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Kent Family Chronicles #1
The Bastard
Moving from the baronial splendor of uppercrust 18th-century Englad to untamed colonial America, the first volumne in this exciting series tells of the folly and ...
462 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1974
3347 people are currently reading
10648 people want to read
About the author
John Jakes
411 books962 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 669 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
July 15, 2025
I originally read this entire series like 35 years ago and loved it! Now I’m rereading as audiobooks and I’m still loving it! The drama and history are fun and interesting! Five stars!
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.
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
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 ;)
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.
October 28, 2024
Great start to an excellent series.
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 7, 2025
Rated 4 stars. Read on Kindle (own). #1 Kent Family. 18th century. Historical fiction that starts in France, then on to England and eventually to Boston, USA just before the American Revolution.
I read this when it was first published in 1974 although I had forgotten most of the details. In my opinion a very entertaining read with a main character, Phillip Kent, who grows emotionally from a young teen to a man in his twenties. No spoilers except to say that he is born in France and will eventually travel to the American colonies on the brink of war with England.
The author makes this time in history come alive and Phillip meets many real historical people such as Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, etc.
Back in the 1970's I never continued the series but I remember Mom & Grandma loving the other books in the series. I have bought them as they've gone on sale and hopefully this will be the year I read more of the Kent Family adventures. I will note that there is a lot of violence that some readers may find disturbing.
I read this when it was first published in 1974 although I had forgotten most of the details. In my opinion a very entertaining read with a main character, Phillip Kent, who grows emotionally from a young teen to a man in his twenties. No spoilers except to say that he is born in France and will eventually travel to the American colonies on the brink of war with England.
The author makes this time in history come alive and Phillip meets many real historical people such as Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, etc.
Back in the 1970's I never continued the series but I remember Mom & Grandma loving the other books in the series. I have bought them as they've gone on sale and hopefully this will be the year I read more of the Kent Family adventures. I will note that there is a lot of violence that some readers may find disturbing.
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
August 20, 2025
I often think that 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 spirit can be.--John Jakes, from the Afterword at the end of the book.
I wish John Jakes was still alive, so I could write him a letter or an email and tell him just how much I loved this book. I first read it when I was in high school way back when and I remember hiding the book from my mother because I didn't think she would approve of the title. Well, I was young and stupid and really didn't understand exactly what the title meant, which interprets to she would've known and wouldn't have cared. But I guess it was the thrill of having something I wasn't supposed to.
Now X many years later, the story took on a whole new dynamic. Yeah, I loved it back then, but now it's past that. I'm much older, still love my history, am able to vote, and totally understand the need for the second and fourth amendments of our Constitution. They aren't just political buzzwords or a way to antagonize people who do not agree. Read this book and see why we need all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, even to this day. Find out what prompted our Founding Fathers to pen this into the Constitution. It will all make sense.
Onto the story...
Phillippe Charbonneau really is a bastard. His mother was an actress in France and his father was a duke in England. They fell in love, but could never marry because he had to marry someone within his class and produce a legitimate heir. He never saw Phillipe, but his mother raised him and educated him like he was nobility, even calling him "little lord." It was a contentious title that created problems for him with the other people around them. He was mocked, tormented, and even beaten over it. But his mother had proof that he was the son of a noble and was entitled to get half of the holdings when the duke died.
Well, the duke fell ill and his wife summoned Phillippe and his mother to England. The duke wanted to see his illegitimate son before he died. That's when this book really picked up steam. He met the duke's wife, their son Roger, whom Phillippe despised and Roger hated him back to an extreme, Alicia Parkhurst who was Roger's fiancee...it was a tangled mess that got way out of hand and eventually sent Phillippe and his mother to America where the story took another turn.
Phillippe had learned to be a printer while he and his mother were on London. He met Ben Franklin (great fun right there), who was candid about the greatest parts of America and even some of the not so great parts. But Marie, Phillippe's mother, was determined to get him his share of the Amberley estate no matter what it took. She forced promises from her son that she had no right to ask, and that put Phillippe in a bad situation. Ultimately, they boarded a ship for the colonies and gosh darn the consequences!
Once in Boston, Phillippe changed his name to Philip Kent, thinking it was more American. His life did a complete one-eighty. He found a job working in a print shop and that exposed him to people like Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and others who were considered the Sons of Liberty. It also allowed him to meet Anne Ware and that's all I'm going to say about that. It changed the trajectory of his life. I had to admit that I got frustrated with him a few times because he was wishy-washy on some topics that had a clear direction in my mind, but I am not him and even though I wanted to shake some sense into him, he had to make those decisions for himself.
This is a magnificent story about what led up to the Revolutionary War in the United States. Shots fired at Lexington and Concord! Come on, guys! It's easy for me to say that since I'm experiencing it from my couch, but for the people who were involved with it, they had to be scared out of their minds. But they had a country to build, an oppressor to slay, and freedom to grab. They put their lives on the line for that and fought like the heroes that they were and still are.
I loved everything about this book. It was exciting, adventurous, sad at times, had well-developed characters that flew from the pages, and was just as informative as it was enjoyable.
I'm ready to continue with the second book in the series. The Rebels. YES!!!
Just a quick note: I combed the internet looking for the originals of these books. I know reissues are available, but I didn't want to risk having the stories altered to be politically correct. I bought the entire series from various vendors and a few of the books are in pretty rough shape, but I do believe it was worth it. The Bastard has a copyright of 1974.
I wish John Jakes was still alive, so I could write him a letter or an email and tell him just how much I loved this book. I first read it when I was in high school way back when and I remember hiding the book from my mother because I didn't think she would approve of the title. Well, I was young and stupid and really didn't understand exactly what the title meant, which interprets to she would've known and wouldn't have cared. But I guess it was the thrill of having something I wasn't supposed to.
Now X many years later, the story took on a whole new dynamic. Yeah, I loved it back then, but now it's past that. I'm much older, still love my history, am able to vote, and totally understand the need for the second and fourth amendments of our Constitution. They aren't just political buzzwords or a way to antagonize people who do not agree. Read this book and see why we need all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, even to this day. Find out what prompted our Founding Fathers to pen this into the Constitution. It will all make sense.
Onto the story...
Phillippe Charbonneau really is a bastard. His mother was an actress in France and his father was a duke in England. They fell in love, but could never marry because he had to marry someone within his class and produce a legitimate heir. He never saw Phillipe, but his mother raised him and educated him like he was nobility, even calling him "little lord." It was a contentious title that created problems for him with the other people around them. He was mocked, tormented, and even beaten over it. But his mother had proof that he was the son of a noble and was entitled to get half of the holdings when the duke died.
Well, the duke fell ill and his wife summoned Phillippe and his mother to England. The duke wanted to see his illegitimate son before he died. That's when this book really picked up steam. He met the duke's wife, their son Roger, whom Phillippe despised and Roger hated him back to an extreme, Alicia Parkhurst who was Roger's fiancee...it was a tangled mess that got way out of hand and eventually sent Phillippe and his mother to America where the story took another turn.
Phillippe had learned to be a printer while he and his mother were on London. He met Ben Franklin (great fun right there), who was candid about the greatest parts of America and even some of the not so great parts. But Marie, Phillippe's mother, was determined to get him his share of the Amberley estate no matter what it took. She forced promises from her son that she had no right to ask, and that put Phillippe in a bad situation. Ultimately, they boarded a ship for the colonies and gosh darn the consequences!
Once in Boston, Phillippe changed his name to Philip Kent, thinking it was more American. His life did a complete one-eighty. He found a job working in a print shop and that exposed him to people like Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and others who were considered the Sons of Liberty. It also allowed him to meet Anne Ware and that's all I'm going to say about that. It changed the trajectory of his life. I had to admit that I got frustrated with him a few times because he was wishy-washy on some topics that had a clear direction in my mind, but I am not him and even though I wanted to shake some sense into him, he had to make those decisions for himself.
This is a magnificent story about what led up to the Revolutionary War in the United States. Shots fired at Lexington and Concord! Come on, guys! It's easy for me to say that since I'm experiencing it from my couch, but for the people who were involved with it, they had to be scared out of their minds. But they had a country to build, an oppressor to slay, and freedom to grab. They put their lives on the line for that and fought like the heroes that they were and still are.
I loved everything about this book. It was exciting, adventurous, sad at times, had well-developed characters that flew from the pages, and was just as informative as it was enjoyable.
I'm ready to continue with the second book in the series. The Rebels. YES!!!
Just a quick note: I combed the internet looking for the originals of these books. I know reissues are available, but I didn't want to risk having the stories altered to be politically correct. I bought the entire series from various vendors and a few of the books are in pretty rough shape, but I do believe it was worth it. The Bastard has a copyright of 1974.
July 23, 2025
Phillip Kent arrives in Boston Harbor in 1771 with nothing but the clothes on his back, a box containing a letter critical to his future, and a sword presented to him by the future Marquis de LaFayette. And that's halfway through the book. How he got there, and what he does after his arrival, comprise an excellent tale of both adventure and character development.
The Bastard is the first in a series of seven novels penned about the fictional Kent family by John Jakes around the time of the Bicentennial. I read the whole series at the time and absolutely loved it. So, I decided to re-read them all as a project for the nation's 250th birthday.
Phillip is oppressed by the "noble" class back in England, and has to fight for everything - just as the colonies are oppressed by the British government and have to fight for their rights. Both Phillip and his adopted country are bastard children, "young, scrappy and hungry" in the words of Lin Manuel Miranda. And his English relatives are, like their nation, smug, self-indulgent, and cruel, relics of a dying way of life.
This first volume in the series really stands the test of time in my opinion. It contains all the dramatic twists and turns and predictable plot of an adventure story. Heartstrings are pulled. The language is competent, but not especially creative. Phillip's great love is, of course, "buxom," her breasts "straining the fabric of her bodice." But, but the book is eminently readable and the literary quality is a bit above the standard for genre fiction. I also appreciated the thematic subtlety of Phillip/the colonies vs. nobility/Britain. I apologize for the length of this review, but my re-read of this book 50 years after publication illustrated for me some interesting changes in the literary world, and our society in general, over the past five decades.
I'm not a literature professor, but it seems to me that 50 years ago there was a pretty big space between pure pulp fiction and high literature, and Jakes' books fit into that space nicely. That space seems to me to have shrunk quite a bit. Genre fiction has become more formulaic and manipulative, with little in the way of deep themes or subtlety. On the other hand, high literature is often so experimental as to be obscure, out of the reach of the average educated reader who didn't major in literature. And it's harder than it used to be to find books that fit into the middle space: comprehensible, well-plotted, original and intellectually interesting. If you're going to find those qualities in genre fiction, you most often find them in speculative fiction. I mean pure speculative fiction, not the gimmicky mashups of historical and fantasy where some historical figure was a werewolf or something.
Like so many other things in our society, literature seems to me to have not only bifurcated into high and low, but atomized into multiple very specific genres with their constraining formulas and expectation. A similar phenomenon has occurred in magazine publishing. When I was a little girl, the general interest magazines like Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post disappeared. As a young woman, I used to enjoy general-interest women's magazines like McCalls and Redbook. They're gone now, too, replaced by publications that cater to specific interests: journaling, crafting, Cottage Core, New Age, etc.
I know I sound like a cranky old person who doesn't like change. And I am indeed old. I turn 70 next month. But I have a larger point here. I think that the abandonment of the middle space in literature has something to do with the abandonment of the middle space in politics. Much is made lately of how much less Americans socialize that we used to. Fewer of us belong to labor unions. Fewer belong to ethnic and social clubs. Fewer go to church. All of those were spaces where people of different interests, social classes and political opinions used to encounter each other. I agree with those who blame our political divisions partly on this social atomization. But I submit - and this is just a hunch, I can cite no studies nor evidence - that our literary atomization also contributes to our political divisions. We're not reading the same books any more. As recently as my early adulthood in the 1980s, there were authors that almost everyone was reading: James Michener, John Irving and John Grisham come to mind. I'm not sure why that changed, and I think it's great that there are so many good authors to choose from now (and more female and non-white authors). But I think something is lost when we don't have a common literature. OK, that's the end of my rant. Thank you for bearing with me if you've read this far, and I'd be interested in comments.
The Bastard is the first in a series of seven novels penned about the fictional Kent family by John Jakes around the time of the Bicentennial. I read the whole series at the time and absolutely loved it. So, I decided to re-read them all as a project for the nation's 250th birthday.
Phillip is oppressed by the "noble" class back in England, and has to fight for everything - just as the colonies are oppressed by the British government and have to fight for their rights. Both Phillip and his adopted country are bastard children, "young, scrappy and hungry" in the words of Lin Manuel Miranda. And his English relatives are, like their nation, smug, self-indulgent, and cruel, relics of a dying way of life.
This first volume in the series really stands the test of time in my opinion. It contains all the dramatic twists and turns and predictable plot of an adventure story. Heartstrings are pulled. The language is competent, but not especially creative. Phillip's great love is, of course, "buxom," her breasts "straining the fabric of her bodice." But, but the book is eminently readable and the literary quality is a bit above the standard for genre fiction. I also appreciated the thematic subtlety of Phillip/the colonies vs. nobility/Britain. I apologize for the length of this review, but my re-read of this book 50 years after publication illustrated for me some interesting changes in the literary world, and our society in general, over the past five decades.
I'm not a literature professor, but it seems to me that 50 years ago there was a pretty big space between pure pulp fiction and high literature, and Jakes' books fit into that space nicely. That space seems to me to have shrunk quite a bit. Genre fiction has become more formulaic and manipulative, with little in the way of deep themes or subtlety. On the other hand, high literature is often so experimental as to be obscure, out of the reach of the average educated reader who didn't major in literature. And it's harder than it used to be to find books that fit into the middle space: comprehensible, well-plotted, original and intellectually interesting. If you're going to find those qualities in genre fiction, you most often find them in speculative fiction. I mean pure speculative fiction, not the gimmicky mashups of historical and fantasy where some historical figure was a werewolf or something.
Like so many other things in our society, literature seems to me to have not only bifurcated into high and low, but atomized into multiple very specific genres with their constraining formulas and expectation. A similar phenomenon has occurred in magazine publishing. When I was a little girl, the general interest magazines like Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post disappeared. As a young woman, I used to enjoy general-interest women's magazines like McCalls and Redbook. They're gone now, too, replaced by publications that cater to specific interests: journaling, crafting, Cottage Core, New Age, etc.
I know I sound like a cranky old person who doesn't like change. And I am indeed old. I turn 70 next month. But I have a larger point here. I think that the abandonment of the middle space in literature has something to do with the abandonment of the middle space in politics. Much is made lately of how much less Americans socialize that we used to. Fewer of us belong to labor unions. Fewer belong to ethnic and social clubs. Fewer go to church. All of those were spaces where people of different interests, social classes and political opinions used to encounter each other. I agree with those who blame our political divisions partly on this social atomization. But I submit - and this is just a hunch, I can cite no studies nor evidence - that our literary atomization also contributes to our political divisions. We're not reading the same books any more. As recently as my early adulthood in the 1980s, there were authors that almost everyone was reading: James Michener, John Irving and John Grisham come to mind. I'm not sure why that changed, and I think it's great that there are so many good authors to choose from now (and more female and non-white authors). But I think something is lost when we don't have a common literature. OK, that's the end of my rant. Thank you for bearing with me if you've read this far, and I'd be interested in comments.
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.
October 7, 2024
Really good, classic historical fiction. Cant wait to read the next one.......
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