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One man's quest for his destiny leads him to the New World and into the heart of the American Revolution Meet Phillipe Charboneau: the illegitimate son and unrecognized heir of the Duke of Kentland. Upon the Duke's death, Phillipe is denied his birthright and left to build a life of his own. Seeking all that the New World promises, he leaves London for America, shedding his past and preparing for the future by changing his name to Philip Kent. He arrives at the brink of the American show more Revolution, which tests his allegiances in ways he never imagined. The first volume of John Jakes's wildly successful and highly addictive Kent Family Chronicles, The Bastard is a triumph of historical fiction. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Jakes including rare images from the author's personal collection. show lessTags
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Limelite Far, far better novel also set in Revolutionary War America. Humor, satire, and high adventure. Superb characterizations of the two protagonists.
Member Reviews
I read this when it first came out in paperback in the 70's. Still have the same paperback, in fact. It was excellent then & continued my love of historical fiction that started with [a:Harold Lamb|129179|Harold Lamb|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1273337800p2/129179.jpg]'s books. The book follows one young man for a few years from a small village in France, to a manor in England, London, & then to Boston & Philadelphia up until the opening salvo in the American Revolutionary War.
I've read several articles over the years that said Jakes had the historical facts down pat & I didn't spot anything wrong, although pushing an old horse 35 miles a day for over a week seems pretty harsh to me. The book certainly gave me a show more visceral feel for the times, motivations, & issues they faced. It's the trivia that made it so captivating, but never bogged it down. For all that it looks like a brick, it was a quick, interesting read.
This was the finest way to arouse my interest in US history, far better than any class I ever took on it. Phillipe's meetings with famous people made me interested in reading far more about them than dry facts ever did. Also, his life put them & events into context, especially difficult when I was a teenager without much life experience. Now that I'm quite a bit older, it's even better reading.
This book shows how the revolution came to be in a very understandable way. I hear people talk about revolt as if it is simple & the dry histories of my school days always made the decision to revolt sound fairly cut & dried. It wasn't & couldn't be. Comfortable people don't revolt & everyone has a different level of breaking point. This shows the blunders that England made, how some people fanned the fires, & how other men still disagreed with the decision.
Phillipe isn't a perfect hero, either. He's a product of his times. Yes, his life did tend to cross other famous ones pretty regularly, but it was well done. He's prominent in the story only because it's told through him, so we catch his glimpses of the celebrities of the time. Excellent. Memorable.
I believe there are 8 in the series that covers a little more than a century. Originally, the series was supposed to cover the full 200 years, but never did. I never heard why. I'd be interested if anyone knows.
One of the reasons I was attracted to this book was that I loved Jakes as the author of [b:Brak the Barbarian|509045|Brak the Barbarian (Brak the Barbarian, #1)|John Jakes|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1175371607s/509045.jpg|3058663], kind of a Conan character. I was shocked to see him writing serious historical fiction & decided to give it a try. As I recall, he broke some kind of record with these books - most books on the best sellers list or something. Anyway, they took America by storm & he deserved the accolades.
On to [b:The Rebels|460248|The Rebels (Kent Family Chronicles, #2)|John Jakes|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1309288610s/460248.jpg|2368840]! show less
I've read several articles over the years that said Jakes had the historical facts down pat & I didn't spot anything wrong, although pushing an old horse 35 miles a day for over a week seems pretty harsh to me. The book certainly gave me a show more visceral feel for the times, motivations, & issues they faced. It's the trivia that made it so captivating, but never bogged it down. For all that it looks like a brick, it was a quick, interesting read.
This was the finest way to arouse my interest in US history, far better than any class I ever took on it. Phillipe's meetings with famous people made me interested in reading far more about them than dry facts ever did. Also, his life put them & events into context, especially difficult when I was a teenager without much life experience. Now that I'm quite a bit older, it's even better reading.
This book shows how the revolution came to be in a very understandable way. I hear people talk about revolt as if it is simple & the dry histories of my school days always made the decision to revolt sound fairly cut & dried. It wasn't & couldn't be. Comfortable people don't revolt & everyone has a different level of breaking point. This shows the blunders that England made, how some people fanned the fires, & how other men still disagreed with the decision.
Phillipe isn't a perfect hero, either. He's a product of his times. Yes, his life did tend to cross other famous ones pretty regularly, but it was well done. He's prominent in the story only because it's told through him, so we catch his glimpses of the celebrities of the time. Excellent. Memorable.
I believe there are 8 in the series that covers a little more than a century. Originally, the series was supposed to cover the full 200 years, but never did. I never heard why. I'd be interested if anyone knows.
One of the reasons I was attracted to this book was that I loved Jakes as the author of [b:Brak the Barbarian|509045|Brak the Barbarian (Brak the Barbarian, #1)|John Jakes|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1175371607s/509045.jpg|3058663], kind of a Conan character. I was shocked to see him writing serious historical fiction & decided to give it a try. As I recall, he broke some kind of record with these books - most books on the best sellers list or something. Anyway, they took America by storm & he deserved the accolades.
On to [b:The Rebels|460248|The Rebels (Kent Family Chronicles, #2)|John Jakes|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1309288610s/460248.jpg|2368840]! show less
This was one of the books I pillaged from the boxes of books stored in basement. In times of Pandemic you look just about anywhere for readable material. I knew i had read this before, but could not remember any of it-I am glad I found it.
This is a great family saga which begins in France and then travels to The American Colonies at the beginning of the unrest that led to The American Revolution. It is coincidence that I was also reading American Rebels: How the Hancock, Adams, and Quincy Families Fanned the Flames of Revolution at the same time. That actually added to the enjoyment of both books.
There is history, and romance and family drama. Sure to be a winner if you enjoy any of those genres.
This is a great family saga which begins in France and then travels to The American Colonies at the beginning of the unrest that led to The American Revolution. It is coincidence that I was also reading American Rebels: How the Hancock, Adams, and Quincy Families Fanned the Flames of Revolution at the same time. That actually added to the enjoyment of both books.
There is history, and romance and family drama. Sure to be a winner if you enjoy any of those genres.
This is the first book of the Kent Family Chronicles as well as my first read from this author and I loved it. I now must acquire all nine books because this is just a start to this saga. I would highly recommend this author to all of the aspiring writers out there. This should be a must read for all of them because John Jakes is the master of not just story telling, but characterization. Everyone you meet in this story has a purpose and is three-dimensional.
I also have to praise the setting. This story envelopes the worlds of France, England and America. If you’re a fan of the American history, you’ll love meeting Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
The three P’s are all checked out, and you’ll love the prose as show more much as the plot because the pace is fast and furious and I enjoyed every second of the ride the author offered.
If you’ve never read this novel, I highly recommend you do it.
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher show less
I also have to praise the setting. This story envelopes the worlds of France, England and America. If you’re a fan of the American history, you’ll love meeting Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
The three P’s are all checked out, and you’ll love the prose as show more much as the plot because the pace is fast and furious and I enjoyed every second of the ride the author offered.
If you’ve never read this novel, I highly recommend you do it.
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher show less
A great way to learn about the history of America through the eyes of fictional characters. The story is personalized from the first Pilgrims leaving England on the Mayflower. John Jakes is an excellent storyteller!! Be sure that you have the next volume handy before you get to the end of the current volume. The suspense between volumes can be almost unbearable. Also, you will have to stop reading in the MIDDLE of a chapter. He always writes the best parts at the end of the chapter or volume and you just have to find out what is going to happen to the characters next.
The first book in the Kent Family Chronicles, the story follows Philipe Kent, the bastard son of an English Duke. Moving to the Colonies to start a new life, Philipe meets several historical figures along the way, including Ben Franklin, Lord North, and Sam Adams. He joins the "Sons of Liberty" and witnesses the Boston Tea Party, Lexington and Concord and the Boston Massacre. John Jakes' eminently readable style is fun and entertaining -- an excellent starting point for learning about the early stages of the American Revolution.
The entire Kent Family Chronicles series (consisting of 8 books) is fantastic! John Jakes can integrate his fictional characters into actual historic places and events so seamlessly it's almost magical. The Kent family starts with one child (The Bastard) and builds an enormous family tree of sinners and saints. I found it impossible to not finish the entire series consecutively.
I love John Jakes. I find his historical fiction to be incredible. I get sucked into the story so quickly. Part of what makes his books so good for me is his inclusion of real people as characters in his stories. Plus, this particular series takes place during a time in history that I do not know a whole lot about. Can't wait to read the rest.
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John Jakes was born in Chicago in 1932. He studied acting at Northwestern University, where he began writing professionally during his freshman year. Later he enrolled in a creative writing program at DePauw University and received a master's degree in American literature from Ohio State University. Early in his career Jakes wrote copy for a show more pharmaceutical company and various ad agencies, and authored dozens of short stories encompassing western, mystery and science fiction themes. In March 1973, Jakes commenced work on The Kent Family Chronicles, a multi-volume set portraying American history through the lives of a fictional family. Later works include North and South (1982), California Gold (1989), Homeland (1993), and American Dreams. Six of his major novels have been filmed as television miniseries, and North and South remains one of the highest rated miniseries in the history of television. Jakes is actively involved in the adaptation of North and South for the Broadway stage. John Jakes has been hailed as the godfather of the historical novel, and America's history teacher. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Bastard
- Original publication date
- 1974
- People/Characters
- Philip Kent
- Important places
- USA
- Important events
- American Revolution (1775 | 1783)
- Related movies
- The Bastard (1978 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- The gentleman tells us that America is obstinate; that America is almost in open rebellion. Sir, I rejoice that America has resisted...
"The gentleman asks when were the colonies emancipated. But I desire to know wh... (show all)en they were made slaves...
"They are subjects of this kingdom, equally entitled with ourselves to all the natural rights of mankind, and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen; equally bound by its laws, and equally participating in the Constitution of this free country. The Americans are the sons, not the bastards, of England."
1766:
William PItt the Elder,
before Parliament,
in support of repeal
of the Stamp Act. - Dedication
- The eight novels in this series, carrying the story of an American family forward from its beginning in Revolutionary times to the two-hundredth anniversary of the Republic, could only be dedicated, book by boo, to the eight ... (show all)Americans I love best of all.
And so, Rachel, this is for you. - First words
- The woman's face burned, glowed as though illuminated by a shaft of sunlight falling from a high cathedral window.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He was soon out of sight of Concord, lost among the other Americans streaming east to fight.
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