Heaven and Hell - by John Jakes - 3rd book in Civil War Trilogy (review)

Heaven and Hell - John Jakes - Google Books:

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Most recent book review written May 23, 2012:

After writing a series of Kent Family Chronicles in the 1970s, author John Jakes (b. 1932-) became the Godfather of Historical Fiction by penning a highly acclaimed Civil War Trilogy in the 1980s, all of which made it to #1 on the best-seller lists. This is a review/recommendation of the series.

The saga was also made into a popular ABC-TV mini-series (remember young Patrick Swayze and Lesley-Anne Down in 1985?). The first novel North and South was about the grinding build-up to Ft. Sumter and the battle for States’ rights over Federal power, but also set up nicely the full cast of characters that play out over the next two novels. 

The second book,  Love and War was about the tumultuous war years, full of blood-soaked action and romance; and the final volume, Heaven and Hell (which I just finished) proves that the Civil War wasn’t just about slavery, money, and power. 

The final book uses a very accurate portrayal of “Redemptive Reconstruction” as it was called, to paint a picture of the depravity and chaos unleashed on the post-war society. It thoroughly digs into a post-traumatic culture, its lost innocence, and how wounds and economies tried to heal in the postbellum South. 

Most central however, are the human relationships broken and the psychological carnage inflicted by a War between States to families, brothers, cousins, lovers. By the third volume, the fully-developed characters play out their dramatic conclusions in the United States now completely different after the war, than it was antebellum. 

Unfortunately, Jakes gives a reader glimpses of an ill-formed modernity proceeding after 1877. Even though the actors play out more melodrama than historical drama, Jakes works hard to weave actual events into every chapter; with plenty of conflict to keep the reader interested. 10 million copies of these books are now in print. This series is 5 ***** out of 5. (Vol. 3 by HBJ ©1987)

©Mark H. Pillsbury