The John Jakes Website

John Jakes is one of the preeminent novelists of American historical fiction. Now this beloved storyteller takes listeners to Charleston South Carolina, in a stunning multigenerational saga that tells the story of two apocalyptic, nation-shaping wars as seen through the eyes of a powerful South Carolina dynasty.

Charleston follows the lives, loves, and shifting fortunes of the Bells, saints and evil-doers mingled in one unforgettable family from the American Revolution through the turbulent antebellum years to the Civil War and the savage defeat of the Confederacy. Delving into our country's history as only he can, Jakes paints a powerful portrait of the Charleston aristocracy who zealously guarded their privilege and position, harboring dark family secrets that threatened to destroy them all.

Sweeping from the bitterly divided Carolina frontier of the 1770s through the tragic destruction of the city during the Civil War, and peopled by patriots and cowards, aristocrats and abolitionists, slaves and freedmen, heroic men and courageous women, Charleston represents America's premier storyteller at his very best.

News and Reviews
Charleston Post & Courier
Best selling novelist penning saga of fictional Charleston family Historical novel may need an edit Family saga a History of Holy City
Chattanooga Times
Jakes newest historical fiction takes readers to Charleston
Tulsa World
Jakes heads south with 'Charleston'
Washington Post
A family at war, women given second chances, and a father and daughter on the run.

Browse Books
Historical Fiction
Related Subjects
Fiction
American Revolution-Historical Fiction Civil War (U.S.A.)-Historical Fiction Multigenerational Sagas

Time Period
1750 to 1799 The Nineteenth Century (1800-1899)
Reccommendations for those who enjoy Charleston.