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Kent Family Chronicles #1
The Bastard
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 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.
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 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.
528 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1974
About the author
John Jakes
390 books879 followersJohn William Jakes, the author of more than a dozen novels, is regarded as one of today’s most distinguished writers of historical fiction. His work includes the highly acclaimed Kent Family Chronicles series and the North and South Trilogy. Jakes’s commitment to historical accuracy and evocative storytelling earned him the title of “the godfather of historical novelists” from the Los Angeles Times and led to a streak of sixteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers. Jakes has received several awards for his work and is a member of the Authors Guild and the PEN American Center. He and his wife, Rachel, live on the west coast of Florida.
Also writes under pseudonyms Jay Scotland, Alan Payne, Rachel Ann Payne, Robert Hart Davis, Darius John Granger, John Lee Gray. Has ghost written as William Ard.
Also writes under pseudonyms Jay Scotland, Alan Payne, Rachel Ann Payne, Robert Hart Davis, Darius John Granger, John Lee Gray. Has ghost written as William Ard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 617 reviews
October 22, 2014
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 Harold Lamb'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 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 Brak the Barbarian, 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 The Rebels!
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 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 Brak the Barbarian, 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 The Rebels!
November 17, 2010
It's really hard for me to rate this accurately because (and I know this is bizarre) this was one of my absolute favorite books when I was in middle school. I was so big on the Bicentennial Series that it's hard for me to see it clearly.
So. The prose does not hold up. The characters are kind of hilarious in their sexism. But my affection for hearing this story again is pretty unmatched, so: FOUR STARS, DAMMIT.
So. The prose does not hold up. The characters are kind of hilarious in their sexism. But my affection for hearing this story again is pretty unmatched, so: FOUR STARS, DAMMIT.
October 22, 2018
Me being a die-hard History buff, I don't know why, why it took me so long to pick up this book! And I loved it, every work, every sentence, everything! The whole story was very informative even though it's fiction, and throughout the story the main character meets many Historic figures from that time! I like John Jakes writing style, very simple and easy to understand, reminding me of Ken Follett, only and American Ken Follett!
The Bastard starts in 1770 and introduces us to Phillipe Charboneau, a young man residing in Auvergne, France, along with his mother Marie Charboneau. After being born, Phillipe never knew his father, after Marie keeping the secret from him for many years, she finally tells him that his father is James Amberly, the Sixth Duke of Kent, and that she and Phillipe's father met, fell in love and had an affair when they were young, but never married, making Phillipe illegitimate. After the affair however, James returned to England married another aristocrat woman, bearing another child Roger, (Phillipe's brother). But Phillipe's father continued to support him and Marie, and intended for Phillipe to inherit half of his fortune when he was gone. But when Phillipe and Marie receive word that the Duke has fallen deathly ill, they embark to England and once arriving, the Duke's wife and Roger refuse to allow them to see him, and refuse to see Phillipe as the son of the Duke.
After hopeless efforts of trying to convince them, the situation escalates and goes from bad to worse, prompting Phillipe to flee Europe to America, and changing his name to Phillip Kent, whilst learning the ropes in America, arriving in Boston, and along the way, meeting many famous historic figures such as the Founding Fathers of America, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, also some I've never heard of, Edmund Burke, I could go on forever, HAHA! And Philip participates in many real-life Historic events, such as the Boston Tea Party, and the beginning days of the American Revolution.
Left penniless after arriving in America, Philip is starving and homeless, until he meets Benjamin Edes, publisher of the Boston Gazette who hires Philip for a printing job at his firm. While residing in the town Philip meets the beautiful Anne Ware, daughter of Abraham Ware, who contributes to the Boston Gazette, and Philip and Anne slowly begin a romantic relationship.
Reading this book has made me learn so much more about stuff I should've learned in school, but sadly never did, and like I said, I'm a big History buff, and I strongly recommend it to other History lovers. A great tale and great introduction to what I think is going to be an epic Family Saga for generations!!
Now onto Part II, The Rebels!
The Bastard starts in 1770 and introduces us to Phillipe Charboneau, a young man residing in Auvergne, France, along with his mother Marie Charboneau. After being born, Phillipe never knew his father, after Marie keeping the secret from him for many years, she finally tells him that his father is James Amberly, the Sixth Duke of Kent, and that she and Phillipe's father met, fell in love and had an affair when they were young, but never married, making Phillipe illegitimate. After the affair however, James returned to England married another aristocrat woman, bearing another child Roger, (Phillipe's brother). But Phillipe's father continued to support him and Marie, and intended for Phillipe to inherit half of his fortune when he was gone. But when Phillipe and Marie receive word that the Duke has fallen deathly ill, they embark to England and once arriving, the Duke's wife and Roger refuse to allow them to see him, and refuse to see Phillipe as the son of the Duke.
After hopeless efforts of trying to convince them, the situation escalates and goes from bad to worse, prompting Phillipe to flee Europe to America, and changing his name to Phillip Kent, whilst learning the ropes in America, arriving in Boston, and along the way, meeting many famous historic figures such as the Founding Fathers of America, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, also some I've never heard of, Edmund Burke, I could go on forever, HAHA! And Philip participates in many real-life Historic events, such as the Boston Tea Party, and the beginning days of the American Revolution.
Left penniless after arriving in America, Philip is starving and homeless, until he meets Benjamin Edes, publisher of the Boston Gazette who hires Philip for a printing job at his firm. While residing in the town Philip meets the beautiful Anne Ware, daughter of Abraham Ware, who contributes to the Boston Gazette, and Philip and Anne slowly begin a romantic relationship.
Reading this book has made me learn so much more about stuff I should've learned in school, but sadly never did, and like I said, I'm a big History buff, and I strongly recommend it to other History lovers. A great tale and great introduction to what I think is going to be an epic Family Saga for generations!!
Now onto Part II, The Rebels!
August 17, 2012
This book has a soundtrack. When I was 11, my Gram was reading these novels. I would sneak them off her shelves and read them in my room while listening to my favorite ABBA albums. I can't think of this novel without thinking of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You.' I must have read each volume of the Kent Family Chronicles at LEAST four times each with the first three (The Bastard, The Rebels, The Seekers) being my favorites. This was in my pre-historical romance phase and I though this book terribly romantic and terribly smutty. After all, Phillippe kisses the "valley between Alicia's breasts." I had no idea what smutty was, but I did quite like Philip Kent and when Andrew Stevens played him in the mini-series I liked him even more.
When I found these had been re-released, my curiosity got the better of me. I am impressed at my 6th grade self's ability to wade through all the boring paraphrases of the treatises by Messrs. Locke, Rousseau, Adams, Franklin. Really. I have no idea how I managed to stay awake because my forty-something self kept falling asleep. American history is really boring. Sorry Americana buffs. Either that or John Jakes is much more boring than I remember.
Oy, and the cliches. The bit of a slut that lives in the heart of Alicia Parkhurst. The virginal, spitfire Anne Ware. That wacky, horny Mr. Franklin etc.
Still, it's been a fun stroll down memory lane. The ebooks are pretty expensive so I may have to troll the used bookstores for the remaining volumes. Maybe I'll even try to find the Dana Fuller Ross Wagon's West series. Now that would be crazy!o
When I found these had been re-released, my curiosity got the better of me. I am impressed at my 6th grade self's ability to wade through all the boring paraphrases of the treatises by Messrs. Locke, Rousseau, Adams, Franklin. Really. I have no idea how I managed to stay awake because my forty-something self kept falling asleep. American history is really boring. Sorry Americana buffs. Either that or John Jakes is much more boring than I remember.
Oy, and the cliches. The bit of a slut that lives in the heart of Alicia Parkhurst. The virginal, spitfire Anne Ware. That wacky, horny Mr. Franklin etc.
Still, it's been a fun stroll down memory lane. The ebooks are pretty expensive so I may have to troll the used bookstores for the remaining volumes. Maybe I'll even try to find the Dana Fuller Ross Wagon's West series. Now that would be crazy!o
August 14, 2012
Just arrived from USA through BM.
This is the first book of the Kent Family Chronicles.
The plot describes the life of Philippe Charboneau, the bastard son of Duke of Kentland, who in search of his legitimate inheritance, fights with his half brother, Roger, in order to prevail his legal rights.
However, when Philippe and his mother Jane, went to claim his rights, Roger and his mother plot against them and forced them seek refuge quickly in London in order to avoid a false murder charge.
In London, Philippe is introduced to the printing trade. When their hiding-place is uncovered, mother and son decided to sail to the New World.
In Boston, a new life begins for Philippe (he changes his name to Philippe Kent) and he becomes a "Son of Liberty" joining some American patriots and taking part of the well-known Boston Tea Party.
I do recommend this book for all readers interested on the story of the American independence. The plot is fast paced and the all characters are captivating with the introduction of historical personages, such as Ben Franklin, Sam Adams and Lord North.
This is the first book of the Kent Family Chronicles.
The plot describes the life of Philippe Charboneau, the bastard son of Duke of Kentland, who in search of his legitimate inheritance, fights with his half brother, Roger, in order to prevail his legal rights.
However, when Philippe and his mother Jane, went to claim his rights, Roger and his mother plot against them and forced them seek refuge quickly in London in order to avoid a false murder charge.
In London, Philippe is introduced to the printing trade. When their hiding-place is uncovered, mother and son decided to sail to the New World.
In Boston, a new life begins for Philippe (he changes his name to Philippe Kent) and he becomes a "Son of Liberty" joining some American patriots and taking part of the well-known Boston Tea Party.
I do recommend this book for all readers interested on the story of the American independence. The plot is fast paced and the all characters are captivating with the introduction of historical personages, such as Ben Franklin, Sam Adams and Lord North.
February 6, 2013
Back in the seventies my dad and I sometimes read books together. For Christmas one year I bought him the first three books in a boxed set. Sometime later I bought the next two from a book club, so they were hard cover, then the rest as they became available, again in paperback. We both enjoyed them and sometimes discussed them, but I don't remember what exactly. The seventies are a while back.
What I do remember is reading the first and second books: "The Bastard" and "The Rebels." I liked all the books but those two stood out because it was the beginning of our country. What those men, those Minutemen, went through I can't even imagine doing myself. But, if times were to change in America, who knows what one can become capable of doing?
I do love reading history too, but to read it in fiction just doubled the pleasure. To me, Philip Kent was a true hero, and maybe because these were the first really "good" books that I read I remember them so well. That's not quite true. I don't remember so much what actually happened in the books, but at the time, mid-seventies, I really enjoyed them. So the "enjoyment" is what I remember.
What I do remember is reading the first and second books: "The Bastard" and "The Rebels." I liked all the books but those two stood out because it was the beginning of our country. What those men, those Minutemen, went through I can't even imagine doing myself. But, if times were to change in America, who knows what one can become capable of doing?
I do love reading history too, but to read it in fiction just doubled the pleasure. To me, Philip Kent was a true hero, and maybe because these were the first really "good" books that I read I remember them so well. That's not quite true. I don't remember so much what actually happened in the books, but at the time, mid-seventies, I really enjoyed them. So the "enjoyment" is what I remember.
January 31, 2017
11/85, 4 stars ****
Ah, how one's tastes change over the years.
I loved the North & South trilogy, have never read this lot, so thought I'd give the first a go. Unfortunately, though, I probably won't carry on with the next. Not because it was a bad book as such, but just because it did drag on a bit and it obviously just isn't my cup of tea anymore.
I'm still giving it 4 stars though, because it's Mr Jakes, you know, and his historical fiction is always on the mark so he's worth it on that basis alone ;)
Ah, how one's tastes change over the years.
I loved the North & South trilogy, have never read this lot, so thought I'd give the first a go. Unfortunately, though, I probably won't carry on with the next. Not because it was a bad book as such, but just because it did drag on a bit and it obviously just isn't my cup of tea anymore.
I'm still giving it 4 stars though, because it's Mr Jakes, you know, and his historical fiction is always on the mark so he's worth it on that basis alone ;)
December 8, 2015
ENTERTAINING AND ENLIGHTENING.
“There is absolutely nothing inherent in the structure of the universe which dictates that any free man should be expected to obey authority unless he wishes to—for his own benefit, and by his own consent.” (p. 16)
I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why it has taken me—self-professed lover of epic historical novels—so long to get around to reading my first novel by the “godfather of historical novelists,” John Jakes. The Bastard (Kent Family Chronicles #1) was first published forty-one years ago. So where have I been?
Although some of the contrivances for getting protagonist, Phillipe/Philip into and out of peril seemed forcefully contrived, the story was engaging, moved well, and had a very credible feel for time and place. The characters, all vividly drawn and very likable, made it that much easier to enjoy the reading. Minutia, like Paul Revere revealing “My father’s people were Huguenots.” (p.257) and the fact that the revolutionary, rabble-rousing, firebrand of the 1770s, Samuel Adams, was already old, and palsied, and virtually a pauper at the time; kept me feeling like I was gaining new insights.
Recommendation: If you haven’t read The Bastard by now, you should. I’m certainly not planning to let another forty-one years lapse before I delve into my next John Jakes novel, nor should you.
“I often think that far too many Americans today do not know how and why this country came into being—and, more tragic, do not care. Perhaps in some small way, these novels will help remedy that unhappy situation—and prove, at the same time, as entertaining as only an epic adventure of the spirt can be.”—from the Afterword (p. 487)
Barnes and Noble, NOOKbook edition, 538 pages
“There is absolutely nothing inherent in the structure of the universe which dictates that any free man should be expected to obey authority unless he wishes to—for his own benefit, and by his own consent.” (p. 16)
I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why it has taken me—self-professed lover of epic historical novels—so long to get around to reading my first novel by the “godfather of historical novelists,” John Jakes. The Bastard (Kent Family Chronicles #1) was first published forty-one years ago. So where have I been?
Although some of the contrivances for getting protagonist, Phillipe/Philip into and out of peril seemed forcefully contrived, the story was engaging, moved well, and had a very credible feel for time and place. The characters, all vividly drawn and very likable, made it that much easier to enjoy the reading. Minutia, like Paul Revere revealing “My father’s people were Huguenots.” (p.257) and the fact that the revolutionary, rabble-rousing, firebrand of the 1770s, Samuel Adams, was already old, and palsied, and virtually a pauper at the time; kept me feeling like I was gaining new insights.
Recommendation: If you haven’t read The Bastard by now, you should. I’m certainly not planning to let another forty-one years lapse before I delve into my next John Jakes novel, nor should you.
“I often think that far too many Americans today do not know how and why this country came into being—and, more tragic, do not care. Perhaps in some small way, these novels will help remedy that unhappy situation—and prove, at the same time, as entertaining as only an epic adventure of the spirt can be.”—from the Afterword (p. 487)
Barnes and Noble, NOOKbook edition, 538 pages
August 1, 2009
(The Kent Family Chronicles 8-Volume Set: The Bastard, The Rebels, The Seekers, The Furies, The Titans, The Warriors, The Lawless, The Americans (Kent Family Chronicles, Volumes 1 thru 8) (Hardcover)
by John Jakes (Author))
In the beginning there is a bastard who meet some well known historical people in England. He follows them back to the Americas. This is before the war for independence.
This was my first introduction to John Jakes. I fell in love with this writer's style and characters. I was lent the first 4 vol. of the series, which i read within 5 days while working about an eight hour day. Add a hour for driving to and from work and that leave 9 hours you can't spend reading. I didn't get much sleep because once I started this book, I could not put it down or it's followups until I had finished them.
As I understood it, the books were supposed to go from 1776 to 1976. He didn't make it. The last vol. went to Teddy Roosevelt. But trust me, he covered a hell of a lot on history through a lot of relatives across the continent in those books! Here's the grand thing about the series, by using all these relatives, he takes us back and forth and all over the United States of America. So you get a panoramic view of history instead of the chopped up version I got in high school and in college.
If you like well documented history, a good read with well developed characters, pick them up, take a week off, lock yourself in a room, and enjoy the ride!
(Oh, I forgot to tell you the lesson I learned. My best friend Cathy lent me the first 4 books. I finished only to discover there was another book in the series. I was so mad at her. It was after 10 p.m. I didn't care. I called her up demanding to know why she had not given it to me. She had to gaul to tell me, "It's not out yet." So I had to wait and wait until each one came out. Get as many as you can so you don't get stuck having to wait for the next one when you are ready for it now!)
ps. This one review is for all 8 the books in the series.
by John Jakes (Author))
In the beginning there is a bastard who meet some well known historical people in England. He follows them back to the Americas. This is before the war for independence.
This was my first introduction to John Jakes. I fell in love with this writer's style and characters. I was lent the first 4 vol. of the series, which i read within 5 days while working about an eight hour day. Add a hour for driving to and from work and that leave 9 hours you can't spend reading. I didn't get much sleep because once I started this book, I could not put it down or it's followups until I had finished them.
As I understood it, the books were supposed to go from 1776 to 1976. He didn't make it. The last vol. went to Teddy Roosevelt. But trust me, he covered a hell of a lot on history through a lot of relatives across the continent in those books! Here's the grand thing about the series, by using all these relatives, he takes us back and forth and all over the United States of America. So you get a panoramic view of history instead of the chopped up version I got in high school and in college.
If you like well documented history, a good read with well developed characters, pick them up, take a week off, lock yourself in a room, and enjoy the ride!
(Oh, I forgot to tell you the lesson I learned. My best friend Cathy lent me the first 4 books. I finished only to discover there was another book in the series. I was so mad at her. It was after 10 p.m. I didn't care. I called her up demanding to know why she had not given it to me. She had to gaul to tell me, "It's not out yet." So I had to wait and wait until each one came out. Get as many as you can so you don't get stuck having to wait for the next one when you are ready for it now!)
ps. This one review is for all 8 the books in the series.
May 8, 2022
This was a fantastic start to this epic series, I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this. The way John Jakes interweaves history with unforgettable characters never disappoints. I really enjoyed the scenes with Benjamin Franklin in particular. However, I hated the series of choices Philip makes towards the end of this book so that’s why it only got 4 stars. Can’t wait to continue in this series though! Yay!
January 15, 2020
I’ve wanted to read a John Jakes book for awhile, and I’m so glad I did. This is a first book in a long series set in early America. This book ends with the first battle of the revolutionary war. The book follows Philip Kent from France to England to finally America. He fails to get his inheritance from his alleged father. He becomes a printer and a Son of Liberty, and there it goes on. Great storytelling! I plan to continue series..
September 29, 2019
Jakes is a fabulous story teller. Although somewhat of a slow start which many books have-things start to heat up in many ways as the main character makes his way to England and beyond. Lots of surprises and ‘how is he gonna get out of this’ moments well done. Looking forward to devouring the rest of the series!
April 5, 2015
Excellent story....and it left me wanting to read more in the series.
October 21, 2012
The Bastard, written in 1974, is the first book of John Jakes bicentennial series. From the first sentence of the first paragraph on the first page the story grabs you and takes you on an unforgettable trip from France through England and to a new land across the sea. Phillipe Charboneau, being raised by his mother Marie, leads a lonely life at the family inn in France. Circumstances soon find them traveling to England where they meet a family of printers and the snobbish elite of English society. Phillipe clashes with his newly found half-brother and has to hide among the masses of London. There he learns the trade of printing and that nowhere is safe for Phillipe and his mother. Eminent danger forces them to leave England and seek a life in a new world that is just beginning to stir toward revolution.
The Bastard sweeps the reader from the old order of Europe to the new world in North America and into a war that changes history forever. John Jakes weaves a story around well known historical figures as Phillip Kent (Phillipe Charboneau) grows into manhood as a country grows into a nation. I highly recommend this book and this series for all Americans and history lovers.
I’m re-reading this volume with the express intention of re-reading the entire series. I can find no fault with my first review but since writing it have read several criticisms by other Goodreads members about John Jakes use of prominent historical figures in weaving his stories. I can only say that (with the exception of Lord North, Prime Minister of Great Britain) all of his historical personages were, at the time of their interaction with Jakes’ factious characters, just people going about their daily lives and doing what they believed in. This was a time of uncertainty and only history and fate raised them in a position of notoriety and didn’t leave them in the dust of infamy, ignominy and long forgotten would-be patriot.
The Bastard sweeps the reader from the old order of Europe to the new world in North America and into a war that changes history forever. John Jakes weaves a story around well known historical figures as Phillip Kent (Phillipe Charboneau) grows into manhood as a country grows into a nation. I highly recommend this book and this series for all Americans and history lovers.
I’m re-reading this volume with the express intention of re-reading the entire series. I can find no fault with my first review but since writing it have read several criticisms by other Goodreads members about John Jakes use of prominent historical figures in weaving his stories. I can only say that (with the exception of Lord North, Prime Minister of Great Britain) all of his historical personages were, at the time of their interaction with Jakes’ factious characters, just people going about their daily lives and doing what they believed in. This was a time of uncertainty and only history and fate raised them in a position of notoriety and didn’t leave them in the dust of infamy, ignominy and long forgotten would-be patriot.
July 7, 2023
In the very first chapter of The Bastard, we have the main character having a Symbolic Dream about his Destiny, wondering why he’s Different from Everyone Else in this poor provincial town, getting beaten up by bullies, and losing his virginity to a maidservant, who forces wine down his throat and basically rapes him in his mother’s hayloft.
Once I read this chapter, I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for. And I wasn’t disappointed. The Bastard is fanfiction-caliber wish-fulfillment, through and through. But for all that, it’s very entertaining wish-fulfillment.
The main character, Philippe Charbonneau, is the bastard son of a French actress and an English duke. Not a landed squire, not an MP, not a baronet, not even an earl, but a friggin’ DUKE, as in the highest rank of English nobility, someone who’s closely connected or even related to the British royal family! Even better, the duke, despite marrying a noblewoman, has still been carrying a torch for Marie Charbonneau, the French actress he had a fling with twenty-some years ago! So much so, that he’s even sent her letters, stating that he wants his bastard son to inherit half his fortune!
The sheer implausibility of this scenario is staggering. For all John Jakes’ reputation as someone who does careful historical research, he doesn’t seem to have done much research on the British nobility, class attitudes of the 18th century, or social mores of the time period. And yet he could have made the situation work if he’d just made Philippe’s father an untitled but landed gentleman. But no; his father had to be a duke. Honestly, I can’t tell if Jakes wanted his hero to be Just That Special, or if he just picked a random noble title and didn’t look back.
And the implausibility just keeps piling up. Through an incredibly contrived situation, Philippe saves the life of the thirteen-year-old Gilbert du Motier, the future Marquis de Lafayette, who insists that Philippe call him “Gil” (seriously). He invites Philippe to his chateau in thanks and gives him a sword. That’s right: a French noble in the 1770s thanks a peasant boy for saving his life by inviting him to his chateau and giving him a sword. Jakes does know why there was a French Revolution, doesn’t he? He does know that the prevailing attitude of many French nobles towards peasants was “treat them like dirt” or “pretend they don’t exist,” right?
This meeting with the future Marquis also begins one of Jakes’ most annoying writing quirks, what I like to call “historical name-dropping”. Jakes’ characters meet every well-known historical figure from the time period. In this book, for example, Philippe Charbonneau meets the Marquis de Lafayette, Lord North, Benjamin Franklin, Charles James Fox, William Molineux, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Edes, John Adams, and Henry Knox. And it’s not like he just bumps into them once or twice, or shakes hands with them, or catches a glimpse of them. No, Philippe has to be close friends with them, or talk politics with them, or participate in the Boston Tea Party or Revere’s midnight ride with them. Jakes is never graceful or subtle about this, either. It feels like he’s saying, “Ha! My character knows Benjamin Franklin! See? SEE? He belongs in this time period! Oh, and he also knows Paul Revere and Samuel Adams! HE BELONGS IN THIS TIME PERIOD, DAMMIT!”
What makes this most maddening is that Jakes’ characters never seem like real people from the 18th century: they seem like 20th-century cosplayers or actors in cheap costumes. This becomes obvious once Marie gets a letter saying the duke is dying, and she and Philippe go to England and to his estate to claim the inheritance. They act more like middle-class Americans from the 20th century than French peasants from the 18th century, doing things that would have gotten them thrown off the estate in real life, if not put in the stocks or even jailed. Marie yells at the duchess, demanding to see the duke. She tries to force her way into the house past the servants. She calls the duke “James” at one point, in front of the duchess! Philippe is even worse. He sasses back at the duke’s legitimate son, Roger, when Roger taunts him. When the Prime Minister comes to visit, Philippe yells radical political taunts at him.
I think we’re supposed to sympathize with Philippe and Marie, when the duchess refuses to listen to Marie’s claims of Philippe’s paternity and Roger has his servants constantly hounding Philippe, trying to drive him out of Kent. But I had no sympathy at all. By 20th-century American standards, these two were standing up for their just rights. By 18th-century European standards, they were doing the equivalent of stalking and harassing a celebrity or a politician. Bottom line: if you were lower-class in the 18th-century, you did not behave this way to members of the upper class, unless you were insane, or you had a death wish.
I get what Jakes was trying to write: a pair of European peasants are denied the fortune they feel entitled to, all because of the old class system of Europe (hence why they need to seek a new life in America). But it doesn’t work, because the old class system of Europe barely inconveniences the Charbonneaus, except when it hurts their pride. In real life, bad things happened to members of the lower classes who stepped out of line—imprisonment, public humiliation, ostracism, transportation to a penal colony, or execution. None of that happens here, but the Charbonneaus and Jakes make it sound like being driven away from the estate and not being allowed to see the duke are the most unjust punishments that could be inflicted on these people.
Again, if Jakes had only thought more carefully, he could have made the situation work. Instead of making Marie and Philippe peasants, he could have made them wealthy middle-class people. Then their hurt pride at being looked down on by the nobility would make sense. Then they might be able to get away with showing their anger to noblemen and their servants (although it would still be pretty stupid). I’ll admit that seeing poor people going up against rich people is a lot more satisfying than seeing rich people going up against rich people with titles. But as I said, Marie and Philippe don’t behave like poor people from the 18th century, so the whole situation falls apart.
Apart from the historical inaccuracies, the book is an absolute cliché storm. Roger, Philippe’s legitimate half-brother, is evil and violent, because of course he is. He even has an oddly-shaped birthmark on his forehead. He tries to kill Philippe numerous times during the story. Philippe gets involved in a love triangle--with a “Madonna” and a “whore” figure, naturally. The “whore,” Alicia Parkhurst, is also Roger’s fiancée, and she and Philippe meet for trysts on a hill on the duke’s estate. But we know she’s bad news, because even though she’s having sex with Philippe, she still wants to marry Roger for—(gasp!)—money! The “Madonna,” Anne Ware, is a sharp-tongued, strong-minded, chaste woman, but of course she’s still good-looking, with a nice rack (which Jakes mentions numerous times). Of course, Anne is Not Like Other Girls, and there’s a whole subplot about how her mother died of depression trying to fit into the role prescribed for women in 18th-century society, and how she resolves that the same thing won’t happen to her. Spoiler alert: Anne’s ultimate fate is much worse. In fact, Jakes’ buildup of Anne as a strong-minded, capable, determined woman in this book makes what happens to her in Book 2 all the more unspeakably vile.
So, was there anything about this book I liked? So far, all I’ve done is complain. But believe it or not, there were parts of the book I liked. Once Philippe got to America and changed his name to Philip, the story improved noticeably, probably because his brashness didn’t stand out as much when he was surrounded by revolutionaries as it did when he was surrounded by nobles. Also, Philip faced actual, believable problems once he got to America: homelessness, poverty, and having to work his way up from nothing. In fact, the believability of the whole story got better, although the historical name-dropping got worse. And despite how silly it gets a lot of the time, Philippe/Philip does have a character arc. He starts out desperate for money and a place in high society, then he goes to America and learns to work and to fight for what he believes in, and by the end of the book, he has pride, money he earned on his own, a new nationality, and a cause to fight for. As a standalone novel, this book would have been satisfying and fun, despite the anachronisms and the clichés.
Unfortunately, Jakes had planned to write a family saga stretching all the way to 1976. After this book, he also must have decided to make his series a SERIOUS, EPIC family saga. And when authors who are used to writing pulpy, non-serious fiction decide to go SERIOUS and EPIC, oh, boy, are we in trouble. It’s all downhill from here. Read The Bastard and make up your own stories about the Kent family. Whatever you think up will be more interesting, more plausible, and less offensive than what actually happens in the other books.
Once I read this chapter, I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for. And I wasn’t disappointed. The Bastard is fanfiction-caliber wish-fulfillment, through and through. But for all that, it’s very entertaining wish-fulfillment.
The main character, Philippe Charbonneau, is the bastard son of a French actress and an English duke. Not a landed squire, not an MP, not a baronet, not even an earl, but a friggin’ DUKE, as in the highest rank of English nobility, someone who’s closely connected or even related to the British royal family! Even better, the duke, despite marrying a noblewoman, has still been carrying a torch for Marie Charbonneau, the French actress he had a fling with twenty-some years ago! So much so, that he’s even sent her letters, stating that he wants his bastard son to inherit half his fortune!
The sheer implausibility of this scenario is staggering. For all John Jakes’ reputation as someone who does careful historical research, he doesn’t seem to have done much research on the British nobility, class attitudes of the 18th century, or social mores of the time period. And yet he could have made the situation work if he’d just made Philippe’s father an untitled but landed gentleman. But no; his father had to be a duke. Honestly, I can’t tell if Jakes wanted his hero to be Just That Special, or if he just picked a random noble title and didn’t look back.
And the implausibility just keeps piling up. Through an incredibly contrived situation, Philippe saves the life of the thirteen-year-old Gilbert du Motier, the future Marquis de Lafayette, who insists that Philippe call him “Gil” (seriously). He invites Philippe to his chateau in thanks and gives him a sword. That’s right: a French noble in the 1770s thanks a peasant boy for saving his life by inviting him to his chateau and giving him a sword. Jakes does know why there was a French Revolution, doesn’t he? He does know that the prevailing attitude of many French nobles towards peasants was “treat them like dirt” or “pretend they don’t exist,” right?
This meeting with the future Marquis also begins one of Jakes’ most annoying writing quirks, what I like to call “historical name-dropping”. Jakes’ characters meet every well-known historical figure from the time period. In this book, for example, Philippe Charbonneau meets the Marquis de Lafayette, Lord North, Benjamin Franklin, Charles James Fox, William Molineux, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Edes, John Adams, and Henry Knox. And it’s not like he just bumps into them once or twice, or shakes hands with them, or catches a glimpse of them. No, Philippe has to be close friends with them, or talk politics with them, or participate in the Boston Tea Party or Revere’s midnight ride with them. Jakes is never graceful or subtle about this, either. It feels like he’s saying, “Ha! My character knows Benjamin Franklin! See? SEE? He belongs in this time period! Oh, and he also knows Paul Revere and Samuel Adams! HE BELONGS IN THIS TIME PERIOD, DAMMIT!”
What makes this most maddening is that Jakes’ characters never seem like real people from the 18th century: they seem like 20th-century cosplayers or actors in cheap costumes. This becomes obvious once Marie gets a letter saying the duke is dying, and she and Philippe go to England and to his estate to claim the inheritance. They act more like middle-class Americans from the 20th century than French peasants from the 18th century, doing things that would have gotten them thrown off the estate in real life, if not put in the stocks or even jailed. Marie yells at the duchess, demanding to see the duke. She tries to force her way into the house past the servants. She calls the duke “James” at one point, in front of the duchess! Philippe is even worse. He sasses back at the duke’s legitimate son, Roger, when Roger taunts him. When the Prime Minister comes to visit, Philippe yells radical political taunts at him.
I think we’re supposed to sympathize with Philippe and Marie, when the duchess refuses to listen to Marie’s claims of Philippe’s paternity and Roger has his servants constantly hounding Philippe, trying to drive him out of Kent. But I had no sympathy at all. By 20th-century American standards, these two were standing up for their just rights. By 18th-century European standards, they were doing the equivalent of stalking and harassing a celebrity or a politician. Bottom line: if you were lower-class in the 18th-century, you did not behave this way to members of the upper class, unless you were insane, or you had a death wish.
I get what Jakes was trying to write: a pair of European peasants are denied the fortune they feel entitled to, all because of the old class system of Europe (hence why they need to seek a new life in America). But it doesn’t work, because the old class system of Europe barely inconveniences the Charbonneaus, except when it hurts their pride. In real life, bad things happened to members of the lower classes who stepped out of line—imprisonment, public humiliation, ostracism, transportation to a penal colony, or execution. None of that happens here, but the Charbonneaus and Jakes make it sound like being driven away from the estate and not being allowed to see the duke are the most unjust punishments that could be inflicted on these people.
Again, if Jakes had only thought more carefully, he could have made the situation work. Instead of making Marie and Philippe peasants, he could have made them wealthy middle-class people. Then their hurt pride at being looked down on by the nobility would make sense. Then they might be able to get away with showing their anger to noblemen and their servants (although it would still be pretty stupid). I’ll admit that seeing poor people going up against rich people is a lot more satisfying than seeing rich people going up against rich people with titles. But as I said, Marie and Philippe don’t behave like poor people from the 18th century, so the whole situation falls apart.
Apart from the historical inaccuracies, the book is an absolute cliché storm. Roger, Philippe’s legitimate half-brother, is evil and violent, because of course he is. He even has an oddly-shaped birthmark on his forehead. He tries to kill Philippe numerous times during the story. Philippe gets involved in a love triangle--with a “Madonna” and a “whore” figure, naturally. The “whore,” Alicia Parkhurst, is also Roger’s fiancée, and she and Philippe meet for trysts on a hill on the duke’s estate. But we know she’s bad news, because even though she’s having sex with Philippe, she still wants to marry Roger for—(gasp!)—money! The “Madonna,” Anne Ware, is a sharp-tongued, strong-minded, chaste woman, but of course she’s still good-looking, with a nice rack (which Jakes mentions numerous times). Of course, Anne is Not Like Other Girls, and there’s a whole subplot about how her mother died of depression trying to fit into the role prescribed for women in 18th-century society, and how she resolves that the same thing won’t happen to her. Spoiler alert: Anne’s ultimate fate is much worse. In fact, Jakes’ buildup of Anne as a strong-minded, capable, determined woman in this book makes what happens to her in Book 2 all the more unspeakably vile.
So, was there anything about this book I liked? So far, all I’ve done is complain. But believe it or not, there were parts of the book I liked. Once Philippe got to America and changed his name to Philip, the story improved noticeably, probably because his brashness didn’t stand out as much when he was surrounded by revolutionaries as it did when he was surrounded by nobles. Also, Philip faced actual, believable problems once he got to America: homelessness, poverty, and having to work his way up from nothing. In fact, the believability of the whole story got better, although the historical name-dropping got worse. And despite how silly it gets a lot of the time, Philippe/Philip does have a character arc. He starts out desperate for money and a place in high society, then he goes to America and learns to work and to fight for what he believes in, and by the end of the book, he has pride, money he earned on his own, a new nationality, and a cause to fight for. As a standalone novel, this book would have been satisfying and fun, despite the anachronisms and the clichés.
Unfortunately, Jakes had planned to write a family saga stretching all the way to 1976. After this book, he also must have decided to make his series a SERIOUS, EPIC family saga. And when authors who are used to writing pulpy, non-serious fiction decide to go SERIOUS and EPIC, oh, boy, are we in trouble. It’s all downhill from here. Read The Bastard and make up your own stories about the Kent family. Whatever you think up will be more interesting, more plausible, and less offensive than what actually happens in the other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
I enjoyed this and will keep reading! Very reminiscent of North and South, which I enjoyed too :)
June 14, 2020
John Jakes makes American history come alive. The Bastard is set in the years before the American Revolution and the main character, Phillipe Charbeneau, is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Kentland. When he tries to make a claim on the Duke's estate, hearing he has died, he is run out of England, but not before he falls in love and seduces the fiance of his legitimate rival, the true son and heir of Kentland. He and his mother, who is intent on him claiming his inheritance and taking his place as an aristocrat, escape to London where they are rescued by a family of printers. In their shop, Phillipe learns a trade, meets Benjamin Franklin, and decides to emigrate to America. It's in America that he learns the meaning and cost of freedom, meets a patriot's daughter and has to decide what side he's on. Does he still want to claim his inheritance and claim his birthright as a nobleman's bastard son, or does he want to become a Son of Liberty, and step into the future, and marry the American patriot's daughter?
The Bastard is an extremely well crafted historical novel that effectively places the main character between a rock and a hard place. The tension Phillipe feels between the two women he loves represents the tension between the new and the old. He's torn between the love of one from the old world of privilege and wealth, and the other a patriot's daughter, who is committed to the new ideal of liberty and self-determination. Phillipe makes the right choice in the end, but the issues are so clearly drawn between his conflicting loves that the issues of the old and new become easy to understand. It's a practical view of the origins of American history, a retelling that never gets old. If you would like to good overview of the issues facing the American colonists with their English overlords, this is a good story to begin with.
The Bastard is an extremely well crafted historical novel that effectively places the main character between a rock and a hard place. The tension Phillipe feels between the two women he loves represents the tension between the new and the old. He's torn between the love of one from the old world of privilege and wealth, and the other a patriot's daughter, who is committed to the new ideal of liberty and self-determination. Phillipe makes the right choice in the end, but the issues are so clearly drawn between his conflicting loves that the issues of the old and new become easy to understand. It's a practical view of the origins of American history, a retelling that never gets old. If you would like to good overview of the issues facing the American colonists with their English overlords, this is a good story to begin with.
October 2, 2020
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.
July 14, 2012
John Jakes has a way of engaging you immediately with his characters while immersing you in the historical period. He adds a bit of romance to spice things up. The Bastard is the first in a series of eight novels called The Kent Family Chronicles. The author provides a family tree tracing the Kent family through all eight books, indicating which characters inhabit which books.
In The Bastard, we see the mercantile class in France, royalty of England, and freedom-seeking patriots in America. The book concludes with the battle at Concord, the beginning of the American Revolution. We meet Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Main character, Philip Kent, finds himself in America working in a Boston print shop. Though he is a bastard son of British royalty, he must choose sides when he finds himself confronted with The Boston Tea Party and his personal dilemmas.
In The Bastard, we see the mercantile class in France, royalty of England, and freedom-seeking patriots in America. The book concludes with the battle at Concord, the beginning of the American Revolution. We meet Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Main character, Philip Kent, finds himself in America working in a Boston print shop. Though he is a bastard son of British royalty, he must choose sides when he finds himself confronted with The Boston Tea Party and his personal dilemmas.
August 21, 2017
I'm not sure if I felt excited rereading this book again after more than 20 years... but I did have a nice time catching up with an old fictional friend. As an adult I feel as though the book was a little trashy..sometimes even annoying. I'm not sure if I want to reread the rest of the series.. I guess time will decide.
January 31, 2013
This was one of the first major historical novels that I have ever read and have been hooked on them ever since! This novel took a time in history and made it vivid and clear for the reader. Full of adventure and wonderful characters. I honestly do not know how many times I have read this novel and still found it amazing! Highly recommended-the whole series!
February 19, 2021
I read this because my mom told me to. But it was good! If you're into historical fiction and really long chapters, this book is IT.
December 10, 2023
omg amazing!!!
I remember when my mom read this book when I was a kid. Well now that I’m older and love history thought I would check it out. Wow I’m glad I did. It’s full of action, treachery, revenge and love. Takes place around the revolutionary war that is about to begin. Historical figures are in this book along with other great characters. The Kent family chronicles book 1 is phenomenal.
I remember when my mom read this book when I was a kid. Well now that I’m older and love history thought I would check it out. Wow I’m glad I did. It’s full of action, treachery, revenge and love. Takes place around the revolutionary war that is about to begin. Historical figures are in this book along with other great characters. The Kent family chronicles book 1 is phenomenal.
Read
January 30, 20234.5 stars - flew through this book! I love John Jakes. I was desperate for a family story like this one - based heavily in history (family not real but history is). This one is during the American Revolution. Let me tell you - this is a GREAT way to learn about history and have a great story to go along with it. I have learned so much that I probably learned years ago in history class but just never remembered! I am already 1/2 way through the second one now.
June 15, 2018
Intriguing
I enjoy historical literature immensely, especially when written in a manner that makes me believe these historical people were real. John Jake's does that for me.
I enjoy historical literature immensely, especially when written in a manner that makes me believe these historical people were real. John Jake's does that for me.
April 18, 2020
This is the first book in the Kent Family Chronicles, a series of eight historical novels that tell the story of the United States up to the time of the American Revolution. It uses a mix of historical and fictional characters and real life events to track several generations of a family, giving readers a taste of drama and romance as well as a few lessons in history. John Jakes has earned a reputation as a great story teller and the fact this series first published back in 1974 is still active on library shelves, proves its staying power.
The story begins in 1770 in the province of Auvergne in France where Marie Charboneau and her seventeen year old son Phillipe live quietly in an isolated inn. Phillipe never knew the identity of his father until one evening when his mother finally revealed the secret she had kept for many years, that he was the bastard son of James Amberley the 6th Duke of Kent. She has a signed and witnessed document attesting to his ancestry and his right to an inheritance his father has left him when he dies.
When Marie and Phillipe learn the Duke is dying, they hurry to London to claim the inheritance but are quickly stopped by the Duke’s wife Lady Jane and his only son Roger, an unlikeable fellow who sneers at them and dismisses their claim to half of the Duke’s wealth. Even the family’s physician Dr. Bleeker who is caring for the ailing Duke, colludes with Lady Jane to prevent Phillip from seeing his father, insisting the Duke’s physical condition is such that he cannot have visitors. What follows is Marie and Phillipe’s long and fruitless attempts to see the Duke and claim what is due them, but Lady Jane and her son Roger are equally determined to keep Phillipe’s rightful inheritance from him and have wealth, influence and power on their side. As Marie and Phillipe wait out the Duke’s death at a nearby inn, Roger has Phillipe followed and harassed by thugs. Meanwhile Phillipe has begun meeting secretly with Alicia Parkhouse, Roger’s beautiful fiancée and the couple begins a love affair. Alicia does not love Roger, but like other marriages of the upper classes, it was arranged years ago so the nobility could maintain their land and accumulated wealth. It is a promise she is expected to keep. She experiences a new and different relationship with Philippe, one that is kind, caring and sexually fulfilling but she knows it has no future.
A number of attempts are made on Phillipe’s life and after a violent altercation with Roger in which Phillipe severely injures Roger’s hand, Roger promises to get his revenge and hires assassins to kill his brother. Although these attempts are thwarted, Marie and Roger are forced to flee to London hoping they can get lost in the city crowds but even there they encounter danger as they dodge the beggars in the streets as well as Roger’s hired killers.
Phillipe tries to begin a new life and apprentices himself to a printer to learn the trade, but Roger’s men keep following and threatening him and after more close calls Marie and Phillipe decide they must leave the country. Phillipe is convinced there is no way he will ever be successful in claiming his inheritance as the Amberleys have the money and influence to buy whatever help they need to get rid of him and will not stop until they are successful. He is quickly learning that the poor and the powerless in the world are always at the mercy of those in authority. Marie is devastated they have not succeeded in claiming Phillipe’s rightful inheritance and that her dreams of position and power for her son have been dashed. She begins to sink into a depression. They set sail for America, where Phillipe has heard that a good life can come to those who work hard and a man can be successful no matter how humble his beginnings. But during the trip across the sea to, Marie sinks further into depression and dies.
When Phillipe lands in Boston he has already changed his name to Philip Kent. He wanted a new identity and was concerned that having a French name in a British colony might hinder his chances of success. For years, the French had been enemies of the British people and Philippe did not need that old history hanging over his head. He has nothing but the clothes on his back, his mother’s leather casket which holds the document attesting to his legacy and a valuable sword bequeathed to him by the Marquis de Lafayette, a nobleman he befriended in Auvergnon. As he tries to learn the layout of the town and look for work, he sees British soldiers everywhere, strolling about town with an air of annoying superiority, milling among the people but maintaining their distance from the riff-raff.
After days wandering the streets and alleys, starving, homeless, filthy and feverish, he is hired as a helper by a printer who gives him a job and a room in his cellar. Ben Edes, the owner of the press, wants to make his Gazette the most influential paper in New England and at the same time use it as a way the Patriots of Boston can share their outrage at the British King and his ministers who try to rule them from afar. The issue of taxes levied against goods arriving in the port has sparked their latest outrage and the colonists, questioning the right of those in London to impose taxes on them without their consent, refuse to pay them. They have no representation in the British parliament and insist they alone have the right to determine what is taxed in their own country.
Philip finds his new work as a printer’s helper places him in the midst of this political turmoil as Boston becomes the center for resistance against the King. During this time he meets Ann Ware, an independent woman who has no interest in the womanly activities of securing a husband and children but is interested in books and politics. Philip, initially put off by her sharp tongue and attitude, finds he is fascinated and attracted to this woman who is poised, intelligent and strong minded. Her father Andrew Ware, a respected lawyer who is also involved in the American fight for freedom, writes inflammatory essays under the name of “Patriot” in the Gazette and so the two often encounter each other when she brings her father's essays to be printed.
As time passes, the relationship between the colonies and Britain become more fraught with tension. It is not long before the inevitable happens, guns are fired and the fight for America’s independence begins. While that conflict erupts, Philip and Ann must navigate difficulties in their relationship when people from Philip’s past once again enter his life.
This installment of the series focuses on Philip’s struggle to find out who he is, who he wants to be and what direction his future will take. He is forced to struggle between two women who he loves for different reasons. His first love Alicia, represents everything he had been taught to aspire to during his years growing up in Auvergne and what his mother had so long worked to get for him. But his interactions with the Amberleys taught him that the world of the nobility was a world of cruelty, devoted to the ruthless use of wealth, position and power at the expense of others. Even so, there was a part of him that craves admission to that world. Ann, on the other hand represented something else entirely, but it is a life of uncertainty and struggle, a life of hard work with no guarantees of success. It makes him wary. He does not feel confident he would ever be able to develop a successful printing business in Boston in the midst of so much political turmoil and he fears a life of poverty with all the dangers it would bring. But as pressures mount, events occur which force him to make a decision about the direction he will take. Is he to be Phillipe Charboneau the bastard heir of a nobleman or Philip Kent a printer’s helper?
This is a great beginning to an epic series. It is full of American characters such as Ben Franklin, Sam Adams and Paul Revere, figures everyone knows even if they remember only a brief smattering of American history. As Jakes includes these personalities as full blown characters in his narrative, one can’t help but wonder if the way they are portrayed in the narrative bears any resemblance to their true life counterparts. The same can be said about the initial phases of political dissent in the colonies, the description of the famous Boston tea party and the beginning of armed warfare between the British and the Americans. Without an intimate knowledge of American history it is difficult to know how much is grounded in factual history and how much is a fiction used to propel the narrative. However these questions do not interfere with a reader’s enjoyment of the story, which clocks in at a whopping 600 pages plus.
This is an entertaining adventure by a master story teller with a bit of everything -- history, well drawn characters, historical touch points, romance and even some suspense. The plot moves quickly and one hardly notices how much they are leaning about history as the ongoing story fully captures their attention.
The next book in this ongoing saga is “The Rebel” and I will certainly move on to it, now fully committed to the entire series.
The story begins in 1770 in the province of Auvergne in France where Marie Charboneau and her seventeen year old son Phillipe live quietly in an isolated inn. Phillipe never knew the identity of his father until one evening when his mother finally revealed the secret she had kept for many years, that he was the bastard son of James Amberley the 6th Duke of Kent. She has a signed and witnessed document attesting to his ancestry and his right to an inheritance his father has left him when he dies.
When Marie and Phillipe learn the Duke is dying, they hurry to London to claim the inheritance but are quickly stopped by the Duke’s wife Lady Jane and his only son Roger, an unlikeable fellow who sneers at them and dismisses their claim to half of the Duke’s wealth. Even the family’s physician Dr. Bleeker who is caring for the ailing Duke, colludes with Lady Jane to prevent Phillip from seeing his father, insisting the Duke’s physical condition is such that he cannot have visitors. What follows is Marie and Phillipe’s long and fruitless attempts to see the Duke and claim what is due them, but Lady Jane and her son Roger are equally determined to keep Phillipe’s rightful inheritance from him and have wealth, influence and power on their side. As Marie and Phillipe wait out the Duke’s death at a nearby inn, Roger has Phillipe followed and harassed by thugs. Meanwhile Phillipe has begun meeting secretly with Alicia Parkhouse, Roger’s beautiful fiancée and the couple begins a love affair. Alicia does not love Roger, but like other marriages of the upper classes, it was arranged years ago so the nobility could maintain their land and accumulated wealth. It is a promise she is expected to keep. She experiences a new and different relationship with Philippe, one that is kind, caring and sexually fulfilling but she knows it has no future.
A number of attempts are made on Phillipe’s life and after a violent altercation with Roger in which Phillipe severely injures Roger’s hand, Roger promises to get his revenge and hires assassins to kill his brother. Although these attempts are thwarted, Marie and Roger are forced to flee to London hoping they can get lost in the city crowds but even there they encounter danger as they dodge the beggars in the streets as well as Roger’s hired killers.
Phillipe tries to begin a new life and apprentices himself to a printer to learn the trade, but Roger’s men keep following and threatening him and after more close calls Marie and Phillipe decide they must leave the country. Phillipe is convinced there is no way he will ever be successful in claiming his inheritance as the Amberleys have the money and influence to buy whatever help they need to get rid of him and will not stop until they are successful. He is quickly learning that the poor and the powerless in the world are always at the mercy of those in authority. Marie is devastated they have not succeeded in claiming Phillipe’s rightful inheritance and that her dreams of position and power for her son have been dashed. She begins to sink into a depression. They set sail for America, where Phillipe has heard that a good life can come to those who work hard and a man can be successful no matter how humble his beginnings. But during the trip across the sea to, Marie sinks further into depression and dies.
When Phillipe lands in Boston he has already changed his name to Philip Kent. He wanted a new identity and was concerned that having a French name in a British colony might hinder his chances of success. For years, the French had been enemies of the British people and Philippe did not need that old history hanging over his head. He has nothing but the clothes on his back, his mother’s leather casket which holds the document attesting to his legacy and a valuable sword bequeathed to him by the Marquis de Lafayette, a nobleman he befriended in Auvergnon. As he tries to learn the layout of the town and look for work, he sees British soldiers everywhere, strolling about town with an air of annoying superiority, milling among the people but maintaining their distance from the riff-raff.
After days wandering the streets and alleys, starving, homeless, filthy and feverish, he is hired as a helper by a printer who gives him a job and a room in his cellar. Ben Edes, the owner of the press, wants to make his Gazette the most influential paper in New England and at the same time use it as a way the Patriots of Boston can share their outrage at the British King and his ministers who try to rule them from afar. The issue of taxes levied against goods arriving in the port has sparked their latest outrage and the colonists, questioning the right of those in London to impose taxes on them without their consent, refuse to pay them. They have no representation in the British parliament and insist they alone have the right to determine what is taxed in their own country.
Philip finds his new work as a printer’s helper places him in the midst of this political turmoil as Boston becomes the center for resistance against the King. During this time he meets Ann Ware, an independent woman who has no interest in the womanly activities of securing a husband and children but is interested in books and politics. Philip, initially put off by her sharp tongue and attitude, finds he is fascinated and attracted to this woman who is poised, intelligent and strong minded. Her father Andrew Ware, a respected lawyer who is also involved in the American fight for freedom, writes inflammatory essays under the name of “Patriot” in the Gazette and so the two often encounter each other when she brings her father's essays to be printed.
As time passes, the relationship between the colonies and Britain become more fraught with tension. It is not long before the inevitable happens, guns are fired and the fight for America’s independence begins. While that conflict erupts, Philip and Ann must navigate difficulties in their relationship when people from Philip’s past once again enter his life.
This installment of the series focuses on Philip’s struggle to find out who he is, who he wants to be and what direction his future will take. He is forced to struggle between two women who he loves for different reasons. His first love Alicia, represents everything he had been taught to aspire to during his years growing up in Auvergne and what his mother had so long worked to get for him. But his interactions with the Amberleys taught him that the world of the nobility was a world of cruelty, devoted to the ruthless use of wealth, position and power at the expense of others. Even so, there was a part of him that craves admission to that world. Ann, on the other hand represented something else entirely, but it is a life of uncertainty and struggle, a life of hard work with no guarantees of success. It makes him wary. He does not feel confident he would ever be able to develop a successful printing business in Boston in the midst of so much political turmoil and he fears a life of poverty with all the dangers it would bring. But as pressures mount, events occur which force him to make a decision about the direction he will take. Is he to be Phillipe Charboneau the bastard heir of a nobleman or Philip Kent a printer’s helper?
This is a great beginning to an epic series. It is full of American characters such as Ben Franklin, Sam Adams and Paul Revere, figures everyone knows even if they remember only a brief smattering of American history. As Jakes includes these personalities as full blown characters in his narrative, one can’t help but wonder if the way they are portrayed in the narrative bears any resemblance to their true life counterparts. The same can be said about the initial phases of political dissent in the colonies, the description of the famous Boston tea party and the beginning of armed warfare between the British and the Americans. Without an intimate knowledge of American history it is difficult to know how much is grounded in factual history and how much is a fiction used to propel the narrative. However these questions do not interfere with a reader’s enjoyment of the story, which clocks in at a whopping 600 pages plus.
This is an entertaining adventure by a master story teller with a bit of everything -- history, well drawn characters, historical touch points, romance and even some suspense. The plot moves quickly and one hardly notices how much they are leaning about history as the ongoing story fully captures their attention.
The next book in this ongoing saga is “The Rebel” and I will certainly move on to it, now fully committed to the entire series.
August 12, 2019
"Je suis une sale garce, tu ne peux pas me tuer" - Phillipe Charboneau
"I'm a bad bitch, you can't kill me." - Philip Kent
Holy hell, my history loving soul needed this story.
This book was long, this book was intense, this book was extremely well paced, and this book was....well...let's just say it had that bitter after taste that sits in the mouth after consuming something problematic. But I'll get to that in a minute
First, what is this book about?
The Bastard follows the story of Phillipe Charboneau, the son of a retired actress/tavern owner living in a farming village in France. All of Phillipe's life, his mother has prepared him for something greater than the life they currently lead. He doesn't find out until the age of seventeen that he is the bastard child of the English Duke of Kentland, and apparently the Duke isn't a complete pile of garbage and has promised half of his inheritance upon his death to Phillipe.
Long story short, Phillipe's mother receives word that the Duke has fallen ill and could die at any moment. So, naturally, she scoops up her son and runs off to England to make their claim to the family's fortune. And, naturally, this does not go over well.
And so begins the adventures of Phillipe as he travels from France to the countryside of England, to London, to Boston, to Concord, Philadelphia, AND MORE.
But before I get into the specifics and my overall thoughts I wanted to touch on that little sprinkle of problematic content real quick before it literally eats me alive.
I'm not sure where in the "Product of its Time" field this book falls in. Published in 1974 and taking place throughout the mid 1770s, there was a lot going against it. I was sent for a whirlwind almost immediately as the teenage Phillipe drags himself home after a brutal beating from his bully of a neighbor and passes out inside his family's barn. He is woken up by their kitchen maid, Charlotte, who reeks of wine and forces herself on Phillipe quite aggressively. I was....uncomfy, to say the least.
After that shady slice of sexual assault, Phillipe goes on for a record breaking amount of time of only having sex outdoors and in barns. I'm not kidding when I tell you that toward the end of the book when Phillipe (or Philip, as he was called at that point) finally went to consensual pound town on a BED, I vocally celebrated....while sitting on a crowded train on my commute home. I was very proud of him.
The majority of the rest of the problems I had tended to be within Philipe/Philip's internal thoughts. Mostly things he didn't actually act on, but still spooked me a bit.
Examples of this were his internally stated intentions that "he would bed her before the month was up." Like....aight Philip, take a breath for a second.
Or "He kept his fists at his sides and repressed his impulse to wrap his hands around her neck". Philip....GEEZ.
Now.....for the most part, he never acts on these things. He just thinks them. And actions speak louder than internalized thoughts. However, I thought it was important to at least point them out and how reading these thoughts coming from the story's hero was a bit...
But I digress.
Also the fact that one of the African American characters was referred to as "the black" within the narrative which was a biiiiiiiit
OH, AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. This...this one scene.
So.....with all those things considered.....let's move on.
I didn't find anything in the overall message of this book to be harmful in anyway and it was actually a bit informational for anyone who might not be a weirdo who knows the entire timeline of the Revolutionary War by heart, like me. So. With the aforementioned moments of uncomfiness aside, I really, really, enjoyed this book.
I can't comprehend how this is only 500+ pages, with the amount of events that took place and the amount of time that went by, it felt like it should have been at least 1,000+.
Phillipe/Philip traveled through three countries within this story, made sets of friends in every single one, and was beaten senseless by at least one person in every location he landed in! Amazing!
I think the most spectacular part about this book was the fact that Philip interacted with people of this time who are almost on a godlike level in American history today and every interaction felt natural.
It didn't matter the name, Franklin, Lafayette, Adams, Revere, every historical figure who crossed Philip's path felt like they were meant to be there and not forced there by the author to give us a recognizable name.
The fact that he developed relationships with all of these people and it never felt cheesy is a testament to Jakes' writing, considering the rough examples of this exact tactic I've read in other books. The best example would have to be Louisa Morgan's A History of Witches where one of the characters joins a coven run by the Queen of England in World War II to......stop the war...with magic? It was one of the roughest inclusions of a real historical figure I've ever read, and the last one I read before picking up The Bastard, so I was clenched and ready for disappointment. Thankfully, Philip and his complete dumb luck won me over and getting to see these powerhouse names through the eyes of a character who feels real and relatable was a lot of fun for a 1770s America history buff!
So.....going through the Goodreads reviews of this book, I'm starting to feel like I might be the youngest person alive at this exact moment who has read this. I can not find a single review written by anyone my own age. So, that being said, if you have read this book, I would like to take this time to yell.
Hold on to your tricorns, everyone.
February 26, 2013
There was a level of simplicity in the story that disappointed me. I enjoy an epic feeling in historical fiction. Ultimately, I cannot fault the simplicity of the story as the main character of the story is himself a simple man. I suppose I can't be too harsh as I stayed awake until 1 am to finish the book.
I often found the supporting characters more interesting than the main character. The entirety of the first book is a journey of the main character to determine who he wants to be and who he is. This coupled with multiple serendipitous moments that lead to story progression was also disappointing.
On the other hand, like any good historical fiction, you are made to feel as if you are looking into another period of time. The elements of the story and the historical setting feel natural. As a Canadian, my knowledge of American History is limited. Although I recognized several supporting characters, i.e. Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Ben Revere, I am oblivious as to whether the elements of the story accurately depict the historical events. Regardless of this, you leave the story feelings as if the events truly took place.
Overall, the book was enjoyable and I look forward to continuing the series.
I often found the supporting characters more interesting than the main character. The entirety of the first book is a journey of the main character to determine who he wants to be and who he is. This coupled with multiple serendipitous moments that lead to story progression was also disappointing.
On the other hand, like any good historical fiction, you are made to feel as if you are looking into another period of time. The elements of the story and the historical setting feel natural. As a Canadian, my knowledge of American History is limited. Although I recognized several supporting characters, i.e. Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Ben Revere, I am oblivious as to whether the elements of the story accurately depict the historical events. Regardless of this, you leave the story feelings as if the events truly took place.
Overall, the book was enjoyable and I look forward to continuing the series.
January 13, 2010
The first of an 8 volume set of historical fiction by John Jakes. The Kent Family Chronicles done around the bi-centenial covers the Kent family from the 1770s to the 1970s. The Bastard starts out with Phillipe living with his mother Marie in France. His mother tells him that he is the bastard son of an English noblemen. Marie and Phillipe travel to England to insure Phillipe will inherit part of his father's estate. When they arrive they find out his father is dead and his half brother Roger wants Phillipe eliminated.
Phillipe and his mother Marie travel to America to avoid being killed by Roger and his henchmen. Marie dies in transit and Phillipe Charbanou changes his name to Phil Kent.
In America he has interactions with many famous revolutionary figures including Paul Revere and Ben Franklin. He participates in the Boston Tea Party and first battle of the Revolutionary War.
I am a history buff and I enjoy Jake's manner of weaving a fictional story about the Kent family into the history of our country. It gives you an "eye witness" view on important parts of our country's history. I am looking forward to reading the next volume.
Phillipe and his mother Marie travel to America to avoid being killed by Roger and his henchmen. Marie dies in transit and Phillipe Charbanou changes his name to Phil Kent.
In America he has interactions with many famous revolutionary figures including Paul Revere and Ben Franklin. He participates in the Boston Tea Party and first battle of the Revolutionary War.
I am a history buff and I enjoy Jake's manner of weaving a fictional story about the Kent family into the history of our country. It gives you an "eye witness" view on important parts of our country's history. I am looking forward to reading the next volume.
June 14, 2010
Another book I sort of "stumbled" into. I like history and some historical fiction. This one and the couple of its sequels I read treaded dangerously close to what I would call "soap opera" status.
We follow Philip from the time in his "youth" when he discovers (from his mother who has kept the secret till this point) that he is the "bastard" of the title. He is the unacknowledged son of James Amberly, the 6th Duke of Kent. Cool...except that the duke's family isn't thrilled about his existence.
Life is tough (I mean really, really) tough for Philip and his mother. We follow them through the trials and tribulations of survival. Finally they cross the ocean to the Colonies where eventually some well known names get drawn into the story, Philip deals with a love triangle (or rectangle or some other geometric form) finally finding love and joining the American revelation.
Not a bad read and it sold a "bunch". It was just a little more involved with our character's love "lives" than I usually care for.
We follow Philip from the time in his "youth" when he discovers (from his mother who has kept the secret till this point) that he is the "bastard" of the title. He is the unacknowledged son of James Amberly, the 6th Duke of Kent. Cool...except that the duke's family isn't thrilled about his existence.
Life is tough (I mean really, really) tough for Philip and his mother. We follow them through the trials and tribulations of survival. Finally they cross the ocean to the Colonies where eventually some well known names get drawn into the story, Philip deals with a love triangle (or rectangle or some other geometric form) finally finding love and joining the American revelation.
Not a bad read and it sold a "bunch". It was just a little more involved with our character's love "lives" than I usually care for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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