North and South

North and South Trilogy, Book 1

By: John Jakes

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Two strangers, young men from Pennsylvania and South Carolina, meet on the way to West Point.... Thus begins this brilliant novel of antebellum America, spanning three generations and chronicling the lives and loves of two great family dynasties. The Hazards and the Mains are brought together in bonds of friendship and affection that neither jealousy nor violence can shatter - until a storm of events sunders the nation and brings the cataclysm of war!

©1982 John Jakes (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

One of the best Civil War stories ever written

I first read this book decades ago and enjoyed it immensily. I also watched the mini series and enjoyed that immensly as well. Now finally someone has introduced an unabridged audio version of it, I'm thrilled. Having read the other reviews of this book I have to agree that this book is a classic. Actually it is an epic classic especially when considered with the other two books in this series. Jakes does a fabulous job of fictionalising historical events as this book and the two that follow it so apetly demonstrate. The narrator isn't bad, but he isn't good enough to do these books justice, although to be honest I'm not sure who would be. One of the other reviewers compared this book or series with the Winds of War - War and Rememberance series. He was right on the mark like taht series this series is also epic.

The book comes to Life

If you remember the TV series then this book brings it to Life with characters you know and Love. Read with feeling.

WONDERFUL BLEND OF HISTORY AND FICTION

Would you listen to North and South again? Why?

Again and again

What other book might you compare North and South to and why?

Lonesome Dove Series...it also blended history and fiction into a wonderful entertaining way.

Which scene was your favorite?

The first time George and Orry meet and instantly become lifetime friends.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had extreme reaction to through the whole 3 book series. The horror of the war. The evil of Bent was horrible but the villainy of certain member of the Maine and Hazzard family most of them the females was deplorable. I love the way Virgilia came to be in the end and actually help the Maine in a most surprising way, it was very humorous. It has many extreme scenes which makes extreme reaction automatic.

Any additional comments?

John Jakes Triology - North & South, Love & War, Heaven & Hell. What amazing novels!!! Far much better than the tv show which starred Patrick Swayze (RIP a great actor), it was a wonderful tv show but the books are better because of the more details. The books tell of things that the show could not. Please use your credits to listen to them. They are as good as Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series, which John Jakes quotes in the third book of the series. Also, what I loved about the novels is how John Jakes mention many times Charles Dickens and several of his novels.

Great book

Any additional comments?

Great book - It really helped me understand the civil war more. It also opened my eyes to how history just keeps repeating itself.

Great Book, Lots of interesting Details

Would you listen to North and South again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to this book again. It is filled with lots of real historical information. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of North and South?

Too many to choose from

If you could rename North and South, what would you call it?

The road to the American revolution

Pre-Civil War, Up Close and Personal

I loved both North and South books and the way the story evolves from two boys being raised in two different worlds within one country, who eventually meet at West Point and develop a friendship that will be tested repeatedly throughout their lives. How events leading up to the Civil War shape and affect each of them and every person in their lives and the different choices they make and paths they take weave this into an intricate and detailed telling of a volatile time in our country's history that finally reaches it's breaking point. For me, there were times when the detail was swallowing me up and I was becoming disconnected, but these segments would pass and I was caught up once again.

While this trilogy has been around for over thirty years, it is almost erie that I chose to finally absorb their contents at a time when our country is as divided now as it was then. Will history repeat itself?

Wonderful historic novel

I’m an American history buff, and thoroughly enjoyed North and South. It is written so well, and I could visualize incidents easily, and understand the plot, and the characters .
It’s a well laid out story, action moves right along. Now I’m on to Love and War.

Long warm up to an immersive book

Enjoyable though long to really start. Representing the period before the war and depth of two generations it is hard to enjoy at the start. However as the second of the book unfolds it become Ma more entertaining and enjoyable. Narration was fine.

A good background

This is very general but it gives a good intro to how we Americans could have done all of that to ourselves.

Great book

interesting, entertaining and educational, all in one book. The reading is also great. I enjoyed it very much.