• Heaven and Hell

  • Volume Three of the North and South Trilogy
  • By: John Jakes
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 28 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,486 ratings)

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Heaven and Hell  By  cover art

Heaven and Hell

By: John Jakes
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's summary

From America's master storyteller and writer of historical fiction comes the dramatic conclusion to the North and South saga.

The Civil War has ended, but the Hazards and Mains have yet to face their greatest struggles. Even as the embers of old hatreds continue to burn in the heart of a nation torn apart by war, a new future in the West awaits a new generation of Americans seeking a life of their own - and a place to call their own.

Filled with all of the vivid drama, passion, and action that have made John Jakes the acclaimed master of historical fiction, Heaven and Hell is the tumultuous final chapter in one of the greatest epics of our time.

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

What listeners say about Heaven and Hell

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great ending to the series

I'm assuming that if you're thinking of reading book three, it means you've made it through the epic journey's that are books 1 and 2. If so, how you will find this third book depends on why you were reading the first two. If, like some, you are interested in the stories from the civil war aspect, then the third will disappoint. Ditto if you are looking for a lot more insight into the main characters of the first books. This 3rd book is essentially the story of Charles Main and his life "out west".

If, like me, you love well developed charters in a historical setting, then you will still find this book very enjoyable. Mr. Jakes continues to be unsparing in his portraits of human nature as he tells the story of "how the west was won", and this could cause some to have a negative view of this story, especially those of a righteous bent. As always, though, his work seems well researched and, although obviously fiction, is probably more reflective of reality than much of what passes for official histories.

To summarize, I loved this book and the performance. I will likely listen to it again, which is high praise indeed from me. If, however, you are looking for more of a "Civil War" story, then you may be disappointed.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as great as the first two

I went through this whole series, one after another. The third book, while good, was not anywhere near as interesting as the first two. The description of the fight with the Indians with Custer was so vivid, it almost made you sick. I really like the depth of Charles Main's character. On the other end, I felt that few other characters were as developed in this book, as in the others. At times, it felt more like a mish mash of historical facts. Aston was fascinating to watch sink as a result of her own choices. Bent proved to be an interesting character weaving through the books.

All and all, I am glad I read the last book as I would have always wanted to know what happened with each of the characters. But the fact that this book was not to the level of the quality of story telling as the first two was clear. Still an enjoyable read and a must if you have done the first two books.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit disappointing

Any additional comments?

Having listened to the entire series it felt like Mr Jakes started to lose his enthusiasm for the story. By killing off one of the most interesting characters early in the series he sort of painted himself in a corner. The whole "journal" aspect was annoying and I really wanted to just fast forward through those parts but since I had invested so much time in the previous books I waded through it. I wanted to see how he was going to conclude everything but the series really seemed to go down hill. Some of the story lines were dull at best and only the Charles story line really was worthwhile. With that said even that had some aspects that were very unbelievable. Grover was solid but he could not save the dragging story lines. If you listen to North and South you will probably want to listen to Love and War and so on. Knowing now what I now know I am not sure I would of used my credits.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Oh Please Don't end it.

I can't say enough about this series. Each and every one of the characters contributes to make this story of the years of the civil war so real it is hard to believe it is fiction. Mr. Jakes has done a brilliant job and Grover Gardner is the perfect narrator.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good.

What did you love best about Heaven and Hell?

I loved the look at the Reconstruction era.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how the author managed to suck me in with the story of Charles Maine and his difficulty fitting into a post war world. I got this book to just finish out the trilogy, but I wasn't that interested. However having read the first 2 felt I had to read the last one. I was surprised at how much the book managed to hold my interest.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have heard a number of Grover Gardner's audio performances. He did a good job, but his wasn't the vocal style I would have picked for this series. He sounds too Western. Better would have been 2 readers - one with a Mid-Atlantic accent for the Hazards, and one with a South Carolina accent for the Maines.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Learn from a New Perspective on Civil War History

John Jake provides in Book Three of the North South Trilogy, the three volume series’ teaching. The Beast is always here. The Beast being evil: particularly as found in select hominoid subjects found throughout humanity and the novels. According to Jake, we must learn to live with evil’s omnipresence and somehow survive notwithstanding.

North and South is Book One. Love and War is Book Two, and this volume, Heaven and Hell is Book Three. I have reviewed the earlier books separately. The tale remains a wonderful read or listen. It continues to follow the Main and Hazard family individuals and how they act and react against the circumstances of the Civil War years. Often amongst themselves as well as society as a whole. This book deals with the Indian Wars and emergence of the Klu Klux Klan in South Carolina. Because John Jake is a good storyteller the plot is a good read but, in this edition of the trilogy I became frustrated by the repeated personal choice mistakes of the hero and heroines. With the exception of one character, none of the others ever seem to have corrected their weak or deviant way. The one character that did mature with the novel was amongst the vilest of the original family members. Life wore him/her down to a state of reassessment. No one else in about a dozen family members. So the story became a little frustrating. Nevertheless, if one has read Books One and Two, Book three is interesting and completes the pseudo history.

Finally, its setting in the post-civil war years does provide some wonderful reconsiderations of what really occurred in our nation’s history – as opposed to what we may have been taught I grade school.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great ending.

What made the experience of listening to Heaven and Hell the most enjoyable?

This book wrapped up the situations of each family member as best it could. Not every life has a happy ending but each life has happiness. I was reminded of Madeline's struggles and her ending tie to supporting friends. I enjoyed seeing Brett so happy. Ashton landed exactly where she should be.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heaven and Hell?

Charles. His story dominated this tome and he really struggled with himself. He finally came around and found what he was looking for - love.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Such sweet melody is listening to Grover Gardner.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, Wonderful

Would you listen to Heaven and Hell again? Why?

Oh yes I would. Because of the history and the fiction that blended together so wonderfully.

What other book might you compare Heaven and Hell to and why?

The Lonesome Dove series. For the same reason I would listen to them again. The history blended so beautifully with the fiction. The characters of both series so worth knowing.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Yes, I did. He had good clear voice.

If you could rename Heaven and Hell, what would you call it?

I would not change it. The title fit the story.

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

100 hours of great listening

The North and South Trilogy was awesome. I rarely give any book a five star rating but all three volumes were definitely 5 star.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Heaven and Hell

Any additional comments?

North and South, Love and War, and finally, Heaven and Hell is an American Civil War trilogy. This final edition is intended to be the reconstruction period, so I thought … the rebuilding of the southern states following the war. Although a terrific series, this novel is much more focused on the development of the west, the American Indian wars. The history is interesting, but frankly, it would have been a better story if the author had focused on reconstruction and stayed with the American Civil War theme rather than cowboys and indians. These chapters reveal the further tribulations of one character, his personal demons, and a great deal of grizzly abuse, animals and people alike.

Although the novels would stand alone, you’d be shortchanging yourself not to start at the beginning. One of the most difficult accomplishments, at least in my opinion, is for the individual characters to come to life, seem real and alive. Jakes accomplishes this with several of his characters. The reader will make friends and enemies of them all. A fun, educational, and um….very long…listen. The entire series is read by Grover Gardner, and is approximately one hundred hours of listening. Gardner does a great job, but a little slow for my taste, bumped it up to 1.5.

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