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A review by carlacbarroso
North and South by John Jakes
3.0
I learned about this book, and the other two that compose this series, by chance. I was watching TV when I came across its adaptation, which my parents remembered of seeing it and, tried to portray the American Civil War. Since I know little about it, I thought it would be interesting reading it.
The story of this volume revolves around the years before the civil war, giving the reader a chance to know two families, the Hazards and the Mains, which came from two distinct backgrounds. The first family is from the north, with their wealth based on industrialization and the work of emigrants, while the other comes from the south, having their wealth based on agriculture and slave work. In a period in which social tension is huge, due to the discussion of abolitionism of slavery work, the friendship between these two families is tested.
It's an interesting book, for those who like History, since it tries to show both sides of the question, from the moderate to the radical point of view, which allows the reader to listen to the arguments, even if he doesn't agree with the ideas or actions of some characters. However, the discussion of these subjects becomes somewhat repetitive and tires on a book of this size. The characters, in my opinion, could have more depth to them, but their characterization is enough to let us know the different sections of the movements.
I was hoping for a bit more but it's clear it wasn't thought to be a stand alone, which leads me to hope for a better work on some of the characters.
Since I spoke of the seres, I would recommend it over the book. Of course it isn't a 100% truthful to the book, but it shows in a nice manner the most important bits of the book. A nice option for those who are curious but don't have patience to read it or access to the books, which might happen if you are in Portugal like me.
The story of this volume revolves around the years before the civil war, giving the reader a chance to know two families, the Hazards and the Mains, which came from two distinct backgrounds. The first family is from the north, with their wealth based on industrialization and the work of emigrants, while the other comes from the south, having their wealth based on agriculture and slave work. In a period in which social tension is huge, due to the discussion of abolitionism of slavery work, the friendship between these two families is tested.
It's an interesting book, for those who like History, since it tries to show both sides of the question, from the moderate to the radical point of view, which allows the reader to listen to the arguments, even if he doesn't agree with the ideas or actions of some characters. However, the discussion of these subjects becomes somewhat repetitive and tires on a book of this size. The characters, in my opinion, could have more depth to them, but their characterization is enough to let us know the different sections of the movements.
I was hoping for a bit more but it's clear it wasn't thought to be a stand alone, which leads me to hope for a better work on some of the characters.
Since I spoke of the seres, I would recommend it over the book. Of course it isn't a 100% truthful to the book, but it shows in a nice manner the most important bits of the book. A nice option for those who are curious but don't have patience to read it or access to the books, which might happen if you are in Portugal like me.