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Great Son
THE SCENE: Seattle from village to skyscraper city; the Alaskan gold fields.TIME: 1851 - 1941.THE SUBJECT: Four generations of the marvelous Melendys--a frontier family grown rich and ill at ease.THE AUTHOR: Edna Ferber, who wrote So Big, Cimarron, Show Boat, and other great novels straight from the heart of America.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
11 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Edna Ferber
280 books285 followersEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 16, 2024
Apr 14, 10am ~~ Review asap.
Apr 16, 1150am ~~ The author says in her introduction that this could have been a trilogy, there was so much she wanted to say in her story about her fictional Seattle family and the actual history of the city. As I was reading I could certainly see the way the book would have worked if she had indulged in following a strict timeline in each character's lives. And it would indeed have been gargantuan.
But I very much enjoyed the way she worked out her problem of having almost too much story to tell. The story takes place at a very specific time of United States history, but I do not feel right about divulging when it was since the buildup to what happens on that day creates a lot of the tension throughout these pages.
The Melendy family is full of great characters with interesting back stories. Any one of them could have been the main focus of their own book. But presented all together this way the reader is better able to enjoy Ferber's talent for creating vital people with dramatic lives and interactions.
I enjoyed them all, but I think I liked Pansy better than anyone else. She was not a Melendy by blood or marriage but she was part of the clan just the same. The reasons for that are deep in spoiler territory so I think I will just stop here before I spill all the beans and no one will want to go read for themselves.
Apr 16, 1150am ~~ The author says in her introduction that this could have been a trilogy, there was so much she wanted to say in her story about her fictional Seattle family and the actual history of the city. As I was reading I could certainly see the way the book would have worked if she had indulged in following a strict timeline in each character's lives. And it would indeed have been gargantuan.
But I very much enjoyed the way she worked out her problem of having almost too much story to tell. The story takes place at a very specific time of United States history, but I do not feel right about divulging when it was since the buildup to what happens on that day creates a lot of the tension throughout these pages.
The Melendy family is full of great characters with interesting back stories. Any one of them could have been the main focus of their own book. But presented all together this way the reader is better able to enjoy Ferber's talent for creating vital people with dramatic lives and interactions.
I enjoyed them all, but I think I liked Pansy better than anyone else. She was not a Melendy by blood or marriage but she was part of the clan just the same. The reasons for that are deep in spoiler territory so I think I will just stop here before I spill all the beans and no one will want to go read for themselves.
April 24, 2012
WHY IS THIS OUT OF PRINT?!
I read most of this on the train from Chicago to Grand Rapids-it made the trip seem much shorter than it actually was. I was completely absorbed from the first page:
"There was too much of everything. But not for Vaughan Melendy. Himself of heroic stature, he fitted well into the gorgeous and spectacular setting that was the city of Seattle. Towering and snow-capped like the mountains that ringed the city, he seemed a part of it-as indeed he was. Born into this gargantuan northwest region of towering forests, limitless waters, vast mountains, fertile valleys, he himself blended into the lavish picture and was one with it. He loved it, he understood it. Breathing deep of its pine and salt air, a heady draught, he digested it like the benevolent giant he was."
This book is about a family living in Seattle during WW2. Many of the characters are introduced right away but the author delves deeply into their individual pasts so that the reader truly gets to know them.
It goes back in time to reveal Vaughan Melendy's time in Klondike, mining gold, finding love. It goes back to the back to the beginning of the family's life in Seattle as it presents the migration of Madam Exact Melendy's parents. (Madam in Vaughan's mother and oldest person in Seattle. She is highly revered for her rite as one of the first pioneers).
The Melendy family is wealthy. Madam lives in the biggest house on the highest hill. You learn that Emmy takes advantage of her riches and looks down on most other people. She is thoroughly engaged in the keeping of the house (even though she doesn't lift a finger-her Japanese servants take care of everything). You learn that Pansy is a truly good person and more than Vaughan's mistress; she's the love of his life. You learn that Lina's only passion is for the stage. You learn a lot about these people. It's like watching a reality show but more...real.
Okay, I've written a lot. Just wanted to say that this is a really good book by one of America's best (though somehow nearly forgotten) authors. I LOVE HER!!!!!!
I read most of this on the train from Chicago to Grand Rapids-it made the trip seem much shorter than it actually was. I was completely absorbed from the first page:
"There was too much of everything. But not for Vaughan Melendy. Himself of heroic stature, he fitted well into the gorgeous and spectacular setting that was the city of Seattle. Towering and snow-capped like the mountains that ringed the city, he seemed a part of it-as indeed he was. Born into this gargantuan northwest region of towering forests, limitless waters, vast mountains, fertile valleys, he himself blended into the lavish picture and was one with it. He loved it, he understood it. Breathing deep of its pine and salt air, a heady draught, he digested it like the benevolent giant he was."
This book is about a family living in Seattle during WW2. Many of the characters are introduced right away but the author delves deeply into their individual pasts so that the reader truly gets to know them.
It goes back in time to reveal Vaughan Melendy's time in Klondike, mining gold, finding love. It goes back to the back to the beginning of the family's life in Seattle as it presents the migration of Madam Exact Melendy's parents. (Madam in Vaughan's mother and oldest person in Seattle. She is highly revered for her rite as one of the first pioneers).
The Melendy family is wealthy. Madam lives in the biggest house on the highest hill. You learn that Emmy takes advantage of her riches and looks down on most other people. She is thoroughly engaged in the keeping of the house (even though she doesn't lift a finger-her Japanese servants take care of everything). You learn that Pansy is a truly good person and more than Vaughan's mistress; she's the love of his life. You learn that Lina's only passion is for the stage. You learn a lot about these people. It's like watching a reality show but more...real.
Okay, I've written a lot. Just wanted to say that this is a really good book by one of America's best (though somehow nearly forgotten) authors. I LOVE HER!!!!!!
May 8, 2023
I liked the setting in rural Seattle at that time . Also the family dynamics were interesting.
Want to read
September 16, 2015I read this sometime around its original publication date, never dreaming that I would end up living in Seattle. I'm anxious to re-visit it, as when I moved here, knowing very little about Seattle (that corny 70's TV show and FRANGOS every Xmas from friends' who'd lived here)....at any rate, when I moved here from the hip metropolis of Albuquerque, people frowned and asked, "Why would you move there?"
Ahh, Seattle....I hardly know the city any more. Boom and bust, indeed.
Off to search for this book. I remember it being good. This book and "Sometimes A Great Notion" were my ore-Seattle move education. I wanted to live somewhere with trees and water. By now, would skip the dreary winters and the loss of Seattle's heritage -- Scandinavians, Garlic Gulch, Boeing, fishermen who were not telegenic reality TV guys...all the little Craftsman houses replaced with Lego condos....bike lanes for people crazy enough to ride bikes in a region where it gets dark at 3:30 in December (and these are some pricey bikes)....
Do I sound, as my son says, like a crotchety old woman?
Edna Ferber -- important enough as a female author to have a stunning stamp with her image on it. One of my idols.
Ahh, Seattle....I hardly know the city any more. Boom and bust, indeed.
Off to search for this book. I remember it being good. This book and "Sometimes A Great Notion" were my ore-Seattle move education. I wanted to live somewhere with trees and water. By now, would skip the dreary winters and the loss of Seattle's heritage -- Scandinavians, Garlic Gulch, Boeing, fishermen who were not telegenic reality TV guys...all the little Craftsman houses replaced with Lego condos....bike lanes for people crazy enough to ride bikes in a region where it gets dark at 3:30 in December (and these are some pricey bikes)....
Do I sound, as my son says, like a crotchety old woman?
Edna Ferber -- important enough as a female author to have a stunning stamp with her image on it. One of my idols.
December 5, 2013
I grew up in Seattle and recognize almost everywhere her characters visited. I even had a house on the working class side of Queen Anne Hill overlooking the Fishermen's Wharf.
I realize this book was published during the Second World War and Japan was our enemy; but, be prepared for a degree of racism that would not be tolerated today. The Japanese household staff is consistent portrayed as sly and untrustworthy. I knew many Japanese growing up in the 1950s -- my 4-H leader and her family were interned -- and they were not viewed in this manner.
Most of her books have stood the test of time; this one does not.
I realize this book was published during the Second World War and Japan was our enemy; but, be prepared for a degree of racism that would not be tolerated today. The Japanese household staff is consistent portrayed as sly and untrustworthy. I knew many Japanese growing up in the 1950s -- my 4-H leader and her family were interned -- and they were not viewed in this manner.
Most of her books have stood the test of time; this one does not.
June 16, 2013
Edna Ferber is my all time favorite author. I'd never read this one. Definitely worth it!
November 7, 2025
In the past year, I have read all of Edna Ferber’s major works, some for a second or third time. I’ve come to believe that Ferber is one of America’s unsung authors. She was a fine writer, inventively using language and even punctuation, plus her chronicling of history, geography, and society is a treasure-trove of information from her era. This book, Great Son, is one of her lesser works, but it is rich in the lore of Seattle and the Alaskan Klondike. She peoples her book with colorful characters—which she has a great knack for. And often those characters have fanciful names like Bick Benedict and Jett Rink in Giant, Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat, Sabra and Yancey Cravat in Cimarron, and so many others. In Great Son, we have the matriarch Exact Melendy, not only a fancifully named presence but also another of Ferber’s uber-strong women. Exact is a pioneer of Seattle and in the novel, she is a youthful nonagenarian. No one else in the novel has as much spunk and energy as this very opinionated old woman. The novel almost lacks a plot—that storyline that weaves throughout a book. What it has is a group of sub-plots that eventually culminate in a satisfying tale. We see a story involving Pansy DeLeath, who makes her own way via the hardships of the Klondike Gold Rush; we see Lina Port, the actress who is married to Exact’s son but prefers to live in New York City; we see the German immigrant Regina Dereen, the young woman who certainly has a mind and will of her own; and we see Emma Melendy, the snooty wife of Exact’s son who lives a life that is prim, proper, and to others’ eyes, boring. Ferber weaves an interesting and entertaining book, though not as remarkable as many of her other works. But we readers are lucky to have had her for her skill in reporting on twentieth century Texas (Giant,) Alaska (Ice Palace,) Upstate New York (Saratoga Trunk,) the Midwest (So Big,) Oklahoma Territory (Cimarron,) the Mississippi River (Show Boat,) and in Great Son, Seattle.
March 15, 2017
'Terrific in all creation'
My first encounter with Edna Ferber was with Cimarron. No, I didn't read the novel or watch the movie, but the movie is among the worst Best Picture winners in the Academy Awards. After seeing the marginally better Cavalcade, I no longer had any interest in watching it. Its tagline was that, 'terrific in all creation.' I had thus presumed that she wrote about frontier America, and realized that I was right. Although I think she doesn't belong with Katherine Anne Porter or Flannery O'Connor, I believe that she remains to be a first-rate writer, as can be seen in this novel.
This short novel chronicles four generations of the Melendy family and describes their trials, from the immigration of the matriarch, Exact Melendy, to the prospecting and exploration of gold by Vaughan, through the quotidian trials of Dike, and finally, to the epiphany of Michael. There are some lagging parts in the novel, but it's well-written: there's a scene where Michael was described by Vaughan to be similar to him, and it manifests in the denouement: both Michael and Vaughan eschew custom and tradition - although Vaughan married a beauty in Emmy, she was frigid, and he instead loved a 'commoner,' who was Pansy Deleath. A similar vein can be seen in Regina and Michael's romance: Michael chose Regina even if she were a refugee and even if she were a commoner, because she was intelligent, beautiful, and kind. As the novel closes, both Pansy and Regina care for each other as the war was coming into full swing. It's not a masterpiece, but it is a great work of literature.
My first encounter with Edna Ferber was with Cimarron. No, I didn't read the novel or watch the movie, but the movie is among the worst Best Picture winners in the Academy Awards. After seeing the marginally better Cavalcade, I no longer had any interest in watching it. Its tagline was that, 'terrific in all creation.' I had thus presumed that she wrote about frontier America, and realized that I was right. Although I think she doesn't belong with Katherine Anne Porter or Flannery O'Connor, I believe that she remains to be a first-rate writer, as can be seen in this novel.
This short novel chronicles four generations of the Melendy family and describes their trials, from the immigration of the matriarch, Exact Melendy, to the prospecting and exploration of gold by Vaughan, through the quotidian trials of Dike, and finally, to the epiphany of Michael. There are some lagging parts in the novel, but it's well-written: there's a scene where Michael was described by Vaughan to be similar to him, and it manifests in the denouement: both Michael and Vaughan eschew custom and tradition - although Vaughan married a beauty in Emmy, she was frigid, and he instead loved a 'commoner,' who was Pansy Deleath. A similar vein can be seen in Regina and Michael's romance: Michael chose Regina even if she were a refugee and even if she were a commoner, because she was intelligent, beautiful, and kind. As the novel closes, both Pansy and Regina care for each other as the war was coming into full swing. It's not a masterpiece, but it is a great work of literature.
July 25, 2024
I am reluctantly giving this a 3, perhaps 3.5 would be better. Ms Ferber’s writing continually left ‘little gifts’ with her phrasing… The 5-page first chapter with its descriptions of Seattle really exemplified this and captivated me….drew me in.
This book is pretty much history of the Pacific Northwest - (although a slim volume there is a lot packed in) and also a novel of a fictitious ‘founding’ family, several generations (i lost count)
Being written in 1944, the style is somewhat dated and ‘quaint’ which may have affected my rating… but the characters are well painted and varied to boot. There is the matriarch who likes to ‘hold court’ and takes for granted her esteemed place in society, there is the wife who is all about image, the young wife who spends most of her time on stage, the mistress who holds her own… but we get back stories too, like a boat full of brides from the east! And girls brought to the gold country under pretense…
But the aspect that i really loved was hearing some members of the family reflect and say things like ‘all we did was take, what have we given back?’ And in one instance the youngest son/grandson Mike becomes smitten with the girl who is companion to the matriarch, his grandmother. However this causes his mother to have a fit, as she is an immigrant, and Jewish. (Gasp!) But the absolute best was when the mother was wailing about what the newspapers would say about the marriage and says “How can Mike marry that girl?”….”He’s a Melendy and she’s nobody and Jewish besides”
Ah… the zinger reply, “oh she wont mind, she’s real democratic in her views.” Gotta love it!
This book is pretty much history of the Pacific Northwest - (although a slim volume there is a lot packed in) and also a novel of a fictitious ‘founding’ family, several generations (i lost count)
Being written in 1944, the style is somewhat dated and ‘quaint’ which may have affected my rating… but the characters are well painted and varied to boot. There is the matriarch who likes to ‘hold court’ and takes for granted her esteemed place in society, there is the wife who is all about image, the young wife who spends most of her time on stage, the mistress who holds her own… but we get back stories too, like a boat full of brides from the east! And girls brought to the gold country under pretense…
But the aspect that i really loved was hearing some members of the family reflect and say things like ‘all we did was take, what have we given back?’ And in one instance the youngest son/grandson Mike becomes smitten with the girl who is companion to the matriarch, his grandmother. However this causes his mother to have a fit, as she is an immigrant, and Jewish. (Gasp!) But the absolute best was when the mother was wailing about what the newspapers would say about the marriage and says “How can Mike marry that girl?”….”He’s a Melendy and she’s nobody and Jewish besides”
Ah… the zinger reply, “oh she wont mind, she’s real democratic in her views.” Gotta love it!
January 30, 2025
Lovely prose as is usual for Edna Ferber, but I found the story of Great Son a bit of a letdown. I may have preferred it if the book were longer, or didn't split its focus between so many characters. Most of them are decently interesting, but I wish Pansy had been the main character instead of Vaughan. I never really connected to Vaughan's character because it was sort of nebulous. He is really defined more by his relationships to his mother, wife, and mistress than by any qualities independent of them. Maybe this is part of the point, but I found him by far the least intriguing character here. Pansy is more layered and believable. I also found the ending too abrupt, and I was never sure what it was even getting at.
Not at all bad, but nothing really special either.
Not at all bad, but nothing really special either.
March 5, 2025
I had not heard of this book when I discovered it on a shelf in an antique store. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's a story from Seattle's history. Filled with stories from the gold rush days of Seattle, this is the story of a prominent family and the expectations set on their son. Although it's a 1940s publication, the story moves quickly and the characters are engaging. I love revisiting "classic" literature. This is a slow burn, but the action does progress at a pace that kept me interested. I've read other books by Ferber -- this one is equally well done. I'm so glad I stumbled onto this book.
December 1, 2018
I find myself on a trend to read Edna Ferber, having enjoyed "So Big" very much! "Great Son" is entertaining, perhaps not quite the story that other Ferber works may be, but very entertaining and insightful in terms of what it says of human nature. Pansy and Mike, for me, have the most to say, and this seems to be Miss Ferber's view also. Recommended from a classic author.
March 25, 2019
Typical Ferber. Beautiful setting. Interesting characters. I particulary liked the picture of innocent life right before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
September 8, 2022
It began really well...and then I think it lost its way.
July 19, 2025
I enjoyed this a lot, my second Ferber and I am glad to see that she was a prolific author. She seems to excel at family dramas that also comment on society at large.
August 3, 2024
Another fine tale from Ferber. I think it's her characters that I enjoy the most. The story didn't overwhelm me but she creates such interesting people, families, and relationships. The setting in Seattle made this particularly interesting. Looking forward to my next Ferber adventure.
January 27, 2013
I was not wowed but i did enjoy parts of it. only liked the very old madam exact and the very young mike and reggie and of course pansy who was old when young and young when old. Only picked it up to read when i saw it took place in Seattle where i was stationed when in the service. A good one day read but i doubt i will remember it next month
November 6, 2016
It was an OK book. Must be since it was written by Edna Ferber. I think I am spoiled by the movie adaptations of her books. For me the best part of the book was the most interesting. I would recommend it since it is a look at the history of the Kondike during the gold rush and early Seattle as as starting point for the gold diggers.
April 2, 2015
A fairly interesting portrait of a fictional family that founded Seattle. It has engaging descriptions of the panorama and interesting details about the Klondike gold rush, but otherwise is forgettable. Not up to Ferber's best.
March 5, 2008
i love Edna Ferber however be warned that her books are slow and involve a lot of discription
October 19, 2009
Great son by Edna Ferber (1945)
August 6, 2010
I enjoyed it but it did not WOW me. Maybe I'll have to read Giant or So Big to be Wowed by Ferber.
Currently reading
June 6, 2011I am 40 pages in and am waiting to see what will develop.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews