Fairoaks

by Frank Yerby

AMBITION AND REVENGE

Guy Falks was a man fired by ambition and revenge, revenge for a father who had been denied his birthright and a mother, a hill-slattern, too lowly to have one. He was an imposter, who makes a tainted fortune and becomes a great aristocrat in the pre-Civil War South. A man whose passionate destiny took him from a humble shack to an aristocratic Southern plantation and on to the most glittering salons of Europe - a man driven by hungers he could not control to a ruthless quest for power that had no bounds, and was beyond all limits.

He was the man all men want to be like, and all women want to love. His climb to the power he passionately desired was marked by the ruthless destruction of every man who stood in his way. Beautiful women were necessities to him, there were none who could long resist his virile strength, and he used them. His adventures spanning from an aristocratic southern plantation to the slave markets of Africa, Guy Falks is a man who can never chain his own fierce hungers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance

405 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Born in Augusta, Georgia to Rufus Garvin Yerby, an African American, and Wilhelmina Smythe, who was caucasian. He graduated from Haines Normal Institute in Augusta and graduated from Paine College in 1937. Thereafter, Yerby enrolled in Fisk University where he received his Master's degree in 1938. In 1939, Yerby entered the University of Chicago to work toward his doctorate but later left the university. Yerby taught briefly at Florida A&M University and at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Frank Yerby rose to fame as a writer of popular fiction tinged with a distinctive southern flavor. In 1946 he became the first African-American to publish a best-seller with The Foxes of Harrow. That same year he also became the first African-American to have a book purchased for screen adaptation by a Hollywood studio, when 20th Century Fox optioned Foxes. Ultimately the book became a 1947 Oscar-nominated film starring Rex Harrison and Maureen O'Hara. Yerby was originally noted for writing romance novels set in the Antebellum South. In mid-century he embarked on a series of best-selling novels ranging from the Athens of Pericles to Europe in the Dark Ages. Yerby took considerable pains in research, and often footnoted his historical novels. In all he wrote 33 novels.

Reviews

[Amy Imogene Reads]

Some books find you at the exact right moment, and their sense of place in your memories is almost more important than their contents.

I was 12. I was at a craft show with my grandma that I didn't want to be at, and found myself in the 10 cent bin outside of the local library during their book sale. It didn't have a slip jacket, and it didn't have a description. I bought it because it was blue. Later that weekend, I have the most vivid memory of sitting on my grandma's screened-in front porch, cicadas buzzing around her old Victorian, and reading this book with a cup of lukewarm coffee and a stack of Melba crackers. I remember loving it and reading it in one sitting.

Some memories stick with you for reasons unknown. This reading experience was one of them.

(I can't rate this because of the moment attached to it, and if my memory serves me right the book is a terrible product of its time in terms of class, race, and gender. So please don't take this review as an endorsement of its contents.)

[Elderberrywine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now. This was certainly a barnburner. It starts off as your typical antebellum Southern romance, but quickly veers off onto all sorts of unlikely tangents. Years in Africa dealing in the slavery trade (not to mention an absolutely harrowing account of the effects of smallpox on an over-loaded trading vessel)? Check. Traipsing about Europe enthralled by a lover who also happens to be a superbly gifted coloratura? Also check. And then back again to the now postbellum Tara look-alike Fairoaks? But of course.

It must not be overlooked that the author was African-American, which gives a good deal of the plot an unusual perspective. And how did this movie not manage to get made in the '50s, starring Clark Gable, or at the very least, Howard Keel? C'mon, now, give a girl what she wants.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad that Yerby is now out of print, he is a fine storyteller. In this novel of the Old South he creates some unforgettable characters, especially Guy Falks, the man all men want to be like, and all women want to love. Most interesting is Yerby's blunt exploration of race relations in very politically incorrect terms, and, in this book, a large section on the African slave trade. This is not just another antebellum pot boiler!

[Christy Lashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sequel to The Dahomean and is just as amazing! Frank Yerby is one of the best story tellers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I have never encountered a book of his that I didn't love. This book picks up where The Dahomean leaves off. The central character from that book who is a respected and honored leader of his tribe in Africa, is captured and sold into slavery and ends up in the Rural South on a plantation. Throughout all of his trials and hardships he never loses his honor. These two books began a wonderful love affair between myself and all of Frank Yerby's work.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This is an old book that belonged to my Dad and was published back in 1957. Because of the time it was published, there is some language in the book that would not be well tolerated today. However, since the book is set in the 1800's and has to do with the trade in slaves and plantation life, it should be put in that context. Guy Falks is the son of a man who lost his plantation and he wants revenge on the man who cheated and murdered his Dad. Guy decides that he needs money and determines that he needs to get into the slave trade to make his fortune. Starting out in Cuba, Guy ends up in Africa and becomes a factor. But Africa is a dangerous place and although he gains a fortune, he loses much along the way. Back in Mississippi, Guy is rich and eligible, but the woman he wants is not available. Guy has a lot of adventures and that is one of the things I liked about the book. Thought it was a good read if taken in context of the times.

[Лина Сакс · Rating 4 out of 5]

Учитывая, как мало читателей у книги, да и автора первый раз вижу, подозревала, что будет скучно, глупо, похоже на мыльную оперу и, хотя бы одной пяткой не будет касаться реальности. Вышло надо сказать очень интересно, любопытно, не мыльно, хоть и мелодраматично, а насчет реальности... ну надо сказать, тут нет всей правды, но хотя бы ее отголоски есть. Книжка, конечно, сильно причесана, даже в таких местах, где дело касается рабства, болезней, смертей, нет переизбытка мерзотных подробностей, поэтому читается книга без желания от нее отодвинуться. Но она как бы и не призвана нас шокировать тем, каким был свет в давние времена, она призвана развлечь нас, указав на некоторые признаки времени и показав нам красивого мужчину и как он строил свою жизнь.

Книга надо сказать не очень ровная, она то затягивает в себя, то ты уже начинаешь считать страницы и думать о том, да, когда же все это закончится?! К тому же, наученный горьким опытом других книг ты переживаешь за главного героя, думаешь о том, что вот сейчас обязательно что-то громыхнет и вся его прекрасная жизнь полетит к чертям под хвост. Надо сказать, громыхало, да, но как-то все мимо главного героя, хоть он и покалечился в нескольких местах, но в основном удары приходились не в него, а рядом, чтобы очистить его путь к той единственной, что любила его с первого дня как увидела, ну может не с первого, но точно с 10 своих лет. Поэтому во всех тех, кто мешал бы ему оказаться рядом с ней, удары точнехонько и попадали. Но так как герои в принципе проходными были, ты как-то не сильно и расстраиваешься.

Учитывая, что книга с приключениями, надо сказать, что приключения не заставляют тебя подпрыгивать от нетерпения, ой, что же там будет, ой, ой. Ты и сами приключения-то можешь легко прогнозировать, но от этого все же интерес не пропадает, в конце концов всегда радостно за героя, у которого все в порядке. Книжка хороша тем, когда ты хочешь приключений и на море, и в дебрях Африки и на любом континенте, но так чтобы спокойно, без нервов)

В аннотации самое главное это вот это "Невероятные приключения их потомков, аристократов с плебейской кровью", потому что, если вы вдруг пропустили эту строчку и будете думать, что там про двух братьев, большом кораблекрушении и как они попытались обмануть всех и вся чтобы стать богатыми и знаменитыми, то нет. Именно этого куска не будет. То есть, будет лишь в самом начале рассказ, как братья поимели фамилию, а дальше о том, как их внук поимел все, что хотел) И надо сказать, ему пришлось не легко, но он умел сопоставлять, что учеба дает много в жизни и учился, всему и с большой жадностью. Так что сказать, что он на всем готовом вырос нельзя, так что герой со всех сторон положительный вышел. Хоть на самом деле все же был ослом и негодяем, потому что торговал людьми и не понимал, что каждый человек имеет красную кровь. Вот это сильно жаль. Так же как жаль, что автор поднимал тему и негров, что они люди, и женщин, что они могут странами управлять, но не выводил эти темы на передний край, все же просто приключения были важнее, сила и ум главного героя были важнее, чем его предубеждения, от которых он не избавился и на них акцента не было.

Какой бы развлекательной книга не была, но есть там хорошие моменты на подумать и у себя отметить.

– Давай не будем говорить об этом, Кил, – отозвался Гай.
И они оба замолчали. С этого мига их всегда разделяло молчание, пропасть, бездна, которая все более увеличивалась с годами.

Обратите внимание, это очень важное между людьми подмечено, именно так мы действительно отдаляемся друг от друга, когда ставим на что-то запрет, потом он разрастается, разрастается, подбирает под себя еще что-то и вот вы уже не можете ни о чем говорить и стараетесь человека из своей жизни выкинуть, а потом жалеете и не понимаете, а что такого произошло.

Сильно люблю, когда авторы считают тебя умным и пишут так:

Всем известно, что у буйволов плохое зрение, но невероятная острота обоняния.

Только беда в том, что "всем известно" бывает крайне редко. Вот так писать любили советские люди, как напишут, что всем известно, чем воробьи отличаются, а у тебя начинает дергаться глаз, потому что подразумевается, что тебе это объяснять не надо, а ты НЕ ЗНАЕШЬ! Ну, с буйволами хотя бы действительно знаешь, но более, чем уверен, что это известно не всем)

Ну и еще раз хорошая такая пропаганда:

Он проглатывал книги с жадностью вечно голодного человека, и что бы он ни читал – все становилось частью его самого, материалом для его роста.

И тут прекрасно именно то, что автор делает акцент, что мальчик читал не просто так, не для того, чтобы галочку поставить, а что вырасти и стал он таким потому что знания он применял, впитывал, а не просто знал, не просто мог сказать, что он читал или учил, а он это использовал себе во благо, так и стал из мальчишки с холмов чуть ли не лордом, когда знаете, почти не отличишь) И вот таких акцентов по книге много, когда автор намекает, что знания нужны для развития, а не просто знаний. Что книги нужны для развития, а не просто "чем дело кончится") Наверное, именно это сильно повысило мою оценку книге)

Так что и развлекательная литература бывает полезной. Так что очень неплохо порой с такой книжкой пару вечеров провести.

ps. Я думала, почему такое странное название у книги, потому что оно от наших маркетологов, а не от автора) Я тут детективом побывала, чтобы название на английском найти. Все сильно просто, книга называется "Fairoaks", то есть "Фэроукс" - плантация с которой все началось и продолжилось, да в принципе ради чего все и начиналось))) Так-то оно логичнее, конечно)

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this book when I was just a teen. My mother tried to prohibit it as too mature - black/white lovers, slaves etc but I snuck it from the shelves and read and re-read it. Later I read many of yerby's books - not great fiction but a good story teller

[Michael David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is far from a perfect book. Sometimes events occur with little explanation, while others occur with excessive ones (such as the juju magic). I occasionally fail to understand how Guy Falks ticks, but then again, that may be because he's such a complex character.

And Frank Yerby is still the best African-American writer I've read, and I'm not even joking. But what about Morrison? What about Baldwin?

Both of the latter authors rely on racial issues to tell their stories. If you've read one of their works, you've read them all, because it's all about marginalized African-Americans (female ones for Morrison, and homosexual ones, for Baldwin). Distilled, however, their stories aren't really impressive to me.

Yerby, on the other hand, doesn't rely on race to tell stories. He just tells good ones, even though they may not be perfect. This is one of the most racist novels written by an African-American, but he just encapsulates the spirit of the Old South so well, with its focus on passion, ambition, and the American dream. I admire the fact that he doesn't use his race as a crutch: Baldwin's works, to me, seem like thinly-veiled commentaries against the marginalization of the African-American race, and while not bad, would be much better off as essays instead. Yerby has had his share of protests, but he discovered, ultimately, that it was much better (and more profitable) to simply tell good stories. Fairoaks is among these stories.

Fairoaks is Guy Falks's bildungsroman from childhood until his old age, from Fairoaks to Africa, to back. Although there are glaring plot inconsistencies, it doesn't make the novel any less robust.

Frank Yerby is the best black writer I've read.

[Bobcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some writers employ historical fiction only as a romantic backdrop to their novels. In Fairoaks, author Yerby paints a more accurate picture of the early 1800s in the southern U.S. based on deeper research.

The novel starts in the 1780s, when two poor English brothers survive a shipwreck off the Carolina coast. One has the presence of mind to steal some valuables and personal possessions from a wealthy person as the ship goes down. He ends up as one of the few survivors on the Carolina coast, and proceeds to (fraudulently) assume the identity of the one of the shipwreck's wealthy victims.

The novel then presents the generational saga of this family. It centers on a grandson who wanders in search of fortune, and his attempts to keep the Mississippi plantation established by his elders.

The story is intriguing, with many unexpected twists and turns. But more interesting, I felt, were the attitudes expressed by the characters: about wealth, work, slavery, class, dress, and more.

This is an engaging novel that offers more than most. It's worthy of your time.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It depicts life in the Southern US before the Civil War. It tells of a man who has an interesting life as a slave trader, plantation owner, lover, and very complex person. His life has many twists, turns and adventures. I guess this book would be banned by today's standards, but it is part of how things were during that period of our history. I feel that people should read this with an eye toward the historical aspects but also for the enjoyment of the story.

[Amanda Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very well written, but I can see why it’s out of print! The ‘N’ word features prominently and black people in both the Americas and in Africa are not really described in a positive light. It’s surprising since the author IS an African American. Still, it’s a sweeping and amazing tale of a family and the legacy each generation leaves for the ones following.

[Mineral · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is typical Yerby fare with subversion of the “moonlight and magnolia” myth throughout.

[Kallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So long ago, I don't remember though all of Yerby's novels satisfied my 13 y.o. mind.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally one comes across a book and an author in a quite unorthodox way that is so good you wonder why you never read it. A few months after I joined PBS hubby and I went to an auction where we bought five -yes five - boxes of books for $3. I began to work my way through them, reading what caught my eye and posting those I thought someone might like. One of those books was this out-of-print HB. It's a story that takes one to the time of slavery in our country and into the minds and thoughts of those who lived in the South. What an exciting read! I felt as if I walked with Guy Falks who grows up in the South, lives in Africa for some time working in the slavery business to make his fortune before he returns home. I did not wince when he took a whip to a slave yet I thrilled to his compassion for a young woman slave who saves his life. He learns to cope with several different African tribes, speaking their languages and discovering how to cope with their beliefs and lives. It's an excellent read.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally one comes across a book and an author in a quite unorthodox way that is so good you wonder why you never read it. A few months after I joined PBS hubby and I went to an auction where we bought five -yes five - boxes of books for $3. I began to work my way through them, reading what caught my eye and posting those I thought someone might like. One of those books was this out-of-print HB. It's a story that takes one to the time of slavery in our country and into the minds and thoughts of those who lived in the South. What an exciting read! I felt as if I walked with Guy Falks who grows up in the South, lives in Africa for some time working in the slavery business to make his fortune before he returns home. I did not wince when he took a whip to a slave yet I thrilled to his compassion for a young woman slave who saves his life. He learns to cope with several different African tribes, speaking their languages and discovering how to cope with their beliefs and lives. It's an excellent read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

perhaps THE BEST YERBY BOOK YET. GREAT CHARACTERS, NOT A WASITED WORD IN ENTIRE BOOK. I HAVE TO PACE MYSELF OR I WOULD READ ALLL OF HIS BOOKS ONE AFTER THE OTHER. THAY ARE SO GOOD TO READ BETWEEN READING SO MANY OTHERR BORRING WORKS.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved all his books as a pre-teen. My first venture into gothic romance.

[Karinirmgard]

Deutscher Titel Herr über Weiß und Schwarz

[Michael Kennard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all Frank Yerby's books, this Fairoaks ranks as my favourite. Began reading Yerby in the late sixties,early seventies. How I ever got any work done i'll never know.

[The Devine Ms Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was good but quite violent and depressing in places.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yerby was an author from my mom's shelves. I read several as a teenager. This didn't fare well when read again.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slavery on a southern plantation.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this back in the 70's along with several other Yerby novels. I always enjoyed them!