending? Nice historical background on the Indian wars in the West, and the Reconstruction period in the South.
I'm giving it three stars for the mostly happy ending and because the author didn't kill EVERYONE I liked.
I'm giving it three stars for the mostly happy ending and because the author didn't kill EVERYONE I liked.
March 31, 2017
It's taken me a long time to read this mammoth trilogy, but I have to say that this last volume was my absolute favourite. It was a lot more action based and, although the political stuff was still evident, our characters were less involved and so there wasn't reams of chapters focused on that.
This book centred more on Charles and his fight not only to recover from his version of the war, but also face new challenges in the West. With the resurgence of a character thought dead, both the Main's and the Hazards are put through the mill a bit. Ashton, despite rising briefly, also shows her true colours once more and gets her comeuppance. Billy doesn't feature much at all in this one, although Virgilia does return and I liked her storyline a lot. Cooper, on the other hand, seems to have completely changed from the last two books and strangely becomes one of the villains of the book.
In all, I have really enjoyed the time spent in Jakes' America ... it's not a period od history we are taught in UK schools, so it was interesting to read the backgrounds, the hatreds and the heroes that stood out. In a way, some of those hatreds are still dividing America ... and the world .... so you could say that maybe nothing has changed. But on the other hand, there are more people today ready to stand up and fight against it!
I will definitely track down the other sagas by this author and now want to re-watch the TV series.
This book centred more on Charles and his fight not only to recover from his version of the war, but also face new challenges in the West. With the resurgence of a character thought dead, both the Main's and the Hazards are put through the mill a bit. Ashton, despite rising briefly, also shows her true colours once more and gets her comeuppance. Billy doesn't feature much at all in this one, although Virgilia does return and I liked her storyline a lot. Cooper, on the other hand, seems to have completely changed from the last two books and strangely becomes one of the villains of the book.
In all, I have really enjoyed the time spent in Jakes' America ... it's not a period od history we are taught in UK schools, so it was interesting to read the backgrounds, the hatreds and the heroes that stood out. In a way, some of those hatreds are still dividing America ... and the world .... so you could say that maybe nothing has changed. But on the other hand, there are more people today ready to stand up and fight against it!
I will definitely track down the other sagas by this author and now want to re-watch the TV series.
April 28, 2010
If you enjoyed the first two, just pretend there is no third...
February 27, 2013
This final book in the North and South trilogy was hard for me to finish. It started off well enough, but then became the story of Charles and the Indian Wars, with the remaining characters only occasionally making appearances or being heard from. There are some Mains and Hazards that seem to have been forgotten for many chapters at a time while we are introduced to countless new characters; then we get a journal entry from Madeline or a short chapter with George or Virgilia or Ashton. Billy and Brett take off for California and are hardly mentioned at all. After about 300 pages I actually looked ahead to the end of the book to decide if I even wanted to finish it. I had never done that before! The book is full of historical information about westward expansion and reconstruction which I find interesting. I just would have liked to have seen more of the story of the two families and characters that I came to know so well reading the first 2 books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 22, 2020As I finished this book, I began to feel sad. Sad that it's over, yes, but more sad because we as a nation really haven't learned anything. Wars, racial injustice, crooked politicians, and plain old evilness in people. Parts of it rang so true, it was as if I was reading a current newspaper!
Although it took a while to complete, I would say this was really a good book and would definitely recommend it.
Although it took a while to complete, I would say this was really a good book and would definitely recommend it.
March 17, 2020
Heaven and Hell wraps up Jakes' North and South trilogy nicely, but not neatly. I guess I can say I'm satisfied with its conclusion, but it wasn't all happily-ever-after for everyone. That's okay, however. It was well done, and well written. As far as the main antagonists go, well they got exactly what they deserved and that was totally gratifying.
Heaven and Hell felt bleaker than the previous two books. The last one occurred during the civil war, so it was bleak enough. This just felt worse (not in a bad way, only speaking of tone and atmosphere of the story). It leads one to feel that there's no hope in the foreseeable future. It was a constant struggle for all characters, and not many moments, if any, of joy and/or relief. But that's what propelled the story, I've figured. Always wanting to see how things will turn out, and feeling genuinely bummed when things get screwed up -- Charles and Willa for example. Or Madeline's saga.
What really made this book worth reading was the character Elkanah Bent. The last third of the book turned thriller, and that resolution had me pumping my fist in the air!
So, my final words on this trilogy-- I learned more about our Nation's history through these books, and was able to wrap my head around the events involving slavery, Indians, and internal conflict, than I ever could in school. These books were masterpieces and I am certain I will read them again one day.
Heaven and Hell felt bleaker than the previous two books. The last one occurred during the civil war, so it was bleak enough. This just felt worse (not in a bad way, only speaking of tone and atmosphere of the story). It leads one to feel that there's no hope in the foreseeable future. It was a constant struggle for all characters, and not many moments, if any, of joy and/or relief. But that's what propelled the story, I've figured. Always wanting to see how things will turn out, and feeling genuinely bummed when things get screwed up -- Charles and Willa for example. Or Madeline's saga.
What really made this book worth reading was the character Elkanah Bent. The last third of the book turned thriller, and that resolution had me pumping my fist in the air!
So, my final words on this trilogy-- I learned more about our Nation's history through these books, and was able to wrap my head around the events involving slavery, Indians, and internal conflict, than I ever could in school. These books were masterpieces and I am certain I will read them again one day.
February 22, 2022
Was This Really The Same Author?
This book appears to be written by John Jakes, but I would not be surprised if it was penned by a ghostwriter. Although I had problems with the other two volumes of the North And South trilogy, at least they were fairly consistent in tone and carried the same growing cast of characters through their pages.
This volume chiefly centers around the cigar-chomping cousin of the Southern family as he adventures out West, joins the army, leaves the army, becomes a trader, gets attacked by an indigenous war party, re-joins the army, takes part in the slaughter of an indigenous village, leaves the army, and then hunts down one of the villains from the first two volumes that seemingly died in the last book but has now come back as a crazed killer who dabbles in kidnapping.
Most of the protagonists from the other books return, chiefly for subplots involving the Southern family’s plantation woes during the South’s reconstruction. A couple of the characters, who had much larger plots in the previous books, show up to let everyone know they are moving to California, then return at the end of the book to let everyone know they’re doing well and have a bunch of kids. I guess a happy life on the West Coast was not interesting enough for the author to write about. As for things happening up North, it’s business as usual, except for an instance of cold blooded murder.
Some of the most fun characters in the previous volumes were the villains, just because they were so outlandish in their schemes and motivations. This time, I found the bad guys (and femme fatale) just stupid. One is the dance instructor cousin of one of the first book’s villains and he wants revenge. One is an angry Indian brave and he wants revenge. One is the previously mentioned character that has returned from the dead like Jason Vorhees. When he gets his memory back, he wants revenge. And then there is the femme fatale (spoiler: she wants revenge).
Interestingly, actual historical figure General George Custer has a major role in this book, one that eclipses almost all the other previously established fictional characters. He should probably be listed as a bad guy, too, though he’s definitely more developed than the ones Jakes created. He doesn’t want revenge. He wants fame, glory, and possibly a place in politics.
The author tries out a new literary technique in this story by having one of the characters keep a journal, so we get some first person narrative. Largely, I found it distracting, as were the various advertisements and actual newspaper clippings thrown in for color and authenticity. Why try this technique in the last volume is beyond me, unless it was indeed a ghostwriter that penned this?
Then it makes more sense.
This book appears to be written by John Jakes, but I would not be surprised if it was penned by a ghostwriter. Although I had problems with the other two volumes of the North And South trilogy, at least they were fairly consistent in tone and carried the same growing cast of characters through their pages.
This volume chiefly centers around the cigar-chomping cousin of the Southern family as he adventures out West, joins the army, leaves the army, becomes a trader, gets attacked by an indigenous war party, re-joins the army, takes part in the slaughter of an indigenous village, leaves the army, and then hunts down one of the villains from the first two volumes that seemingly died in the last book but has now come back as a crazed killer who dabbles in kidnapping.
Most of the protagonists from the other books return, chiefly for subplots involving the Southern family’s plantation woes during the South’s reconstruction. A couple of the characters, who had much larger plots in the previous books, show up to let everyone know they are moving to California, then return at the end of the book to let everyone know they’re doing well and have a bunch of kids. I guess a happy life on the West Coast was not interesting enough for the author to write about. As for things happening up North, it’s business as usual, except for an instance of cold blooded murder.
Some of the most fun characters in the previous volumes were the villains, just because they were so outlandish in their schemes and motivations. This time, I found the bad guys (and femme fatale) just stupid. One is the dance instructor cousin of one of the first book’s villains and he wants revenge. One is an angry Indian brave and he wants revenge. One is the previously mentioned character that has returned from the dead like Jason Vorhees. When he gets his memory back, he wants revenge. And then there is the femme fatale (spoiler: she wants revenge).
Interestingly, actual historical figure General George Custer has a major role in this book, one that eclipses almost all the other previously established fictional characters. He should probably be listed as a bad guy, too, though he’s definitely more developed than the ones Jakes created. He doesn’t want revenge. He wants fame, glory, and possibly a place in politics.
The author tries out a new literary technique in this story by having one of the characters keep a journal, so we get some first person narrative. Largely, I found it distracting, as were the various advertisements and actual newspaper clippings thrown in for color and authenticity. Why try this technique in the last volume is beyond me, unless it was indeed a ghostwriter that penned this?
Then it makes more sense.
August 29, 2020
I rate this entire trilogy as 5 stars. North and South was fantastic. Love and War, just as good. This one, Heaven and Hell, a perfect conclusion, though tough to read. It was not tough because of writing ability but because of content. John Jakes is an excellent writer and I’m grateful I finally had the chance to read this trilogy.
July 30, 2012
Only finished it because I hate quitting a series.
September 12, 2021
John Jakes is the best at historical fiction!
December 20, 2021
The final book of the series was great. There was so much history. I believe he captured much of the realism that you could put in a book.
August 15, 2023
I am so glad I read this trilogy. I grew up watching the mini-series and loved the first two. I refused to watch the third. IYKYK
BIG SPOILERS AHEAD…DON’T READ IF YOU PLAN TO READ THE BOOK
This book made me so mad because it made me sad so many times. Too many wonderful people were murdered. I didn’t like that at all. I felt like it was senseless. I did rather like the change in Virgilia. I felt like her character grew so much over the three novels, and it all made sense to me. The character I am most upset about is Cooper. I loved Cooper! I was so disappointed that he wasn’t in the mini-series. Cooper was a great man, but he was a completely different man in this book. He became unlikeable. It didn’t make sense to me.
I loved Wooden Foot and Boy. What lovely characters. It devastated me when they died, more than any other death. It just made me sick.
It was crazy that Bent was brought back from the dead. It was ridiculous. What a disgusting, evil man. His death was too kind. He deserved much worse.
It’s interesting that the main character of all three novels was truly Charles; yet, he wasn’t such a big character in the mini-series.
George was always my favorite character. I love him. I hate that Constance was murdered. I thought that was a bit ridiculous, too.
Madeline just got on my nerves. She went through a lot of crap, but she could have had a lot of help much earlier on if she had reached out to George and then maybe Andy and Prudence wouldn’t have been murdered.
I was a fan of Mr. Fenway. That was fun to read about, but I can’t stand Ashton. I’m glad he dumped her. She is a nightmare.
One thing I really appreciated about the book was the information about everything that happened after the war, how hard it was for the black people who were still treated as inferior even by the Northerners, the battles with the Indians and the slaughters that took place. When Black Kettle was brutally murdered, it sickened me. It was so unnecessary. Sadly, it really happened. I researched a lot of the events Jakes included in this novel. People didn’t respect human life. So sad.
Politicians were corrupt then, and they are corrupt now. There is nothing new under the sun. They tried to impeach their President then just like they do now. So it was very interesting for me to read about because history has never been my strong suit, and I feel like I learned a lot I didn’t know before.
BIG SPOILERS AHEAD…DON’T READ IF YOU PLAN TO READ THE BOOK
This book made me so mad because it made me sad so many times. Too many wonderful people were murdered. I didn’t like that at all. I felt like it was senseless. I did rather like the change in Virgilia. I felt like her character grew so much over the three novels, and it all made sense to me. The character I am most upset about is Cooper. I loved Cooper! I was so disappointed that he wasn’t in the mini-series. Cooper was a great man, but he was a completely different man in this book. He became unlikeable. It didn’t make sense to me.
I loved Wooden Foot and Boy. What lovely characters. It devastated me when they died, more than any other death. It just made me sick.
It was crazy that Bent was brought back from the dead. It was ridiculous. What a disgusting, evil man. His death was too kind. He deserved much worse.
It’s interesting that the main character of all three novels was truly Charles; yet, he wasn’t such a big character in the mini-series.
George was always my favorite character. I love him. I hate that Constance was murdered. I thought that was a bit ridiculous, too.
Madeline just got on my nerves. She went through a lot of crap, but she could have had a lot of help much earlier on if she had reached out to George and then maybe Andy and Prudence wouldn’t have been murdered.
I was a fan of Mr. Fenway. That was fun to read about, but I can’t stand Ashton. I’m glad he dumped her. She is a nightmare.
One thing I really appreciated about the book was the information about everything that happened after the war, how hard it was for the black people who were still treated as inferior even by the Northerners, the battles with the Indians and the slaughters that took place. When Black Kettle was brutally murdered, it sickened me. It was so unnecessary. Sadly, it really happened. I researched a lot of the events Jakes included in this novel. People didn’t respect human life. So sad.
Politicians were corrupt then, and they are corrupt now. There is nothing new under the sun. They tried to impeach their President then just like they do now. So it was very interesting for me to read about because history has never been my strong suit, and I feel like I learned a lot I didn’t know before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
Many, many years ago I was introduced to the North and South book series by a television miniseries of the same name. It starred a young (and absolutely gorgeous) Patrick Swayze.
After watching the miniseries I knew I just had to read the books. Since then I have reread them many times and every time I was struck by the way John Jakes was able to convey the extreme emotionality of the Civil War Era.
If anyone has not yet read this book series, they need to add it to their TBR (To Be Read) list.
I rate NORTH AND SOUTH as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After watching the miniseries I knew I just had to read the books. Since then I have reread them many times and every time I was struck by the way John Jakes was able to convey the extreme emotionality of the Civil War Era.
If anyone has not yet read this book series, they need to add it to their TBR (To Be Read) list.
I rate NORTH AND SOUTH as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
February 16, 2015
This trilogy is a large pill to swallow--usually when you make such commitment to characters, you feel quite involved when it's all over, but i have to admit I felt relieved. I had to stay emotionally disconnected because Jakes was dispassionate about killing off characters--no one was exempt, and so on one level you had to just say, "Really? Really???" and keep reading. I skimmed several tragic pages in this one, but a couple of times things just come out of nowhere in one or two sentences. Bam. For the most part it resolved nicely--maybe a little too much focus on the political end of Reconstruction, and less on tying up loose ends (What happened to Gus' great uncle the Brigadier? How about the sleazy lawyer Dills? Poor Judith just had to live with Cooper? And really, Brett and Scipio didn't even get a line after striking up a friendship during the war and then meeting again at the reunion ten years later?) All that to say, this series was well written, with engaging characters, and it made me want to finish til the end. It did not romanticize the civil War era, but it did bring it to life, the good bad and the ugly.
October 6, 2018
I am finally finished with this trilogy. Seems like I've been reading it for years. This book required my utmost diligence to finish. I became so tired of following Charles through the west. Loose ends tied up to my satisfaction. Altogether I have appreciated the amount of research in writing this saga of the Civil War from both north and south perspectives. Sadly, I find that over a hundred years later our government is still in the same corrupt and narrow-minded, divided place it was in 1865-75. Ugh! Not to mention the bigotry and hatred still alive from the southerners determined to force the US back to pre-Civil War days. Today has not been a good day in the history of the United States. The End!
September 12, 2016
The mini series.Description: The last days of the Civil War bring no peace for the Main and Hazard families. As the Mains’ South smolders in the ruins of defeat, the Hazards’ North pushes blindly for relentless industrial progress. Both the nation and the families’ long-standing bond hover on the brink of destruction.
13 - Heaven and Hell - (summer 1865 - autumn 1865)
14 - Heaven and Hell - (autumn 1865 - spring 1866)
15 - Heaven and Hell - (spring 1866 - summer 1866)
December 20, 2013
I struggled to make it half way through this book, at which point I decided that I would not be finishing it. It seemed as though it was written by a different author, and I no longer cared about the characters. The story lines dragged and were not believable or compelling. The first book was by far the best in this trilogy.
October 5, 2014
For me this final installment of the North and South trilogy was more deserving of 3.5 stars but I could t being myself to rate it only 3 stars. Some portions were extremely drawn out while others weren't given enough page time. I hate the fact that Brett and her husband were not given any time in the meat of the book, only at the beginning and the end.
June 5, 2010
I didn't like this one at all. He should have ended it with Love and War.
January 8, 2012
If you have already read the 1st 2 in this series now is the time to finish it.
Very good.
Very good.
August 4, 2013
I enjoyed reading Jakes' works at the time I originally read them, but I would not re-read them at this point.
May 7, 2018
I got 2 chapters in and wished I hadn’t even started listening to this book.
John Jakes should have stopped at book 2.
John Jakes should have stopped at book 2.
November 6, 2020
This book was so unnecessary and immediately struck me as just a money grab. Book 1 and 2 were very enjoyable and I have fond memories of them. I quit this book and was satisfied with #1 and 2.
August 7, 2019
3.5
The North and South series is one of the last vestiges from my childhood that I'm still obsessed with. When I was in grade four (2001), the U.S. TV mini-series based on this book series showed on TV as a rerun, and I watched it for the first time. Over the years I watched it again whenever it appeared on TV. Years later, I was finally able to find a box set of the DVDs, which I then watched over and over again. In 2014, I finally picked up the first book in the series, North and South, and I loved it. In 2016, I picked up the second book, Love and War, which I only passively enjoyed.
I put off reading this final instalment, Heaven and Hell, until this year. It may sound cheesy, but reading this book really felt like polishing off a chapter in my life. I was nine the first time I was introduced to this series, and now I'm 27. I'm married, I have a kid. Everything has changed for me, but this book series--like all books--is the same as it always was.
My confession: I never watched the last instalment of the TV mini-series (Heaven and Hell), because a death that occurs at the end of the second part (Love and War) turned me off from finishing the series. So, I never knew how the series ended, and therefore didn't know the plot of this book.
I don't regret skipping this part of the TV show, but the plot of the book didn't jump the shark as badly as I thought it would. In all, it was an enjoyable, dramatic and well written book. My main complaint with it is that, due to the plot's direction throughout the series, this book focuses on characters I don't care about as much, and steers away from those I most enjoyed/have the most nostalgia about.
Yes, the book is the same as it always was, but I guess my connection to it isn't as strong as it was when I was nine years old.
The North and South series is one of the last vestiges from my childhood that I'm still obsessed with. When I was in grade four (2001), the U.S. TV mini-series based on this book series showed on TV as a rerun, and I watched it for the first time. Over the years I watched it again whenever it appeared on TV. Years later, I was finally able to find a box set of the DVDs, which I then watched over and over again. In 2014, I finally picked up the first book in the series, North and South, and I loved it. In 2016, I picked up the second book, Love and War, which I only passively enjoyed.
I put off reading this final instalment, Heaven and Hell, until this year. It may sound cheesy, but reading this book really felt like polishing off a chapter in my life. I was nine the first time I was introduced to this series, and now I'm 27. I'm married, I have a kid. Everything has changed for me, but this book series--like all books--is the same as it always was.
My confession: I never watched the last instalment of the TV mini-series (Heaven and Hell), because a death that occurs at the end of the second part (Love and War) turned me off from finishing the series. So, I never knew how the series ended, and therefore didn't know the plot of this book.
I don't regret skipping this part of the TV show, but the plot of the book didn't jump the shark as badly as I thought it would. In all, it was an enjoyable, dramatic and well written book. My main complaint with it is that, due to the plot's direction throughout the series, this book focuses on characters I don't care about as much, and steers away from those I most enjoyed/have the most nostalgia about.
Yes, the book is the same as it always was, but I guess my connection to it isn't as strong as it was when I was nine years old.
May 3, 2023
Well done, Jakes. I was waiting for this series to become as horrible as the "Kent Family Chronicles," and, lo and behold, you delivered in the third book. Congratulations on this dubious achievement.
Charles Main is the main (ha, ha) character in this book, so much so that the other characters' parts are significantly reduced. The only character who comes close to having as many chapters as Charles is Madeline. The others, including the characters I liked, have disappointingly small roles: it seems like Jakes just didn't care about them. George? Three chapters plus the epilogue. Cooper? Barely two chapters; most of what he does is told secondhand in Madeline's journal (more on Cooper later). Ashton? Four or five chapters. Virgilia? Maybe three chapters. Brett and Billy only appear briefly before they're shunted off to California, then return for the 1876 Centennial with a bunch of kids. You get the idea.
For practically the whole book, it's just Charles, Charles, Charles. Charles visiting his son. Charles becoming a trader. Charles being racist against Native Americans. Charles participating in a slaughter of Native Americans (likable, isn't he?). I was indifferent to him in the first book, sympathized with his trauma in the second book, and got thoroughly sick of him in this book. Jakes also introduces a new character: Charles' new love interest, Willa Parker, who's probably the closest thing to a Mary Sue you'll find in a historical novel. She's beautiful, an exceptional actress, is always participating in causes, has very modern views on Native Americans and relationships, everybody she meets loves her...and all at the tender age of nineteen. And yes, all Jakes' male characters' love interests are annoyingly perfect (I'm looking at you, Constance), but at least they're the same age as their lovers or husbands, and they mature and change at least a little. Willa is ten years younger than Charles, and Jakes is always gushing, via Charles, about how mature and sophisticated she is; clearly, to Jakes, she doesn't have to grow and change. I could not bring myself to care about her and actually hated her at times, though not as much as I hated Charles. And this was the character Jakes replaced Judith, Constance, Virgilia, and Brett with. He actually expected us to love this stupid character over the characters we'd gotten to know over the trilogy.
Speaking of Constance, she dies in this book, in a way that disgusted me. Bad enough that Jakes brought back Elkanah Bent in the first place (seriously; he practically died in Book 2. Leave it at that, Jakes), but Bent murders Constance. He climbs through her bedroom window, threatens her, questions her, slits her throat, and writes his name on her mirror in blood (yes, really). And that's how Constance's life and character arc end. No farewells, no fanfare, no reflections on her happy life with George: just a brutal throat-slitting. I'm just thankful Jakes didn't make Bent rape her.
There are more wonderful moments. How about Stanley shoving Isabel against a wall and it being treated as okay? (Hey, she was a "shrew" and a "harpy," so she had it coming, right?) How about detailing the terrorism of the KKK and focusing more on how they threaten Madeline, a white octoroon, than on the hundreds of black people they've probably killed? How about Cooper's fifteen-year-old daughter marrying a 24-year-old soldier and it being treated as sweet and romantic?
But what made me angriest is how Jakes treated Cooper. You know, Cooper, the first Main to realize what was wrong with the Southern way of life? The same Cooper who was completely anti-slavery? He's so out-of-character in this book that he could have been written by a teenage fanfiction writer. He's a racist Southern Democrat who hates Yankee soldiers and freed slaves, works hard to drive carpetbaggers out of South Carolina, and is shocked (shocked, I tell you!) when white men give up omnibus seats to black people or when black people show up at the South Carolina legislature. Unless you go through a traumatic incident, you do not suddenly change your political beliefs like that. I don't care if people get more conservative as they get older; you don't do that. I don't care if Cooper's son died in the previous book, because the last book showed that he was healing from the trauma and becoming himself again--and then he does a 180 in this book. And yes, I know Virgilia becomes more mellow, but she doesn't change her politics: she still believes in equal rights for black people and even marries a half-black man. If Cooper felt apathetic, or if he was struggling between his previous beliefs and his grief at the South's destruction, that would be one thing. But no: we're actually supposed to believe he wants previous slaveholders back in power.
George even says, "I've known for a long time that Cooper was a Main in name only." A long time, huh? Was it back when Cooper finally left the plantation thanks to the brutal treatment of a slave? Was it when he married Judith, an anti-slavery Unitarian? Was it when he was full of grief about secession? Was it when he sheltered Brett when she wanted to marry a Yankee soldier? Why do I get the feeling Jakes forgot Cooper's previous characterization?
And what about Judith? At least in the second book, she argued with Cooper about his behavior. Here, she's a good, submissive little waifu who apparently stays with him no matter how atrociously he behaves. Apparently, she's stuck with him, when she could flee to Mont Royal for shelter or live as an independent woman. And the rest of the Mains and Hazards just abandon her. They don't invite her to the Centennial, they don't offer to take her to Pennsylvania or Mont Royal, they don't even write to her. Forget Cooper's or Ashton's hatred of their family and the Hazards; Judith should be the one who hates the Mains and the Hazards. A**holes.
After a blandly awful first book and a decent second book, I didn't think the third book would drive me into full-blown fury. But Jakes surprised me. He managed to write a third volume that I hated as much as the "Kent Family Chronicles". The only way to make this book tolerable is to pretend it doesn't exist. The series ended with "Love and War," and that's that.
Charles Main is the main (ha, ha) character in this book, so much so that the other characters' parts are significantly reduced. The only character who comes close to having as many chapters as Charles is Madeline. The others, including the characters I liked, have disappointingly small roles: it seems like Jakes just didn't care about them. George? Three chapters plus the epilogue. Cooper? Barely two chapters; most of what he does is told secondhand in Madeline's journal (more on Cooper later). Ashton? Four or five chapters. Virgilia? Maybe three chapters. Brett and Billy only appear briefly before they're shunted off to California, then return for the 1876 Centennial with a bunch of kids. You get the idea.
For practically the whole book, it's just Charles, Charles, Charles. Charles visiting his son. Charles becoming a trader. Charles being racist against Native Americans. Charles participating in a slaughter of Native Americans (likable, isn't he?). I was indifferent to him in the first book, sympathized with his trauma in the second book, and got thoroughly sick of him in this book. Jakes also introduces a new character: Charles' new love interest, Willa Parker, who's probably the closest thing to a Mary Sue you'll find in a historical novel. She's beautiful, an exceptional actress, is always participating in causes, has very modern views on Native Americans and relationships, everybody she meets loves her...and all at the tender age of nineteen. And yes, all Jakes' male characters' love interests are annoyingly perfect (I'm looking at you, Constance), but at least they're the same age as their lovers or husbands, and they mature and change at least a little. Willa is ten years younger than Charles, and Jakes is always gushing, via Charles, about how mature and sophisticated she is; clearly, to Jakes, she doesn't have to grow and change. I could not bring myself to care about her and actually hated her at times, though not as much as I hated Charles. And this was the character Jakes replaced Judith, Constance, Virgilia, and Brett with. He actually expected us to love this stupid character over the characters we'd gotten to know over the trilogy.
Speaking of Constance, she dies in this book, in a way that disgusted me. Bad enough that Jakes brought back Elkanah Bent in the first place (seriously; he practically died in Book 2. Leave it at that, Jakes), but Bent murders Constance. He climbs through her bedroom window, threatens her, questions her, slits her throat, and writes his name on her mirror in blood (yes, really). And that's how Constance's life and character arc end. No farewells, no fanfare, no reflections on her happy life with George: just a brutal throat-slitting. I'm just thankful Jakes didn't make Bent rape her.
There are more wonderful moments. How about Stanley shoving Isabel against a wall and it being treated as okay? (Hey, she was a "shrew" and a "harpy," so she had it coming, right?) How about detailing the terrorism of the KKK and focusing more on how they threaten Madeline, a white octoroon, than on the hundreds of black people they've probably killed? How about Cooper's fifteen-year-old daughter marrying a 24-year-old soldier and it being treated as sweet and romantic?
But what made me angriest is how Jakes treated Cooper. You know, Cooper, the first Main to realize what was wrong with the Southern way of life? The same Cooper who was completely anti-slavery? He's so out-of-character in this book that he could have been written by a teenage fanfiction writer. He's a racist Southern Democrat who hates Yankee soldiers and freed slaves, works hard to drive carpetbaggers out of South Carolina, and is shocked (shocked, I tell you!) when white men give up omnibus seats to black people or when black people show up at the South Carolina legislature. Unless you go through a traumatic incident, you do not suddenly change your political beliefs like that. I don't care if people get more conservative as they get older; you don't do that. I don't care if Cooper's son died in the previous book, because the last book showed that he was healing from the trauma and becoming himself again--and then he does a 180 in this book. And yes, I know Virgilia becomes more mellow, but she doesn't change her politics: she still believes in equal rights for black people and even marries a half-black man. If Cooper felt apathetic, or if he was struggling between his previous beliefs and his grief at the South's destruction, that would be one thing. But no: we're actually supposed to believe he wants previous slaveholders back in power.
George even says, "I've known for a long time that Cooper was a Main in name only." A long time, huh? Was it back when Cooper finally left the plantation thanks to the brutal treatment of a slave? Was it when he married Judith, an anti-slavery Unitarian? Was it when he was full of grief about secession? Was it when he sheltered Brett when she wanted to marry a Yankee soldier? Why do I get the feeling Jakes forgot Cooper's previous characterization?
And what about Judith? At least in the second book, she argued with Cooper about his behavior. Here, she's a good, submissive little waifu who apparently stays with him no matter how atrociously he behaves. Apparently, she's stuck with him, when she could flee to Mont Royal for shelter or live as an independent woman. And the rest of the Mains and Hazards just abandon her. They don't invite her to the Centennial, they don't offer to take her to Pennsylvania or Mont Royal, they don't even write to her. Forget Cooper's or Ashton's hatred of their family and the Hazards; Judith should be the one who hates the Mains and the Hazards. A**holes.
After a blandly awful first book and a decent second book, I didn't think the third book would drive me into full-blown fury. But Jakes surprised me. He managed to write a third volume that I hated as much as the "Kent Family Chronicles". The only way to make this book tolerable is to pretend it doesn't exist. The series ended with "Love and War," and that's that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 22, 2024This final installment of the North and South trilogy, 'Heaven and Hell' by John Jakes, is a masterful conclusion to the series. Unlike the TV adaptation, which took creative liberties with the storyline and characters, the book stays true to the spirit of the series. Jakes weaves a intricate tapestry of historical fiction, exploring the complexities of Reconstruction and the lingering scars of the Civil War, in a way that is both nuanced and impactful.
The characters, familiar and beloved, face new challenges and struggles, their stories intertwining in unexpected ways. Unlike the TV series, which paired George and Madeline together in a unexpected and unconvincing way, the book stays true to the characters' original storylines and relationships.
With his signature blend of historical accuracy and engaging storytelling, Jakes brings the post-war era to life in a way that is both vivid and immersive. The writing is transporting, and the characters' journeys are both heartbreaking and uplifting, making for a satisfying and emotional conclusion to the series.
Overall, 'Heaven and Hell' is a triumph, and I suppose an okay end to the trilogy that will leave readers with a newfound appreciation for the era and its people. It's a testament to Jakes' skill as a storyteller that he can bring such depth and complexity to historical fiction, and this book is a must-read for fans of the series and the genre.
The characters, familiar and beloved, face new challenges and struggles, their stories intertwining in unexpected ways. Unlike the TV series, which paired George and Madeline together in a unexpected and unconvincing way, the book stays true to the characters' original storylines and relationships.
With his signature blend of historical accuracy and engaging storytelling, Jakes brings the post-war era to life in a way that is both vivid and immersive. The writing is transporting, and the characters' journeys are both heartbreaking and uplifting, making for a satisfying and emotional conclusion to the series.
Overall, 'Heaven and Hell' is a triumph, and I suppose an okay end to the trilogy that will leave readers with a newfound appreciation for the era and its people. It's a testament to Jakes' skill as a storyteller that he can bring such depth and complexity to historical fiction, and this book is a must-read for fans of the series and the genre.
October 17, 2020
This is the third and final book in the author’s fictional trilogy about America in the 19th century. The story is told through the eyes and experiences of two fictional families. One family is from Pennsylvania and the other from South Carolina. They become linked and eventually intertwined because of the friendship developed by their sons who become classmates and friends when they attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point starting in 1842. The first book, North and South, covers the years from 1842 up to the beginning of the Civil War. The second book, Love and War, covers the Civil War years, 1861 to 1865. This final book covers the reconstruction period from the end of the Civil War until basically the American Centennial in 1876. Although there is a final ending summary that updates the families through 1883. The first book was excellent. The second and third books are very good but they suffer from too many story lines. It becomes tedious to rapidly switch from one plot line to another without conclusions until many pages and sometimes chapters later. Naturally some story lines are of more interest to an individual reader than others. So, having a particular story line you are interested in being interrupted by other story lines can become irritating. But, you are compelled to read on to see what happens.
December 18, 2020
Heaven and Hell is the third and final volume in John Jakes's Civil War trilogy. Like the first and second books (North and South and Love and War, respectively), Heaven and Hell follows the Main and Hazard families, each member now navigating the turbulent , post-war years.
Unfortunately, Heaven and Hell doesn't hold a candle to the first two books. For starters, some of the most interesting and colorful characters met their end during the war. Others are essentially and, in my mind, rather inexplicably written out early in this book, reappearing briefly, and with little effect, in the closing chapters. I have a particular beef with Jakes's reintroduction of one character 11 years and seven children after last appearing in the book! )
The greatest crime, though, is that Heaven and Hell, for lack of a better term, has simply jumped the shark. There's just too much here that is too improbable. Rather than racing to the end to learn what happened, I found myself racing through it just to finish. I wasn't giving up after 2500 pages, with the finish line only a few hundred more pages away! Although many of the events seemed possible in and of themselves (many, but not all), it strained credulity too far to think that a small handful of individuals could be party to them all. Furthermore, after 2800 pages, I was disappointed that a few of the characters more or less disappeared.
Unfortunately, Heaven and Hell doesn't hold a candle to the first two books. For starters, some of the most interesting and colorful characters met their end during the war. Others are essentially and, in my mind, rather inexplicably written out early in this book, reappearing briefly, and with little effect, in the closing chapters. I have a particular beef with Jakes's reintroduction of one character 11 years and seven children after last appearing in the book! )
The greatest crime, though, is that Heaven and Hell, for lack of a better term, has simply jumped the shark. There's just too much here that is too improbable. Rather than racing to the end to learn what happened, I found myself racing through it just to finish. I wasn't giving up after 2500 pages, with the finish line only a few hundred more pages away! Although many of the events seemed possible in and of themselves (many, but not all), it strained credulity too far to think that a small handful of individuals could be party to them all. Furthermore, after 2800 pages, I was disappointed that a few of the characters more or less disappeared.
February 18, 2022
This was the last of the North and South Trilogy. It tied up the loose ends of all the characters involved in the story. It was not as engrossing as the first two novels. I gave it four stars because the writing is fantastic. I’m sure many will say this trilogy is filled with racial atrocities and genocide. It is! That is the point. These historical atrocities should be acknowledged and taught. Although it seems America has no grasp on history and so it is repeated. The last few years eerily reflect that.
While this is a story first and then historical it is painstaking in research by Mr. Jakes. The fiction intertwined with history is so accurate. The quotes and the newspaper clippings as well as the names and political figures are all correct. It is sad and appalling. If you aren’t sure you want to read this trilogy, take the time to read the epilogue of this book. It does not spoil the story, it will however give you an understanding of the depth Mr. Jakes went to bring the past to life. It’s unbiased and in no way can you tell what his thoughts are until you read this book. I’m sad to end the story of the Mains and the Hazzards. I hope that my children will read this at some point. What they teach in school does not speak any truth you will find in these novels.
While this is a story first and then historical it is painstaking in research by Mr. Jakes. The fiction intertwined with history is so accurate. The quotes and the newspaper clippings as well as the names and political figures are all correct. It is sad and appalling. If you aren’t sure you want to read this trilogy, take the time to read the epilogue of this book. It does not spoil the story, it will however give you an understanding of the depth Mr. Jakes went to bring the past to life. It’s unbiased and in no way can you tell what his thoughts are until you read this book. I’m sad to end the story of the Mains and the Hazzards. I hope that my children will read this at some point. What they teach in school does not speak any truth you will find in these novels.
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