The Gods Of Newport by John Jakes

Description

Bibliographic Details

• Author: John Jakes
• Title: The Gods Of Newport
• Publisher: ‎ Dutton Books; First Printing (November 2006)
• Language: ‎ English
• Format: Hardcover – 383 pages‏
• ISBN-10: ‎ 0525949763
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0525949763
• Item Weight: ‎ 1.5 pounds
• Dimensions: ‎ 6.3 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher
• Book Condition: Used – Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Edition: First Printing

Synopsis:

In the late 19th 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.

About the Author:

John Jakes (b. 1932), 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.