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Critic's Corner
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AMERICAN DREAMS Reviewed by:
Patricia Ann Jones Jakes' love and knowledge of American history are a reflection of his own heritage. His maternal grandfather emigrated from Germany in 1861 and settled in the Midwest. On his father's side, he is a descendant of a soldier of the Virginia Continental Line who fought in the Revolution. With "American Dreams" Jakes again proves himself to be our preeminent writer of historical fiction. Fritzi Crown, her brother Carl, and cousin Paul, transport readers into their yesteryears beginning in 1906 and ending in 1917 during the first World War. Never one to shy away from social controversy, Jakes spins a family saga charting the triumphs and tragedies of three remarkable dreamers who each struggle to make their mark in one of America's burgeoning industries. Fritzi Crown, a woman of fierce independence and formidable ambition defies her affluent father and social mores for the excitement of a life on the stage. She sets out alone for the harsh streets of Manhattan hoping to become a Broadway star. The path between starvation and stardom provides unexpected twists and turns, leading Fritzi across a continent to a boomtown called Hollywood. From Fritzi's viewpoint, the newly founded world of motion pictures provides a rich study of the film industry taking its first baby steps. Carl, a young man who refuses his father's offer to join the family brewery in Chicago, sets out to make his fame and fortune in the fledgling industry of motor cars. In Detroit, Carl meets Henry Ford and other young men bent on replacing the horse and buggy. I had to marvel at Jakes obvious research into the automobile industry. He brings out some amazing details and entertains you every step of the way. Carl, however, gets the wanderlust and moves on to a new career when something even more spectacular comes into view airplanes. Paul Crown, a noted author and news photographer in Europe, finds his fortunes drastically changed by the impending war. His story addresses the many German sympathizers living in America. The most notable being his Uncle Joe Crown. Paul and Fritzi become passionate demonstrators in favor of American intervention in the conflict jeopardizing their careers in the process. Jakes says he was drawn to this period in history because, "In little more than ten years, America, and the world, went from idyllic golden summers of peace to the bleak and bloody winter of war -- war so apocalyptic, so destructive, it could hardly be imagined by most of those living at the time." "American Dreams" with its abundance of period detail, historical fact, and colorful description, is the work of a master storyteller at the top of his form. This is a novel as big and vibrant as America itself. #### COPYRIGHT 1998 PATRICIA ANN JONES |
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