the kent chronicles

I had a huge crush on Andrew Stevens when I was a kid and loved these movies — the first two, at least, where he appears. My grandmother had the first two books, which she leant me, The Bastard and The Rebels, and I devoured them. She liked to read "love stories," but to a young girl they were pretty racy. She also had Sidney Sheldons and the like, which I also ended up reading, but the John Jakes books were my favorites, as I was always a bit of a history buff, too.

Based on author John Jakes's (North & South) best-selling series of novels which were written to celebrate America's bicentennial, Acorn Media has recently released The Kent Chronicles, three television miniseries dramatizing the first three books in the series: The Bastard, The Rebels, and The Seekers. Miniseries were a big thing in 1970s television, with dramatizations like Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots, and Holocaust proving immensely popular.

The Bastard, the first movie in this series, was also well-received, and is the most entertaining of the trio. The story begins with a young Frenchman Phillipe Charboneau (Andrew Stevens) who discovers that he is the bastard son of an English nobleman. Urged on by his ambitious mother (Patricia Neal), he travels to England to claim his birthright. His efforts are not met with success and he decides to leave England for America, where he takes the name Philip Kent and finds himself siding with the many Colonials who are being oppressed by the British. Familiar television personalities appear in the large cast: Kim Cattrall, Buddy Ebsen, Harry Morgan — viewers will especially enjoy spotting those playing well-known historical personages — Tom Bosley as Benjamin Franklin and William Shatner as Paul Revere.

From top: Andrew Stevens travels to America in The Bastard, Don Johnson fights a duel in The Rebels, and Randolph Mantooth in The Seekers, all with wonderfully feathered '70s hair.

The Bastard is part historical novel and part bodice-ripper, as Phillipe/Philip charms ladies on both continents. In the second film, The Rebels, Don Johnson takes over the bulk of romancing the ladies as brash Virginian Judson Fletcher, who joins northerner Philip Kent in the fight for independence. The pair find themselves in the harsh winter conditions at Fort Ticonderoga and Valley Forge, as well as Philadelphia and Cambridge. More television favorites play familiar names from high-school text books: William Daniels as John Adams (he plays Samuel Adams in The Bastard!), Jim Backus as John Hancock, and Peter Graves of Mission Impossible fame as George Washington. The third film, The Seekers, follows the Kents in the American West and during the War of 1812. Randolph Mantooth plays Philip's grown son Abraham.

Each miniseries runs approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes. The aspect ratio is 4:3, full screen, with scene selection and SDH subtitles available. Extras include the original, two-minute trailer and a biography of author John Jakes.

The movies are dated, even hokey at times, but are still quite entertaining. Exterior scenes, such as those depicting Revolutionary War winter conditions in The Rebels, are especially successful. Viewers will enjoy The Kent Chronicles as both a 1970s television time capsule and a historical soap opera.

Article first published as DVD Review: The Kent Chronicles on Blogcritics.

shiver

I could swear one of the blogs I regularly read reviewed this book and thumbs-upped it a while back, but I can't find the review. Now that I've read it, I was curious to read the review again. Oh well. I bought this book for my almost sweet-sixteen niece for Xmas, but figured I better read it first, just to be sure it was o.k. Apart from one very discreet love scene, it was more than appropriate for a "young adult." In fact, the whole book reads like a very innocent teenage girl's dream—not the Katy Perry variety.

I wasn't exactly looking for or expecting sexy passages—I thought this would be more supernatural in nature, not pure romance, but I do find it interesting that there seems to be an innocence trend in teen-lit or YA. I haven't read the Twilight books—just flipping through the first few pages of the first book in the series in Target didn't encourage me. I've read most of the Percy Jackson series, which are pretty romance-free, prompted by said niece. Harry Potter manages a clinch or two in seven books. It's all very chaste. It's interesting.

The author made a lovely little trailer for her book—she did the collage and the music.

This book isn't about sex, although some folks might be instantly turned off by the potential bestiality implied in a girl-loves-werewolf story. It's a swoony, girly, love story. The heroine Grace stars out as a slightly eccentric girl, a survivor of a wolf attack who is now drawn to the pack that hangs out in the woods beyond her house, almost abnormally. She is smart and independent and I liked her. The boy she loves, Sam, is almost too perfect, too gentlemanly, too sweet. But he's the perfect magical boyfriend, complete with shaggy hair and golden eyes. I guess these guys are this generation's Prince Charmings. My generation had ... I'm not sure who. There really wasn't a young adult book category when I was going to Barnes and Noble. I read my Nancy Drews and then graduated to Grandma's John Jakes and Sidney Sheldon and Harold Robbins novels for a little sex. In school we passed around thriller novels like Carrie and Jaws.

The middle of the book where girl meets wolf boy, girl loves wolf boy, girl loses wolf boy is pure romance with a dash of suspense. The mysteries laid out are gentle and not too mysterious, but that doesn't seem to be the point. What stays with the reader is the atmosphere—the impending cold weather, the woods behind Grace's house, which seem quite real. There are a few undeveloped or abandoned threads—what about the wolf girl Shelby, who is set up as such a threatening antagonist? Will Sam ever see his mentor Beck again? But there is a sequel (now part two of a trilogy), which I haven't read, but might, if I really want to see how some of this turns out. It depends on how much my niece likes this first book. I'm eager to hear her teenage opinion and see if her perspective of the story and characters differs widely from mine. Not surprisingly, there is a film version in the works.

Mostly I liked the author Maggie Stiefvater's twist on werewolf lore. Her werewolves are tied to the seasons and nature, changing into wolves at the first hint of frost, then back to human form in the summertime. It doesn't always make sense, but it is still intriguing and atmospheric and enough of a necessary obstacle for the young lovers that will intrigue young readers.

Book #4 in reading challenge Cannonball Read 3, sponsored by Pajiba