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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining Historical Fiction,
By
This review is from: Captains and the Kings: The Story of an American Dynasty (Mass Market Paperback)
There are two sides to this book, one is typical of the romantic pulp fiction style of the 70's, this is first the life story of Joseph Armagh, a destitute orphan who emigrated from Ireland because of the famine. His bitter experiences in childhood leave him cold hearted and in pursuit of money at all costs, and he achieves incredible wealth and power in America. His goal at any price is to make his son president of the United States. There was a made for TV mini series based on this story.The other more interesting part of this book though is about the control of wealth and real power in the world in the hands of a few. Taylor Caldwell has written an add on to the story that is a warning that the "controllers" are not fiction and were more powerful than ever. In the Captains and the Kings some historical events described are the US civil war, the presidencies of Lincoln, labor struggles, the making of Teddy Roosevelt, and immigration. Was the civil war after all just an event arranged & set up mainly by rich European bankers for profit? Are all wars always set up by a handful of distant people for profit? This book really makes you wonder
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An epic American novel,
By
This review is from: Captains and the Kings: The Story of an American Dynasty (Mass Market Paperback)
Joseph Armbaugh was only 12 years old when his mother brought him and his siblings from Ireland to America to reunite with his father, who had come before them. Tragedies occurred and the reunion never happened. Suddenly Joseph was on his own and was the sole support of his young brother and sister. He worked with driven single-mindedness to provide for his family and he learned what is took to survive in his adopted land. He set goals for each person in his family and he was devastated when they had other ideas. His loveless marriage was arranged much like a business deal, and it allowed him to begin a relentless pursuit to make his son President of the United States. Although wealthy and powerful, Joseph was no match for unseen forces which pulled strings and manipulated politicians, businessmen, and countries. This is an American tragedy, written with beautiful prose, unrelenting realism, and extraordinary insight. It is a book you will not soon forget.
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book For All Reasons,
By
This review is from: Captains and the Kings: The Story of an American Dynasty (Mass Market Paperback)
If I could recommend only one book, it would be Taylor Caldwell's "Captains and the Kings." Here are three reasons.
Caldwell's fascinating tale is filled with ironic, powerful, and unique insight into human nature and behavior. She will entice you into turning page after page without rest, until you reach the end of her story. Then you'll sit wondering if you really read all that, tempted to go back to read it again. Craftsmanship and story-weaving earns "Captains and the Kings" a place among the world's ten best books. Caldwell writes historical fiction with intimate knowledge and perception. Her readers often wonder if she actually lived through the times she depicts with her pen. It's been said that she believed that herself; many of her other books tend to encourage this idea. "Captains and the Kings" offers a vivid and unsettling view of an earlier and much different America, in a time that was more free and open than our modern age, but also more dangerous and a great deal more heartless. If you've always wondered what the term "nitty gritty" means, read this novel! So saying, I boost the book into my top-five list! Finally, this book has defined my experience with personal computers, the Internet, and Reality (tm) itself! After purchasing an Amiga 1000 almost twenty years ago, I found my way onto a BBS that feaured FidoNet forums. I began reading and posting on the "Issues" board. One poster commented cryptically that "Taylor Caldwell's 'Captains and the Kings' exposes how the Council on Foreign Relations rules the world." I was driven (as if by an invisible hand) to the public library, seeking out Taylor Caldwell's book. I found a captivating, often dark story that gripped my interest in sinuous coils as its weaving, bobbing head rose up to mess with my memes. With her right hand, Caldwell uses her suburb writer's skill to dazzle and entertain, but the whole time, her Left hand is busy imparting knowledge and understanding of how things really work in this world. She administers her synergistic potion in just the right strength, proportion, and rhythm to assure that most of us who might never otherwise read about a "Conspiracy" lap this up like mother's milk. During the ensuing decades, I used the 'Net to verify what I'd read; and I learned a whole lot more. In retrospect, speaking as someone who has "earned a Ph.D. in Conspiracy Theory," it's necessary to add a small disclaimer: Caldwell does not tell all. There are things she could not or would not divulge. But don't fret! If you've had your eyes on the news the past few years - and especially the last few weeks - you'll certainly discern the missing part. The late Sufi, Idries Shah, claimed there are times when long-hidden knowledge suddenly becomes available to one and all. We are living through such a time! Summarizing, Captains and the Kings is a remarkably well-written and captivating piece of historical fiction that will carry you back to an earlier and intriguing America at the same time it fuels you with subtle insight and knowledge and kick starts your thinking machine, proving once and for all that willful ignorance is the only real sin. I visited Amazon this evening to buy a used copy of this book for a workplace friend. So I dedicate this review of Taylor Caldwell's "Captains and the Kings" to Ernestine.
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