An edition of Fairoaks (1957)

Fairoaks

A Novel

1st Dial ed.
  • 4 Want to read

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Last edited by MARC Bot
September 27, 2020 | History
An edition of Fairoaks (1957)

Fairoaks

A Novel

1st Dial ed.
  • 4 Want to read

Elderberrywine (Dec 26, 2015 - 5 of 5 Stars) it was amazing. Well now. This was certainly a barn-burner. It starts off as your typical antebellum Southern romance, but quickly veers off onto all sorts of unlikely tangents. Years in Africa dealing in the slavery trade (not to mention an absolutely harrowing account of the effects of smallpox on an over-loaded trading vessel)? Check. Traipsing about Europe enthralled by a lover who also happens to be a superbly gifted coloratura? Also check. And then back again to the now post-bellum Tara look-alike Fairoaks? But of course.

It must not be overlooked that the author was African-American, which gives a good deal of the plot an unusual perspective. And how did this movie not manage to get made in the '50s, starring Clark Gable, or at the very least, Howard Keel? C'mon, now, give a girl what she wants.

Judy (May 06, 2009 - 5 of 5 Stars) really liked it: So sad that Yerby is now out of print, he is a fine storyteller. In this novel of the Old South he creates some unforgettable characters, especially Guy Falks, the man all men want to be like, and all women want to love. Most interesting is Yerby's blunt exploration of race relations in very politically incorrect terms, and, in this book, a large section on the African slave trade. This is not just another antebellum pot boiler!

John (Dec 29, 2012 - 5 of 5 Stars) it was amazing: perhaps THE BEST YERBY BOOK YET. GREAT CHARACTERS, NOT A WASITED WORD IN ENTIRE BOOK. I HAVE TO PACE MYSELF OR I WOULD READ ALLL OF HIS BOOKS ONE AFTER THE OTHER. THAY ARE SO GOOD TO READ BETWEEN READING SO MANY OTHER BORING WORKS.

Publish Date
Publisher
Dial Press
Language
English
Pages
405

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks
August 1977, Dell Publishing
Paperback in English
Cover of: Fairoaks
Fairoaks: A Novel
1957, Dial Press
Hardcover in English - 1st Dial ed.

Add another edition?

Book Details


Edition Notes

Manufactured in U.S.A. /

Published in
New York, USA
Series
Follows Yerby's ''Dahomean''
Copyright Date
1957 by Frank Yerby

Classifications

Library of Congress
PZ3.Y415 Fai PS3547.E65, PZ3.Y415 Fai, PS3547.E65 Fai

Contributors

Cover Design
William R. Meinhardt

The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Pagination
405p. [8p.fr/5p.bk]
Number of pages
405
Dimensions
8.5 x 5.5 x 1.25 inches
Weight
12 ounces

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL6225509M
Internet Archive
fairoaksnovel00yerb
LCCN
57011707
OCLC/WorldCat
291487
Amazon ID (ASIN)
B005FUKR3A
Library Thing
5918179
Goodreads
9521961

Work Description

Guy Falks, an imposter, makes a tainted fortune and becomes a great aristocrat in the pre-Civil War South.

Christy Lashley (Sep 16, 2012 5 of 5 Stars) it was amazing: This is a sequel to The Dahomean and is just as amazing! Frank Yerby is one of the best story tellers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I have never encountered a book of his that I didn't love. This book picks up where The Dahomean leaves off. The central character from that book who is a respected and honored leader of his tribe in Africa, is captured and sold into slavery and ends up in the Rural South on a plantation. Throughout all of his trials and hardships he never loses his honor. These two books began a wonderful love affair between myself and all of Frank Yerby's work.

*Amy Imogene Reads (Sep 09, 2019) bookshelves: historical-fiction:* Some books find you at the exact right moment, and their sense of place in your memories is almost more important than their contents.

I was 12. I was at a craft show with my grandma that I didn't want to be at, and found myself in the 10 cent bin outside of the local library during their book sale. It didn't have a slip jacket, and it didn't have a description. I bought it because it was blue. Later that weekend, I have the most vivid memory of sitting on my grandma's screened-in front porch, cicadas buzzing around her old Victorian, and reading this book with a cup of lukewarm coffee and a stack of Melba crackers. I remember loving it and reading it in one sitting.

Some memories stick with you for reasons unknown. This reading experience was one of them.

(I can't rate this because of the moment attached to it, and if my memory serves me right the book is a terrible product of its time in terms of class, race, and gender. So please don't take this review as an endorsement of its contents.)

Kate (May 08, 2017 - 5 of 5 Stars) it was amazing: I really enjoyed this book. It depicts life in the Southern US before the Civil War. It tells of a man who has an interesting life as a slave trader, plantation owner, lover, and very complex person. His life has many twists, turns and adventures. I guess this book would be banned by today's standards, but it is part of how things were during that period of our history. I feel that people should read this with an eye toward the historical aspects but also for the enjoyment of the story.

Amanda Gordon (Aug 27, 2019 - 5 of 4 Stars) really liked it: This was very well written, but I can see why it’s out of print! The ‘N’ word features prominently and black people in both the Americas and in Africa are not really described in a positive light. It’s surprising since the author IS an African American. Still, it’s a sweeping and amazing tale of a family and the legacy each generation leaves for the ones following.

Rusty (Oct 10, 2010 - 5 of 4 Stars) really liked it; Shelves: historical-fiction, romance: Occasionally one comes across a book and an author in a quite unorthodox way that is so good you wonder why you never read it. A few months after I joined PBS hubby and I went to an auction where we bought five -yes five - boxes of books for $3. I began to work my way through them, reading what caught my eye and posting those I thought someone might like. One of those books was this out-of-print HB. It's a story that takes one to the time of slavery in our country and into the minds and thoughts of those who lived in the South. What an exciting read! I felt as if I walked with Guy Falks who grows up in the South, lives in Africa for some time working in the slavery business to make his fortune before he returns home. I did not wince when he took a whip to a slave yet I thrilled to his compassion for a young woman slave who saves his life. He learns to cope with several different African tribes, speaking their languages and discovering how to cope with their beliefs and lives. It's an excellent read.

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
September 27, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
May 6, 2020 Edited by ED Power abt, publ, this ed, id, cls, phys, dim
May 6, 2020 Edited by ED Power Added new cover
August 12, 2011 Edited by ImportBot add ia_box_id to scanned books
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from Scriblio MARC record