by John Jakes
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2006
400 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
In the late nineteenth century, Newport, Rhode Island, was a cauldron of undeclared class warfare where reputations were made and lost in a whirlwind of parties and fancied slights. Where giant marble mansions called “cottages” arose and where—amid the glamour of yacht races, tennis matches, and costume balls—depression, even madness, sometimes followed social failure.
In 1893, Sam Driver, railroad mogul and one of the few surviving robber barons of the lawless years after the Civil War, knocks on the door of fabled Newport together with his daughter, Jenny, determined not to be turned away a second time.
"Jakes is a fluent storyteller, and his meticulous reconstruction of fin-de-siecle excess will have fans savoring the lavish details of jewelry, fashion, food and follies." - PW.
"Another well-hewn American history lesson for Jakes's devoted fans." - Kirkus.
"He has fashioned yet another breezy, easy-to-read piece of historical fiction, sure to please his many fans." - Booklist.
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