I read the book, The Rebels by John Jakes. The story begins on June 17, 1775, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which Philip Kent participates. One major event, the marriage of Philip and Anne Ware, took place in the interim. In September of that year Anne gave birth to her first child, whom they named Abraham after her father. Philip then participated in Henry Knox’ mission to transport cannons from Fort Ticonderoga. Meanwhile, Judson Fletcher, a drunkard and a womanizer still pursued Peggy Ashford McLean, the wife of his friend Seth McLean, whom he had courted before her marriage. Judson lived with his father on Sermon Hill, a large tobacco plantation on the Rappahannock River in northern Virginia. During a great rebellion of slaves Peggy was raped, Seth killed his father opposed to Judson's defense of black slaves and his way of life, and put his son out of house. Judson’s brother, Donald, was a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress , but he suffered from gout and was unable to fulfill his duty, so designated Judson to act in his stead. While attending Congress in Philadelphia Judson began an affair with Alicia Parkhurst, who now called herself Alice, a former lover of Philip Kent’s. When Tobias Trumball, Alicia’s uncle, found her, he tried to take her home, which Judson prevented, after which Trumball challenged Judson to a duel and scheduled it for July 3, 1776. The day before the duel, during a debate on the Lee Resolution, Judson was dismissed from the Virginia delegation for drunkenness and therefore missed his chance to vote on the resolution. The next day, he killed Trumball in the duel and shortly afterwards, Alicia committed suicide by drowning. Judson then dies because he catches a British spy, and Phillips’s wife dies by a privateer, fear not because a year later he re-marries. I know there is a lot much more to the story but I kinda ran out of ran out of words. Overall 10/10.
The Rebels is the second of the Kent Family Chronicles by John Jakes. I really didn't think The Rebels could be better then The Bastard but it is. Jakes weaves a tale following Phillip Kent and his family through the Revolutionary War. His wife Anne has a baby while he is away and has struggles without Phillip being around.We are also introduced to a new character-Judson Fletcher. He is a rebellious son from Virginia who has his dalliances in booze and women. Throughout the book I wondered what Judson had to do with the Kent family and found out at the end.I was able to learn a lot about the conidtions the soldiers experienced and what people thought of famous people like George Washington. Well done. I am looking forward to reading The Seekers next.
What do You think about The Rebels (2004)?
This is the second volume in John Jakes bicentennial series. Philip Kent has left his European roots behind and is fighting for his new nation. The book travels through the colonial struggle that would go down in history and the American Revolution. The perfect balance of fact and fiction gives the reader a front row seat for the birth of a nation. Love and a sense of new found liberty inspire the characters to do the improbable while attempting the impossible. Another memorable book about the birth of the American dream, the Rebels is sure to grab your imagination and take you back to the beginning. It is a good story about a remarkable event in history and I highly recommend it to all.
—Thom Swennes
Prosegue senza intoppi la saga americana di John Jakes incentrata in questi primi libri sulla vita di Philip Kent che dalla natia Francia, attraverso le peripezie vissute in terra d'Albione, giunge in America al tempo degli attriti tra le colonie americane e la madrepatria inglese: la sua partecipazione ai fatti d'arme che portarono all'indipendenza americana viene narrata con puntiglio e attenzione miscelando abilmente fatti storici a episodi privati in un romanzo che si fa leggere rapidamente e partecipativamente.
—Sergio
#2 in the John Jakes' series. Follows the exploits of Phillip Kent--an ex-citizen of France who has sailed to America in search of a new life. He's left behind the world of the aristocracy and its class barriers. But all is not well in the English colonies. New taxes and restrictive laws are causing unrest among the colonists. King George is not the benevolent leader that they look to for guidance. His treasury is empty due to the 7 Years War and he expects the colonies to refill it for "protecting" their interests during the war. But the colonists believe themselves to be as English as the king and won't stand by for "taxation without representation"!
—Denise
