Customer Reviews

Homeland

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4 star:		(6)
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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."

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.

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!!!!!!

Homeland is not a literary masterpiece, but it is a thoroughly engrossing look at turn-of-the-century America through the eyes and adventures of one family. Joe Crown is a German immigrant who has built a successful brewery. Son Joe Junior becomes passionately involved in union activity, while nephew Pauli, a street kid in Berlin, travels to America and finds his calling in moving pictures.

What I love about John Jakes is how he showcases the major issues, struggles and viewpoints of a time period through his characters, but still manages to give the characters depth and allow the reader to connect and relate to them. Once you read Homeland, you'll be anxious to pick up the sequel, American Dreams, to see what happens to the second generation of the Crowns!

In this saga, the author uses the backdrop of the end of the 19th century, with all its upheavals inventions and revolutions, to write about a family that comes to America from Germany.

The main characters belong to the Crown family, whose patriarch, Joe Crown has migrated to America from Germany in the mid 1850's. He has started a brewing empire. However, the author also introduces us to other environments interacting at the same time: the black community, the poor, the struggling workers, the visionists with the "new" cameras, etc.

This is truly an epic work. The author writes in detail about struggles such as the war in Cuba and the American intervention, the Women's struggle for recognition as well as others.

Very well written and presented. Very good work!

This book took me back in time to events that were very important in American History. I often find myself thinking that today's world offers many difficult and unique challenges; however reading "Homeland" helps me to remember how good, many of us have it now, in the twenty-first century. In the 1890's life was very proscribed for women and still very class-based. John Jakes manages to touch upon many very contemporary issues in an objective and interesting way while writing about history. I am delighted to have stumbled upon a new (to me) author and I look forward to reading his other works in times to come.

After reading the full Kent chronicles, which I enjoyed, I expected more of the same in this newer book. I was happily surprised that I stumbled upon a book that is head and shoulders above the former. Length and a bit of slowness early on aside, this book built up into a climax that was interesting, satisfying and believable. I just simply could not put it down during the whole Tampa-Cuba sequence, how Paul kept avoiding/missing his uncle (who had thrown him out of the house), wondering if contact and reconciliation will occur. All in all, the characters were very interesting, their faults and all, the story was very tight and satisfying, the weave of history and fiction superb and the basic concept of the story of an immigrant finding happiness in America was excellent. Well done, Mr. Jakes!

This is the first work of John Jakes that I have read and will definately look for his others.

I have read similar novels abour immigrants and the turn of the century, but this one was of higher quality. Jales told a really good story with excellent character development. It is also the story of America in the 1890s and all the changes of that era.

The characters are well drawn and interesting. I also liked that historical figures (Edison, Teddy Roosevelt, Clara Barton, Jane Addams) also wander in and out.

The story is mostly the experiences of new German immigrant, Paul Crown. Paul is a truly interesting character and he really grows throughout the story.

I look forward to reading the sequel becuase I was sorry when Homeland eneded......

John Jakes has done it again with another great historical epic. The writing and images put the reader in that era. I felt like a part of the Crown family. It was a long book, but I could not put it down!

I WOULD PLACE THIS BOOK RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE OTHER SERIES JAKES WROTE ABOUT THE EARLY AMERICANS.IT IS HISTORICAL.