California Gold

by John Jakes

Book Overview

James Macklin Chase was a poor Pennsylvanian who dreamed of making it rich in California. But at the turn of the century, the money to be made was in oil, citrus, water rights, and the railroads. Mack would have it all, if he had his way. And along the way, the men and women he met, the passion he found, the enemies he made, and the great historical figures like William Randolph Hearts, Leland Stanford, and Theodore Roosevelt, he encountered, helped...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394561066
• ISBN13: 9780394561066
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 658 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The First Jakes Book I Have Read

What a wonderful history lesson in this fiction novel. Jakes blends the history of California and throughout the book as well as at the back, he verifies actual historical dates. The story allowed me to understand more Sutter's Fort, the gold rush country, San Francisco and the places in and around Sacremento, Donner's Pass to Squaw Valley that I have visited. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Jakes books.

A Perspective Regarding History

There are some people that feel that reading fiction is a waste of time. For people giving a second thought to this line of thinking, this would be a book worthy of attention.Understanding history requires a context that cannot be defined with a simple equation or any number of footnotes. Fiction makes this possible and John Jake's efforts in this book should be noteworthy as well as entertaining.As with anything worth value it will be debated sooner or later again and again from numerous perspectives that never come together. This is the thing that makes this interesting. If you have an interest in history and how if effects us as far as where we are going it should be viewed as having fun, as it is going to repeat itself again and again given human nature. Given the effort given in producing this book I am a little surprised at the few reviews it has been given on this board. History, political science and the interactions of how personal relationships are masterfully presented in this book. Sure it a work of fiction. Presenting the perspectives how people being part of it could not be done any better than what was presented in the tale this book presented.Of coarse this is just my opinion. Rich

Addictive Page Turner

California Gold has it all! Lust, greed, amition, and historical tie-ins all in one! I have read and re-read this wonderful work of fiction 6 times at last count. I never become bored with it. In fact, some of the book's fabulous historical references have even lead me on some great adventures as a tourist in both San Francisco and the Los Angeles area.

A little different than some of his works.....

Vivid characters make this one of Jakes' best. Although he's usually more enjoyable when writing about families (the Crowns and Kents) I enjoyed this book a lot, too. Vivid and believable, Mack Chance was a bigger-than-life yet human protagonist to whom I could truly relate. Wyatt Paul as a depraved villain made my skin crawl- his best (worst) villain yet, in my opinion!

A great read

I thoroughly enjoyed this exceptional novel by John Jakes. Previously I had read only the Bicentennial Series-Kent Family Chronicals, which I loved. I liked California Gold because, being from California, I loved the rich historic information. It was more than 49's and/or movie stars. I loved reading about Hearst and Bierce, and the fact that the story ends in my neck of the woods, Riverside. The California orange-growing business is under-rated. This novel incompassed virtually every aspect of history and life in California, and that is saying quite a lot!