Charleston (Die Südstaaten-Roman-Klassiker 3)

Charleston #1

by Alexandra Ripley, Gunther Seipel (Translator)

Liebe, Leidenschaft und Familienbande in einer bewegenden Südstaatensaga.
Seit Generationen lebt die reiche Familie Tradd in Charleston, einer der elegantesten, strahlendsten Städte des stolzen Südens. Aber mit dem Ausbruch des amerikanischen Bürgerkrieges verblasst der alte Glanz und der Reichtum der Tradds schwindet jäh dahin. Das Schicksal stellt die blutjunge Lizzie auf eine harte Probe ...
Eine packende Familiensaga für Fans von "Vom Winde verweht".

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical Romance, Fiction, Civil War, Historical, Southern

734 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Alexandra Ripley was an American writer best known as the author of Scarlett, the sequel to Gone with the Wind. Her first novel was Who's the Lady in the President's Bed?. Charleston, her first historical novel, was a bestseller, as were her next books On Leaving Charleston, The Time Returns, and New Orleans Legacy. Scarlett received some bad reviews, but was very successful nonetheless. She attended the elite Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

She died in Richmond, Virginia, and is survived by two daughters from her first marriage to Leonard Ripley, a son in law and granddaughter, Alexandra Elizabeth.

Ripley has also published works under the name B.K. Ripley.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the cover, this is NOT a historical romance. Although it's also not the most engaging piece of historical fiction I've read either. Which is unfortunate, as there are so few books written about the Civil War and it's aftermath on the people and their families. Charleston is the story of the Lizzie (Elizabeth) Tradd and her brother Pinny (Pinckney) Tradd of Charleston, South Carolina and starts just prior to the end of the war. Pinny is injured in battle and returns home with Shad (Joe) Simmons, who the Charlestonians would consider as white trash. Lizzie is still a young girl who keeps every hurt and emotion tightly wrapped inside of her, and Shad is the only one who can break through to her inner self.

The story continues as the Tradd family attempts to recover their home(s) and livelihood in the aftermath of the Civil War, and continues Lizzie's story into adulthood with a disastrous marriage, childbirth, business successes and failures, a love discovered later in life and a lifelong friendship that might blossom into something more.

Although I greatly enjoyed the historical details and the glimpses into the lives of upper crust of Charleston society, unfortunately the author used a good 2/3 of the book setting up Lizzie's background and childhood and not enough time on her adult life and loves, and that's much too long for me. I would have preferred to start Lizzie's story as an adult and then tell her background via flashbacks. If you're looking for a fast paced storyline I recommend you search elsewhere, but if you want to sit back a savor a slice of life in 19C Charleston society this might be worth your while. I'm giving this one four stars for the history and look at southern life and two stars for a very slow paced storyline, rounded out to three. Not great, but not bad either.

[Plumpka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rozczarowujące zakończenie - zdaje się, że miało być jak w "Przeminęło z wiatrem", ale kompletnie nie wyszło.
Główna bohaterka tak naprawdę nigdy nie dorosła - całe życie ulegała swoim najprostszym instynktom. Ciężko było ją polubić.
Autorka ma w swoim dorobku książki, które chętnie czytam więcej niż raz, ale to nie ten przypadek. Do zapomnienia.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Ahh...the Old South and the Civil War. I love books set in this place and time period. But, I'm Southern myself. I love that the men and women were flawed in some way. I despise it when characters are so good you just want to bury your head in shame. I also love that the author is not afraid to use death for some of the major players. It feels more real. I've read her sequel to Gone with the Wind. It was really good. Not as good as GWTW but come on, that's a classic, at least to me. I will continue on and read her other books because having read two and both of them great, the others are bound to capture my attention. If you like fiction about this era and the South, read this. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Sara Jo Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh....another historical fiction to please my soul.

First I will say, do not plan on reading this unless you decide to read the sequel titled "On Leaving Charleston". I will start on the sequel this evening, and hoping it provides wrap up of a previous plot line in this book.

It's 19th century. The story begins at the end of the civil war...the Yankees take Charleston. How will these upper class Charleston families survive their traditions and way of life under military rule? By pretending it's not happening, that's how!

Do not let the cover of this book fool you. It is not a sappy romance novel. Yes, there is lots of romance, but it is more of a tale of survival. At first, I thought it was a pretty innocent novel about survival in the aftermath of the "War of Northern Aggression". Boy was I wrong. This story took a seriously dark turn about halfway through. Lots of crazy stuff. Made it fun, although, much like the city this book is named after, this book has a quite slow way of life. Which is fine with me...it allowed me to savor it.

One of the really neat things about this story is that for the longest time, the story is written from one character's point of view. Then when that character fizzles out, the story is effortlessly shifted to the point of view of another person. It helps ease the disappointment of what happens to the first "point of view" character. It helped it to make sense.

Alexandra Ripley is also the author that penned "Scarlett", which was the sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind". So if you have read and enjoyed either of those stories, you will be inclined to enjoy this one.

I am off to the sequel now. Happy reading!

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all the history and geography for Charleston. I live in the area.

The story was up and down. The heroine falls in love with a Pinocchio look alike? Give me a break!

Then it doesn't have an ending. Give me another break!

[Aliénor Doutaud · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say, i was quite disappointed with this book. When I read the summary on the back, I was expecting something similar to Gone with the wind. I thought that the story is too long, too fastidious. If one doesn't pay enough attention to the plots, all the characters, their names and their relationships with other people, it's easy to get lost. It's about the life of a southern family and the aftermath of the Civil War in Charleston. We follow the life of Liz, the young daughter, but she is not the main character of the story, given how we read much more about her other relatives. I have yet to decide if I can really appreciate Liz and her story that takes too long to get interesting. I felt like I was reading more about her family than about her itself.

[Clarisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful !!! So emotional with amazing characters.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this book every time I have read it. It is the story of Elizabeth Tradd and her life in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1863 to 1898. It is smooth paced with memorable characters.

[Coco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schöner Familienepos. Aber das Ende, das macht mich fertig.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of all time! Love the characters- well written and researched!

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Макар и с претенции да бъде исторически роман, "Чарлстън" е всъщност традиционна семейна сага, въртяща се около живота на Елизабет Трад, нейното семейство и преживелиците му в Чарлстън. Първият том проследява ранното детство, юношеството и семейния живот на Елизабет до 40-годишната ѝ възраст, на фона на последния етап от Гражданската война, натрупването на капитали през Позлатената епоха и кризата на Дългата депресия и Паниката от 1893-96 г. Тази част от романа приключва с края на Испано - американската война и ни оставя в очакване на ХХ век.
Всъщност, колкото по-малко усилия влага Александра Рипли да пресъздава исторически събития и да вкарва в устата и действията на героите си исторически мотиви и връзки, толкова по-гладко върви повествованието. Романтиката, семейните драми и любовните преживявания ѝ се удават много повече от опитите да покаже на читателя раните от войната върху южняците, ролята и мястото на града в историята на Щатите и особено последствията на войната за съдбата на освободените роби.
Любовта на авторката към родния ѝ град и преклонението ѝ пред духа и традициите на чарлъстското общество са очевидно дълбоки и истински, това се усеща в цялото повествование, но не му придава особена дълбочина. На моменти "Чарлстън" звучи като по-претенциозен любовен роман, и може би само фокусът върху традициите на града и сплотеността на неговите жители го спасяват да се превърне напълно в такъв.
Не може да се отрече умението на Рипли да изгражда образи - плътни, многостранни и в развитие. Това обаче се отнася главно за образите на белите ѝ герои-южняци. Въпреки че из романа бродят над десетина чернокожи, нито един от тях не прилича на истински. Човек остава с чувството, че за Рипли бившите роби са някакви изгубени същества, които са напълно лишени от инициатива, мозък и представа за собствено място в живота. Същото пренебрежение се усеща и към образите на янките, на места звучащи направо гротескно. В това отношение, "Чарлстън" е една много южняшка творба, в която няма дори и опит за обективност.
Въпреки това, романът се чете леко и приятно и оставя колоритна картина в главата на читателя за живота в Чарлстън през втората половина на ХIХ век. Друг е въпросът, че след него някак осъзнаваш, каква страхотна писателка е била Маргарет Мичъл.

[Lysda Smythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je l'ai lu sur les conseils d'une amie qui me présentait ça comme une très bonne saga familiale dans le même genre qu'Autant en Emporte le Vent.
Oui les similitudes existent (la culture de l'esclavage et du racisme dans le Sud des États Unis, l'intrigue centrée sur une seule ville) mais je n'ai pas vu de personnages féminins vraiment forts. A vrai dire, le cliché narratif de la femme passive qui attend (dans compter celui du viol) est sur représenté.
Ce livre m'a énervé mais en fait il ne vaut pas vraiement la peine d'être énervée ou même d'y penser.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of my Charleston reading spree. I purchased Alexandra Ripley’s novel when I thought I might be staying in her family beach house. The trip was postponed due to Covid, and the beach house changed. However, this was a good novel to get a sense of an beautiful, old, and complicated city. The novel takes place between 1863 and 1898. The only thing I really disliked about it was the very ending. Largely as the sequel is expensive or impossible to find…even in the city of Charleston.

[Katy M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd rate this somewhere between a 3 and a 4. There are a lot of great characters, but nobody ever gets to be happy. Elizabeth is one of the few characters all the way through the book, as the time span goes from 1862 to 1898, and I think she's supposed to be the main character, and I'm not entirely sure I like her. I feel like there's a mystery that never gets solved, but maybe I'm just reading too much into an incident.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading historical fiction when it's about a place I know. The story was well developed - almost too well in spots. There was a lot of political information that I don't think we needed to enjoy the book. Outside of that, I truly enjoyed taking a step back in time to Charleston in the 1800s.

Without spoiling it for anyone else, I wasn't a fan of how the book ended ~ so much so that I went looking at Ms. Ripley's other books to see if there was a book 2. Sadly, I didn't find one.

[Veselina Bakalova-Mihaylovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Харесвам семейните саги. Винаги някак има уют в тях, дори и да са изпълнени още с изневери, раздели и спорове. А описанието на градовете във времето на развитие на действието много ми допаднаха. Различните локации в сюжета направиха романа още по-интересен. Все пак, ще отдъхна преди да захвана втората част, защото малко се пренаситих от Гардън и 30-те ѝ години, събрани в над 500 страници :)

[BarbaraW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long but never boring. Love this author as she weaves an excellent tale. Just when you think nothing more exciting can happen- it does. Charleston is a very special place and a wonderful setting for this story.

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, which ranged from the Civil War to war in Cuba and beyond, following characters, politics, the culture of Charleston. I did feel that the book was too short for the story - there were some jumps in time that were a bit jarring and left me wanting more.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I fell in love with Charleston all over again.

[Radiant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!!! Absolutely loved this book!!!! I could definitely read it 5 more times!

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have documented that I read this once before but I did not remember any of it. Enjoyed it but a very long book! Will wait a bit before reading sequel.

[Belinda Bertrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took some time to get into this book about a family in war time , Elizabeth s life and loves.

[Barbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book the moment I picked it up. My attention isn't usually grabbed very quickly in the beginning of books but seeing how I'm from Charleston I wanted to see where the plot of the book was going to go.
It was definitely one of those books I couldn't put down unless I absolutely had to. And the copy I have of the book is like super old. It's been in the family for years so I had to be super careful with it and that's super hard because when I get into a book I tend to get a little rough with them. But this story is definitely my favorite and I still remember a lot of the details even though I haven't read the book in like two years.

Just finished reading this book for the second time and I do believe I love it more than I did the first time i read it...

[Elizabeth Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this obviously isn't any great work of literature, but it holds its own as a southern novel of a certain type, where the characters are all stereotypes but that 's kind of the point. An excellent summer vacation read, easy to start and stop a zillion times.

I enjoyed this thoroughly until the end, which... isnt an end. It races up to a tantalizing page-turner and then...stops. Apparently Ripley has written a sequel that finishes the saga called On Leaving Charleston. Obviously annoying. But I will be reading the sequel, if only to find out what happens to my beloved stereotyped characters.

[Julianne Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suggested by Holly Coleman

This is a 4.5 star book. I was struggling with the first chapters. The characters were so cliche that I couldn't deal with them. But I pushed through because it was a recommendation. Somewhere in the first part of the book, I found I was completely sucked in. At one point I was actually holding my breath in anxiousness. I laughed and I cried. The ending is abrupt and I kept turning the page back and forth, trying to figure out why it had ended where it did. I could have read more.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me 2 years to read this book, so my review should probably be ignored. I learned a lot about Charleston and the South, especially in the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. I liked Ripley's characters, and I liked how she wove their story into history. But the book never held me spellbound, thus taking 2 years to finish reading it.

A year later, I find that I still remember 80% of this book, so I have changed my review from 2 stars to 4. Any book that leaves that strong of an impression deserves at least 4 stars!

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not really sure how I feel about this book. Ripley has the same Charleston characters in this book as in her sequel to Gone with the Wind, Scarlett, and that was strange. I was taken aback by the familiar characters. Despite that feeling of déjà vu, I really fell in love with Lizzie, Pinny, Lucy, and Shad. The story was frustrating, and it ended abruptly. So back to my original conclusion, I am not sure how I feel about this book.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra Ripley wrote the sequel to "Gone with the Wind" and I think that this book is her way of rewriting the ending of GWTW to her own satisfaction. There were some remarkable similarities between the two stories but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading GWTW Lite. Not a bad read, mind you, it certainly kept me amused for over a week and Ms Ripley is a wonderful writer so I was quite happy with it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripley wrote a 2-part saga tracing several of Charleston societies oldest families, and following them through about 70 years of history, overlapping the Civil War... both novels were excellent, written very, very well.