California Gold: A Novel

by John Jakes

Overview

A “riveting . . . sweeping epic” of one man driven by gold fever, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of North and South (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
 
At the height of California’s Gold Rush, men left everything behind for the chance at striking it rich. Now, some thirty years after its peak, gold fever still entices adventurous Easterners like James Macklin Chance, a poor Pennsylvanian who is drawn to California by the dream of lasting wealth—a dream so powerful he’ll stop at nothing to see it through. Along the way he’ll encounter grand passion, ruthless enemies, and larger-than-life titans like Leland Stanford, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Randolph Hearst, who helped shape a country’s destiny.
 
“The best historical novelist of our time” (Patricia Cornwell) once again spins a sweeping tale of power and passion, as he did so masterfully in the Crown Family Saga, the Kent Family Chronicles, and the North and South trilogy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504051989
Publisher:	Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	678
Sales rank:	215,227
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

John Jakes (b. 1932), 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.   

Editorial Reviews

"Jakes has a gift for vivid description . . . a huge concoction of a novel.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“The novel potently conveys the raw, irrepressible vitality of California.” —Publishers Weekly

“Riveting . . . California Gold strikes pay dirt. . . . This sweeping epic is a dynamite tribute to the sheer pluck of one man who scorns all obstacles. [Jakes] instills vibrancy in all his characterizations.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
 

From the Publisher

Mr. Jakes has produced a huge concoction of a novel, with a large batch of characters pushed and pulled in many directions. But pound for pound, ''California Gold'' turns out to be so much Turkish taffy. -- New York Times

Michael Pellecchia

California, supposedly ``the world's paradigm of hope and opportunity,'' is Jakes's ( North and South ) setting for this moderately satisfying novel about Mack Chance, an underdog whose ascent from poverty to affluence is a classic American success story. Like so many ambitious dreamers, Mack, an indigent Pennsylvanian, arrives in San Francisco in 1887 determined to make his fortune. To his dismay, he finds hardship, violence, bigotry, lawlessness and a city caught in the stranglehold of rapacious Southern Pacific railroad tycoons. Mack meets two bewitching women--rich, emotionally unstable Carla Hellman and dynamic Nellie Ross, a reporter for W. R. Hearst's San Francisco Examiner. After striking oil and becoming an orange grower, Mack prospers, but is left heartbroken when career-oriented Nellie won't marry him. He impulsively weds Carla, with disastrous results, while alienating many influential men by championing liberal causes. With strong commercial appeal, the novel potently conveys the raw, irrepressible vitality of California, but the historical backdrop (especially the 1906 earthquake) outshines the conventional rags-to-riches plot. Jakes's impressive research, plus his lively depictions of Hearst, Ambrose Bierce, Leland Stanford, Teddy Roosevelt and others, enriches the story considerably. Literary Guild main selection; Readers Digest Condensed Book main selection; major ad/promo. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly