The Gods of Newport (Hardcover)

by John Jakes (Author) "Jay Gould thrust a sealed envelope at him..." (more)
Key Phrases: smoking cap, New York, Gordon Bennett, Sam Driver (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
True love confronts Gilded Age class hierarchy in Jakes's latest engaging historical potboiler. Railroad tycoon Sam Driver sets out to conquer the summer resort of Newport, R.I., at the 1890s pinnacle of its glamour—and snootiness—in order to avenge its snubbing of his dead wife and find a prestigious match for his daughter, Jenny. It's a world ruled by New York socialites, where the slightest blemish of background or breach of protocol triggers ostracism. Sam struggles to conform while fending off the efforts of an old rival to exclude him, but Jenny throws a monkey wrench into things by falling in love with a handsome, lower-class Irishman. Jakes serves up a melodrama—and satire—of the tyranny of social convention with a girl-power ending. It doesn't always ring true, especially when Sam pressures Jenny to marry the obviously villainous Count Orlov, and action set pieces like a tennis match and a carriage race are less than gripping. But Jakes is a fluent storyteller, and his meticulous reconstruction of fin-de-siècle excess will have fans savoring the lavish details of jewelry, fashion, food and follies. (Nov. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The prolific Jakes scores with a lush new historical saga set on the glamorous, windswept shores of late-nineteenth-century Newport, Rhode Island, the summer playground of the fabulously wealthy. Newport society is ruled by a small but powerful clique of old-money social arbiters. When railroad mogul and former robber baron Sam Driver arrives in Newport in 1893, he is determined to break into the elite inner circle that has tantalized him for the past few decades. Sam's social ambitions also involve his breathtakingly beautiful daughter, Jenny. Although Sam forces Jenny into a loveless marriage with a titled scoundrel, her heart belongs to an impoverished but charming young Irishman. Despite the fact that the recycled plot is a bit worn around the edges, Jakes displays his characteristic flair for class melodrama when he parallels the world of the rich and careless with the world of the hardscrabble underclass who work tirelessly to enable their "social betters" to indulge in their summer idylls. He has fashioned yet another breezy, easy-to-read piece of historical fiction, sure to please his many fans. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525949763
• ISBN-13: 978-0525949763
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse of the good times (?) of the Gilded Age, November 8, 2006

By	Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

A master of historical fiction has given us yet another engaging storyline, this time set just before the turn of the last century.

At its core is Sam Drubermann of Ohio, who worked his way up through the ranks of railroad barons and above-the-law capitalists to become one of the exalted, the upper crust of American society. Changing his last name to Driver to escape some past nastiness, Sam vows to live by a quote he once saw posted in Jay Gould's office: "Never let them get the best of you." To clear his dead wife's name and to establish a legacy for his daughter Jenny, Sam commissions a 20-room cottage to be built at the summer playground of the elite: Newport, Rhode Island. Jenny is intrigued by the promise of being accepted in such a world, but her head is simultaneously turned by a common Irish boy named Prince Molloy. Sam attempts to thwart any relationship between Jenny and Prince, preferring his daughter to marry someone more respectable, like architect Dickie Glossop or Russian emigrant Count Ismail Orlov, an antique dealer. And Sam must also continually deal with the machinations of his old nemesis, William King Brady III. Newport society itself is a main character here. A symbol of decadence and opulence, the coastal town was a place where the "swells" could go to be amongst themselves; a place where the attention of a good woman could be won or lost over the outcome of a tennis match, and where passing another lady's carriage out of turn could be considered the most unforgivable of social gaffes. Even as Sam gets himself and Jenny more firmly enmeshed in Newport, he experiences disturbing and metaphoric nightmares. Is this level of life truly worth the cost?

The title of the book comes from the admonishment of Jenny's Grandfather Penny, who warned her about the dangers of disobeying the First Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." It takes a while for Jenny to realize that Newport offers several such gods disguised as the trappings of high society: namely money, fashion, and reputation. Both she and her father learn a lot about class, about appearances, and about themselves by the close of the book.

"The Gods of Newport" is among Jakes' better novels, combining just the right amount of historical reality and ficticious invention. It provides not only entertainment, but much food for thought. Why are we still in awe of the rich and famous? Would any of us really want to trade places with someone in the upper class? Perhaps Sam Driver would have done well to heed another familiar saying: Be careful what you wish for.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing historical novel about class warfare at the turn of the century, December 7, 2006

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

In the late nineteenth century, Newport, Rhode Island was a vacation haven for the country's wealthiest families. It was a beacon for the likes of the Astors and the Vanderbilts, who built elaborate summer "cottages" along fashionable Bellevue Avenue. These mansions-turned-museums are now open to the public, allowing visitors a glimpse of the Gilded Age excess that once reigned supreme in this seaside resort. But even the most vivid imagination can't fully conjure the realities of Newport in its zenith --- unless you're historical fiction master John Jakes.

In THE GODS OF NEWPORT, Jakes uses Newport as the backdrop for a story about class warfare --- not only between rich and poor but also old money versuses new wealth. In 1894, after the murder of his wife, self-made railroad mogul Samuel Driver is determined to break into the Newport social circle that once spurned his beloved spouse and find a rich and titled husband for his only child, Jenny.

Sam and Jenny arrive in Newport, where Sam uses his vast wealth to garner allies among the elite denizens, build an opulent mansion called Red Rose, and thwart the actions of an old rival determined to exclude and humiliate him. Sam's efforts also include preventing Jenny from seeing a poor, handsome Irishman with whom she falls in love during their first summer in Newport.

Part of the city's hardscrabble underclass, Prince Molloy's only sin is falling in love with a rich man's daughter. Sam contrives to keep the young lovers apart, ordering a thrashing that leaves Prince Molloy scarred physically and mentally and later forcing Jenny into a loveless marriage with a ruthless Count.

In this entertaining page turner, Jakes delivers an engrossing storyline, brings to life a fascinating tableau of characters real and imagined, and gives readers a glimpse into a bygone era that epitomized both glamour and overindulgence at the turn of the twentieth century. (Be sure to read the Author's Note for additional information about what becomes of Prince and Jenny.)

--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good News For a History Buff, January 11, 2007

By	Lloyd Jacquot "History Buff" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I started reading John Jake's books back in the days of the Kent Family Chronicles, and he has made a history buff of me. Jakes is a master at weaving his fictional characters into actual history. The Gods of Newport lives up to what I have learned to expect from John Jakes. I am not sure who some of the fictional characters are, although, actual people are obvious. I did not realize what went on in Newport. In his prologue, Jakes suggests a trip to Newport if you have never been there. That is now on our list of places to go.