Book dossier

Fairoaks

by Frank Yerby

**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.***