Homeland: The Crown Family Saga, 1890-1900 [Paperback]

John Jakes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

Living in the Chicago mansion of his brewery tycoon uncle, Pauli Kroner clashes with his proud guardian and, forced into life on the city's dark side, becomes Paul Crown, a man driven by power and ambition. Reprint. NYT. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The bestselling author of North and South returns with a new first-rate historical series that begins in 1890s Berlin, where young Pauli Kroner ekes out a living as a kitchen helper in a posh hotel. When his consumptive aunt dies, the orphaned Pauli books steerage to America, hoping to be reunited with his wealthy uncle, Joseph Crown, who fought for the Union Army and now heads a brewery empire in Chicago. Surviving a long, perilous journey, Pauli meets his American relatives, among them Aunt Ilsa, whose progressive views cause almost as much friction in the family as eldest son Joe Jr.'s alliance with the socialist labor movement. Pauli unexpectedly falls in love with Julie Vanderhoff, strong-willed daughter of a Chicago meat-packing millionaire who hates foreigners, further complicating the drama. Jakes portrays the Crowns, leading civic figures in Chicago, moving among a crowd of influential and important people, including Jane Addams, Teddy Roosevelt and Eugene Debs. Chock-full of fascinating period detail, his captivating story brings to life the sounds, smells and tastes of turn-of-the-century America in a manner comparable to Michener's Hawaii and Doctorow's Ragtime . An absolute must for the beach. Author tour; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-In 1892, an orphaned German teenager, Pauli, comes to America to live with his uncle's family in Chicago. He arrives with the typical immigrant's vision of a flawless new homeland. During the next 10 years he experiences firsthand labor strife; poverty, greed, and crime in the city's slums; and suffering in the Cuban battlefields of 1898. Increasingly, his idealistic picture of the country changes until the end of the book when he sees his new homeland as a place where "men are free." Likewise, the three-dimensional main characters have strengths and weaknesses, good points and faults. Theodore Roosevelt, Eugene Debs, Thomas Edison, Clara Barton, and Jane Addams make their appearances, and readers witness the growing labor-union movement, the women's-rights struggle, national expansionism, and the beginning of the moving-picture industry. The book's major drawback is its length. However, readers who are willing to invest the time will find it an interesting view of the U.S. at the turn of the century.
Shirley B. Blaes, R.E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553564994
• ISBN-13: 978-0553564990
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,746,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Story Telling At Its Best, March 31, 2004

By 

James D. Miller (Murfreesboro, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homeland (Historical Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

At a time when the world stood on the brink of a new century, America struggled to find its place upon the global stage, and huddled masses of immigrants streamed across its borders with little more than the clothing on their backs and a yearning to breath free. It was a time of innovation and invention, a birth of a new technological age, when labor collided violently with management; fathers with sons and America found itself in a war to set a country free.

"Homeland," John Jakes' epic tome is not set during the turbulent decade of 1990's (as one might expect after having read my introductory paragraph) but rather a full century earlier. Beginning where his "Kent Family Chronicles" left off in 1891, and ending in the first year of the twentieth century, 1901, Jakes begins a new cycle of novels with a new family, the Crowns of Chicago.

Jakes casts his protagonist, Pauli Kroner, as a young urchin, wandering the streets of Berlin. Orphaned, Pauli lives with his consumptive aunt, Charlotte, who, in a last act of selflessness sends Pauli to live with his uncle, Joseph Crown, who has amassed his fortune in the brewing trade of Chicago. But all is not happy in the Crown household. The forces of change at work in America are straining the family. Uncle Joe barely tolerates the progressive attitude of his wife Ilsa and has constant verbal clashes with his oldest son, Joe Jr., who has taken up sides with the socialist labor union movement, an issue which precipitates one final clash between father and son, after which Joe Jr. runs away and Pauli finds himself expelled from the household for aiding his cousin in his escape. Now known as Paul Crown he must eke out an existence in the streets of Chicago, and soon finds himself standing at the doorstep of the fledgling moving picture business as a camera operator and an eyewitness to history.

From the Pullman strike and the fairgrounds of Chicago's Colombian Exposition to the Cuban battlefields of the Spanish-American War John Jakes intricately weaves the historical events of the last decade of the nineteenth century throughout his novel and peppers it with historical Characters such as Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams, Clara Barton, Eugene Debs and Thomas Edison to name but a few.

John Jakes has earned the title "Godfather of the Historical Novel," and with "Homeland" the Crowns of Chicago can rightfully take their place beside the Kents of "The Kent Family Chronicles," the Hazard and Main families of the "North and South" trilogy, and the Chances of "California Gold."

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One line can't summarize 1200 pages, July 2, 1999

By 

Edward Gordon Brown - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homeland (Historical Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

Does picking up a book that is 1200 pages long discourage you in any way? It didn't discourage me because it was John Jakes who wrote it. Before picking this up to read it, I see he says this is his best so far. As for being his best, I can't really say that because it wouldn't be fair on his other works, I will simply say this: It is a FANTASTIC read. Full of action, suspense, romance, intrigue, and of course, richly layered with accurate and precise historical information in a way that only John Jakes can. An absolute must for anyone who likes historical novels.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!!!!!, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Homeland (Historical Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

John Jakes has scored big on this one. This book is a real page turner! The characters are genuinely interesting and how they come together is amazing! John Jakes is a master. Can't wait to read the sequel. I never thought I could read a book that's 1200 pages, but this one doesn't seem nearly that big as you absorb every word late in the nite!!!!!!