Dawn Of The Century

The American Chronicles #1

by Robert Vaughan

In Volume One of The American Chronicles, Robert Vaughan panoramically evokes America at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, poised on the brink of greatness and fraught with the tumult of rapid change. In a time of robber-baron industrialists and rapid territorial expansion both at home and abroad, the new music called “ragtime” is the soundtrack for a confident nation of ambitious dreamers. It is 1904 and the nation’s eyes are on the St. Louis World's Fair, which features an astounding variety of modern marvels. The enormous exhibition brings together the best minds the country has to offer, each of them with something to lose and opportunities to Bob Canfield, a young and wealthy landowner who is willing to risk his honor and his fortune to make a profit out of the desert; Eric Twainbough, a solitary young cowboy riding the rails East from Wyoming, innocently bringing disaster with him; Terry Perkins, a reporter desperate to get the scoop on the story in St. Louis; Connie Bateman, one of the politically conscious new women fighting for freedom, bravely defending their right to equality.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

451 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Robert Vaughan is an American writer. He has also written a series of contemporary and historical romance novels under several pseudonyms including "Paula Moore" and "Paula Fairman". His father served in the military and Robert followed him in the 1950s, entering army aviation. He served until the Vietnam War and won numerous medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with several oak-leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal, and several other medals.
His early books reflected his military background: the first novel was about the US Army along the DMZ in Korea, followed by a trilogy set in Vietnam. There are more than 9 million of his books in print under various names. He was inducted into the Writers’ Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reviews

[Anna Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gritty tale of U.S. history at the beginning of the 20th century, made personal by experiencing it through the eyes of a diverse cast of characters. Set, as the title says, at THE DAWN OF THE CENTURY, this book captures the faith in progress and love of modernity that characterized the early 20th century. The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair is emblematic of the era and a focal point for people whose lives are interwoven and unfold throughout the book. Sometimes the interconnection is intimate, as is the case for the "quad quad"--four young men who graduated from the same private college in St. Louis. At other times, something as simple as a newspaper, passed hand-to-hand from one part of the country to another, draws characters together.
The author pulls no punches in setting out the contradictions of the age and the men who dominated it. Wild ambitions and the highest aspirations exist alongside the basest forms of foolishness. That includes three cowboys, inspired to visit the world's fair, who don't get far before they're robbed while sleeping off a night of debauchery in a whorehouse. Their solution to the problem of finding themselves penniless: become train robbers! I’ll let you read the book to figure out how well that works for them. Far more jarring are accounts of characters’ struggles rooted in bigotry based on class, race, gender, religion, sexual preference, ethnicity; war, greed and the destruction of the environment. This is a gripping historical account writ large and deeply personal at the same time.

[Mary JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Vaughan has done a good job in his "American Chronicles" series. He has written several books, each set in one decade.

Dawn of the Century (1901 to 1910) mixes several characters together to shed a light on aspects of the new and changing face of America. The St. Louis World's Fair of 1904 is one central point in the lives of the several characters. Of course each reader will enjoy some characters more than others--we will all have our favorites.

It is of course similar to what John Jakes did in 'The Kent Family Chronicles'. Mr. Vaughan's styles is slightly different and imho only, not quite as good as John Jakes. However, I still found the book definitely worth reading. Average characterization but a decent plot and some fascinating little 'side views' of history.

Recommended for fans of family sagas and/or historical fiction.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction and/or family sagas.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American Chronicles: Dawn of the Century (Book 1) – Robert Vaughan
ISBN: 0-553-29249-8

This is the first book in a series that will follow the Canfield family and associated friends from Jefferson College (soon to be University) in St Louis, Missouri.

It opens with the 1904 World’s Fair in St Louis and the graduation of the “quad quad” from Jefferson College. The “quad quad” is composed of Robert (Bob) Canfield, Terry Perkins, JP Winthrop and David Gelbman. Each of them is about to go their separate ways in the world.

Bob is returning to his family’s land in the boot heel of Missouri with plans to drain the swamps that his family now owns. Swamps that used to be forest land that the Canfield family has harvested all the trees. After draining this land, Bob knows they will have the best farmland.

Bob takes on this challenge as well as winning the hand of Connie Bateman, the daughter of the chancellor of Jefferson College.

Terry Perkins is off to become a newspaper reporter. He lands a job with the newest and hottest paper in St Louis, the St Louis Chronicle and soon finds himself reporting on the building of the Panama Canal.

JP Wintrop returns to New York, and despite his mother’s objections, takes a position as the art curator for JP Morgan (for whom he was named, as the Morgan’s are family friends.) His mother wanted him to take a job as a banker, not an art curator. While JP finds his dream job in New York, he is soon to lose his love.

David Gelbman, whose family runs a successful department store in St Louis, is asked by his father to go to Austria and help a cousin at her store of his father after the death of her husband. A husband who made some bad investment decision and has left the family and its business is bad shape.

We will also meet Loomis Booker. A black man who has taken advantage of his situation as the maintenance man at Jefferson College and taught himself nearly all there is to learn at the college by pulling discarding college textbooks and studying from them. e has done this in secret – but a select few at the college know of his endeavors and do their best to help him.

Then there is Eric McKenzie. A cowboy at a Montana ranch who leaves with two of his buddies for the World’s Fair. After the three loose all their money in a theft and his two buddies are killed in a botched train robbery, Eric changes his last name to Twainbough and continues on to St Louis by joining up with some hoboes. His experience as a cowboy makes him a hero when an act in the Wild Bill Western Show doesn’t go as planned and Eric steps in to save the day. He is asked to join the show and goes on to become one of the stars of the show.

This is an enjoyable book and the different stories are tied together very well. The characters are well written and set up to carry the series forward.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good historical saga, and this is the first book in a series that goes through 20th century America. I've read books of this type for English history, but not US, so I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but...

The story kept me reading, and I want to read the next one. BUT the editing was atrocious making it hard to follow at times. Dialogue was jumbled together so it was hard to figure out who said what.

[Dark Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable historical novel. Mr. Vaughn took interesting characters and wove their lives into the history we know. I will definitely read Book 2 of this saga.