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438th out of 3,149 books
—
13,788 voters
The Furies (Kent Family Chronicles #4)
by
John Jakes
The eight-volume epic of the Kent family continues as a new generation struggles to survive within a nation rife with conflict. Amanda Kent was a woman of great courage, but nothing prepared her for the massacre she witnessed at the Alamo. Now she's returned to Boston to rebuild the Kent legacy.
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
September 7th 2004
by Signet
(first published 1976)
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339th out of 725 books
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580 voters
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Nov 23, 2012
Thom Swennes
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Shelves:
re-read
The Kent family has entered into its third American generation and Amanda Kent shows that not only the men are daring and brave. Texas fights for its independence from Mexico and Amanda witnesses both the atrocities and glories of war. This is the only John Jake’s novel (and I've read almost all of them) that has a woman as the main character. The gold rush and immigration westward to California and the Pacific coast are related in thrilling and picturesque prose. That makes this volume unique a...more
Amanda Kent, the young girl separated from her cousin in the last book, has survived. She's been through experiences that have made her strong and determined to survive. She survives the Alamo and is rescued from probable death by (the) Cordoba, who she learns to love and eventually has a child by. She ends up in California, and, having a burning desire to get the Kent Family Publishing company back, needs money. The California Gold Rush is on. As thoughts formulate in her mind about how she mig...more
The fourth volume of the Kent Family Chronicles covers the years 1836 to the 1850s just before the Civil War. This volume is also almost exclusively about Amanda Kent. Jephtha Kent, Jared's son, and even Jared have minor roles.
Amanda starts out at the Alamo. She ends up being one of the few survivors. Descriptions of the mutilation of the bodies of the Americans by the Mexicans was interesting. Amanda then becomes lovers with one of her Mexican captors, Cordoba. She eventually winds up in Califo...more
Amanda starts out at the Alamo. She ends up being one of the few survivors. Descriptions of the mutilation of the bodies of the Americans by the Mexicans was interesting. Amanda then becomes lovers with one of her Mexican captors, Cordoba. She eventually winds up in Califo...more
Moving forward in the Kent Family Chronicles, we meet Amanda Kent. A woman who was abducted and raped before she was a teenager. She lived with Indians, married a Spanish trapper, survived the massacre at the Alamo, loved a Mexican soldier and watched his death. Some months later she bore his child. She'd been homeless and broke but managed to turn adversity into success using sheer determination and raw bravado. This is how history should be taught...from the viewpoint of individual Americans r...more
Book 4, The Furies, which traces the first major female member of the Kent family, beginning with her survival at The Alamo, moving to California during the Gold Rush days, then back to New York as she attempts to regain the Kent family publishing house while confronting her own demons. A little slower in spots than the first three books, but ends with a tremendously good bang (almost literally!) and readies the reader to move onto the next generation of Kents and the impending Civil War.
Apr 02, 2013
Tim Meloche
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-ebooks,
historical-fiction
The fourth instalment of the Kent Family chronicles was a substantial improvement over the third volume. The story revolves around the resourceful Amanda Kent. In the Furies we are presented with a member of the kent family that is, for the most part likeable. My biggest complaint about the series this far is that the author seems to feel that a book requires multiple instances of rape. This needless obsession tempered my review.
John Jakes' reputation for historical accuracy, his writing style, and the story he tells of the fictional Kent family combine to makes the entire 8-volume family saga absolutely wonderful. Reading this series was key in getting me "hooked" on the historical-fiction genre.
I read books 2-7 of this series in the last weeks of Feb 2013. While I liked the continuation of the family name through each generation, I could have done without every single important female of the Kent family being raped, sometimes repeatedly. They no sooner got power and money than they lost it, and family members ran the gamut from good to brilliant to corrupt to sleazy to fierce to insane to bloodthirsty. Lots of historical info, also, which made the story more real and interesting. But I...more
Aug 04, 2011
Nicole Gust
added it
I really hate how he skips so much of his characters lives between books so I started of completely disliking the book but he did okay with filling the blanks in as he went along.
This book opens in the Alamo. So far it is as good as the other books, but not sure what happened to Amanda between this book and the last. I'm sure that more will be explained later!
Yay, this one was really good. A female as the central character! She takes charge!
Side note: All this leisurely reading--I must have a paper due on Friday.
Side note: All this leisurely reading--I must have a paper due on Friday.
Jakes again keeps me away from Tuesday night TV. Amanda Kent proves to be a more dedicated Kent than any of the others in the first 3 volumes.
#4 if the Kent family chronicles. This centers on Amanda Kent, who starts out at the Alamo, and dies just before the start of the Civil War.
The eight-volume epic of the Kent family continues as a new generation struggles to survive within a nation rife with conflict. Amanda Kent was a woman of great courage, but nothing prepared her for the massacre she witnessed at the Alamo. Now she's returned to Boston to rebuild the Kent legacy.
Honestly, this is how I truly learned American history. These books follow generations of the "Kents" and their lives in America.
Read this decades ago. Amanda Kent was always my fave character in the series, and this book is about her.
I keep saying the same thing, but it's true, I liked this series very much.
Although I started to quite dislike Amanda she redeemed herself and I love this book. Feels different from the first three!
I do enjoy the history lesson you receive with these stories.
One of Jakes bicenntenial series, I'm not even sure which one....
Aug 15, 2012
Patsy Crawford
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-have-the-book-already
I love every John Jakes book I ever read. They are all page-turners.
Kent Family Chronicles volume 4 Must read this series
Amanda Kent is one of my favorite heroines!
The fourth book of the Kent Family Chronicles. This is mostly Amanda Kent's story. Starting in 1836 at the Alamo, to the gold rush of California, to 1852 New York. While a strong woman that survived much that most people couldn't handle, she was obsessed with her goals that will leave you with the question of the price paid for her goals.
I personally didn't care for Jephtha Kent's diary entries but they were a significant part to introduce Jephtha and give a feel for the views in this historical...more
I personally didn't care for Jephtha Kent's diary entries but they were a significant part to introduce Jephtha and give a feel for the views in this historical...more
Jul 10, 2011
Cookie Lopez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
series
I really enjoyed this story about Amanda.
Love, Love, Love the book and the series.
Still a good read. Jakes has been able to maintain a fine historical tale up to this point. Looking forward to the next one.
#4 of Kent Family Chronicles
Mar 09, 2013
Shane Miller
added it
Read Jan 2013
Very good.
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John Jakes, the author of more than a dozen novels, is regarded as one of today’s most distinguished writers of historical fiction. His work includes the highly acclaimed Kent Family Chronicles series and the North and South Trilogy. Jakes’s commitment to historical accuracy and evocative storytelling earned him the title of “the godfather of historical novelists” from the Los Angeles Times and le...more
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Mar 28, 2013 08:32am