The Rebels (Kent Family Chronicles Volume 2)

In "The Rebels," the second book of his Bicentennial series, John Jakes continues the story of Philip Kent, now married to Anne Ware and the father of a young son, Abraham. Philip feels the call to serve his birthing country (firmly established in the first book -- a call certainly prodded by his wife's Revolutionary resolve) and spends almost all of this book on the battlefield. Soldiering is a tough trade, and Jakes captures it in brutal detail as he weaves the tales of Philip and the men with whom he serves.

But there's another story in this book -- a big one -- and Jakes runs it parallel to Philip's story through the whole 533 pages of my '70s paperback edition. This is the story of Judson Fletcher, a troubled man born of a privileged Virginia plantation. He's heavy on the drinking, self-loathing and otherwise obnoxious behavior, but there's a strange sense of levelheadedness about him -- as well as a crushing desire to do better -- that's remarkably compelling. I admit wanting to skip over Philip's battle scenes to the alternating chapters featuring Judson as he sputters and starts in his search for some sense of purpose. I couldn't get enough of the guy. In fact, I read most of this book wondering who plays him in the '70s TV adaptation of this book, which a friend had given me on DVD but which I was patiently waiting to watch after I finished the book. I peeked at the IMDb: a pre-"Miami Vice" Don Johnson. Hmmmm. I figured Johnson had big shoes to fill, because as far as I was concerned, Judson Fletcher downright steals this book.

Then I watched the miniseries. Ugh. I appreciated the fact that Johnson's Judson is appropriately stern and self-assured (when sober, at least), but I was disappointed that the TV adaptation basically throws the events of this book out the window. There are too many story differences to list here, and that's another review, anyway. At least both the print and screen version end up in the same place ...

But back to the book! It was a great story, though heartbreaking for many of the characters. Jakes' technique of running the action parallel but separate for the two men might seem a little strange but is wholly forgiven: At the very end he brings it all together in a nice way, connecting their two lives unmistakably and setting things up superbly for the future of the series.

It is the most fun to read history stories. I am almost surprised about how much I have learned just by reading this Author.

excellent book about the south. since im in the south, I really enjoyed it. John Jakes is a great writer./

John Jakes writes in an easy-to-read style, however I found myself skipping pages, which I never do.
Too much history, battles and blood, not enough characters and interpersonal intrigue.
Instead I recommend his "North and South" trilogy. Even if you don't like it, at least you only have to read 3 books instead of 8.

It is a page turner. I loved every page of it. Just finished reading this well written book by John Jakes, which transported me into the middle of the War of Independence. Now I am ready to continue to read the saga of the Kent Family
"The Seekers"

I read the Kent Family Chronicles a LONG time ago, but I loved every one of them...I thought they were great for portraying history.

I enjoyed the family as they continued through all the books...I may have to re-read them some day

A very well written book which I will recommend to anyone who reads.

The bastard was a really good novel and I could not wait to read the second. I found it not as good as the first but still it's a good novel. The thing I did not like abput the novel was the war parts some people will like it but I found they draggged on. I like how they shoed the coldness of the winters to the fighters and the harsh reality of war but the battel scences were long. Then there is new character like drunkard from the Virginian plantation families Judson Fletcher. Then there is Philips wife I was sad to see her outcome in the novel but enjoyed that part of the book. Very good characters in this book and I cant wait to read the next.

Love the book and this series. This production however is poorly printed. There is a huge gap at the top of the page and the words are almost cut off on the bottom. Still ledgible but hard to hold and read.

I read the first part of this series, The Bastard, nearly 20 years ago and really enjoyed it. I felt it did a fantastic job of sweeping the reader up in the beginnings of the American Revolution. I bought a copy of The Rebels not long after, and it has sat upon my shelf for years. I finally got around to reading it, and I was a bit disappointed. The book has many fun and interesting moments. For instance, I loved Jakes' descriptions of the battle scenes such as Bunker Hill. Philip Kent remains an intriguing character and watching his journey unfold was very enjoyable. In addition to Kent, Jakes' offers a second viewpoint character, Judson Fletcher, the son of a Virginia planter and frequent screwup who journey's from the Continental Congress to the wild's of Pittsburgh. I really liked the beginning of Fletcher's journey, but after it became apparent that Jakes intended this character to exist simply to show him going from bad decision to bad decision, you soon lost any sympathy for him, and he became less interesting. Jakes' briefly offers a third viewpoint character, Kent's wife, just long enough to offer a key plot point that he couldn't do through his other two characters. I really dislike when author's establish their viewpoint character's early on, then make an exception halfway through the book to introduce a third simply for the purposes of the plot. It always feels a bit like cheating to me.

In any event, The Rebels is a fun read, but I don't believe I enjoyed it nearly as much as The Bastard. Though of course twenty years may have clouded my memory of that book. I have, in the interim, read Jakes' North and South trilogy and I really enjoyed that series quite a bit. I may at some point read The Seekers, the next book in the series, but I don't know yet if I will. Too many books to read, not enough time.