Captains and the Kings
Published April 1989 by Fawcett Crest (first published 1972), Mass Market Paperback 816 pages
This is a great surging novel about the amassing of a colossal fortune, the political power that comes with it, and the operation of a curse laid on an Irish-American dynasty and the ruthless driving man who founded it.
Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh was thirteen years old when he first saw America through a dirty porthole on the steerage deck of The Irish Queen. It was the early 1850's and he was a penniless immigrant, an orphan cast on a hostile shore to make a home for himself and his younger brother and infant sister. Some seventy years later, from his deathbed, Joseph Armagh last glimpsed his adopted land from the gleaming windows of a palatial estate. A multi-millionaire, one of the most powerful and feared men, Joseph Armagh had indeed found a home. CAPTAINS AND KINGS is the story of the price that was paid for it in the consuming, single-minded determination of a man clawing his way to the top; in the bitter-sweet bliss of the love of a beautiful woman; in the almost too-late enjoyment of extraordinary children; and in the curse which used the hand of fate to strike in the very face of success itself.
Once again, Taylor Caldwell has looked into America's roistering past as a setting for a drama of the consequences of savage ambition - and its meaning then and now.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Taylor Caldwell is largely unknown today, and CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS is virtually the only novel of her left in print in mass-market paperback, and less than a handful are available in oversized paperback editions. But from 1938 (DYNASTY OF DEATH) through her last published novel, ANSWER AS A MAN (1980), Caldwell kept countless readers enthralled with her powerful sagas of ambition and destiny, set during various periods of American and European history (along with a few diversions to Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece). Her novels were notable for their great emotional depth, as well as her unerring eye for detail - she was often (and justifiably) accused of verbosity, but she was nevertheless a thunderingly good storyteller.
CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS is one of her best novels, almost a late-career companion to DYNASTY OF DEATH and NEVER VICTORIOUS, NEVER DEFEATED (1954). Both novels are about men with a passion for success who let no one and nothing stand in the way of achieving it. Caldwell herself called CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS her "Kennedy novel," because the tragic family she chronicles here does indeed resemble that famous family. The novel's central character, Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh, arrives in America from Ireland as a penniless orphan - decades later he's one of America's wealthiest and most powerful men, with one ambition left: to make his son, Rory, the first Catholic president of the United States.
CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS is about power - actually, even more than that, it's about the power behind power, the people behind the scenes - bankers, investors, manufacturers - who control politicians and the destinies of nations.
I was besotted with CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS as a teenager, and read it four times between 1972 and 1975. I re-read it two years ago, well over 30 years after my last reading, and enjoyed it all over again.
If you've never read Taylor Caldwell, CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS is well worth seeking out, along with DYNASTY OF DEATH, TESTIMONY OF TWO MEN, and DEAR AND GLORIOUS PHYSICIAN. With historical fiction once again highly popular, it's time Caldwell was rediscovered.
5/12/12: 39 years after it was published, the paperback edition of CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS has gone out of print. It was the last mass-market paperback of a Caldwell title available - end of an era!
Rating: really liked it
Captains and the Kings, Taylor Caldwell
Captains and the Kings is a 1972 historical novel, by Taylor Caldwell, chronicling the rise to wealth and power of an Irish immigrant, Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh, who emigrates as a penniless teenager to the United States, along with his younger brother and baby sister, only for their parents to die shortly afterwards. Joseph Armagh befriends a Lebanese immigrant, and both are taken under the tutelage of an American plutocrat. An inter-generational saga focusing on the themes of the American dream, discrimination and bigotry in American life, and of history as made by a cabal of the rich and powerful, through Armagh's attempt to make his eldest son, who eventually becomes a senator, the first Catholic President of the United States.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1984 میلادی
عنوان: سران و سلاطین؛ اثر: تیلور کالدول؛ مترجمها: نیره توکلی؛ هادی امین؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، نیلوفر، 1361، در 530 ص، چاپ دوم زمستان 1363؛ چاپ سوم 1372؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیایی تبار آمریکایی - سده 20 م
رمان تاریخی «سران و سلاطین»، اثری از «جانت میریام تیلور کالدول»، نویسنده ی بریتانیایی، که در سال 1972 میلادی، بنگاشته شده است. داستان «سران و سلاطین»، در باره ی یک مهاجر خردسال «ایرلند»ی، به نام «جوزف آرما»، به همراه برادر، و خواهر کوچکتر خویش است. آنها به عنوان مهاجرین غیرقانونی، به امریکا سفر میکنند، و مدت کوتاهی پس از کوچ، والدین خود را از دست میدهند. «جوزف»، با یک کوچنده ی «لبنان»ی دوست میشود، و هر دو زیر سرپرستی آمریکایی ثروتمندی، دل به کار میدهند. داستان یک دلاوری رخداده و پیوسته ی میان نسلی ست، که بر روی سوژه هایی همچون: «تاریخ»، «رؤیای آمریکایی»، «برتری نژادی» و «هواداری بیش از اندازه» در زندگی مردمان آمریکا، تکیه دارد، که توسط یک قشر آسوده و ثروتمند ساخته شده است. ا. شربیانی
Rating: really liked it
I don't even know where to start with this book. My dad told me about it years ago. Its not exactly one you find lying around on library shelves waiting to be checked out. And, in fact, I only have a copy because I borrowed it from my dad... and HE only has a copy because my sister found it at a thrift store. Anyway- back to reviewing it.
First- beware it is what I call "old" writing. What I mean by that is it is more of a Margaret Mitchell or MM Kaye style than say a modern day popular author. It has details that most people would skip and yet are so vital and contain information pertinent to the story that you must read them in order to understand.
Next- it is set in the mid-1800s to earlier 1900's and full of politics, yet while reading it, I still felt as though I was reading the politics of today. It forces you to question and wonder and be suspicious. I quite enjoyed that haha however, if you are already prone to conspiracy theories, this might put you over the edge.
Furthermore- the character development is intense. I think that's part of what I distinguish as "old" writing, where the author spends more time letting you into why their characters are doing things as opposed to describing what they actually did. And there are so many characters, that takes time and pages! (hello- this thing is over 800 pages long!) I was so impressed with her ability to keep her characters true to themselves and what she had established, but allowing them to grow with the story and circumstances she developed.
Finally- my dad will tell you he thinks this story is loosely based on the Kennedy Family. Do I agree? hmmmm... possibly. The author has obviously changed the time period and circumstances enough so that if it wasn't planted in your mind already, you may not make the connections. However, I can see that it might be inspired by their heritage.
Overall, it was a great read. Its got me thinking about black helicopters and skulls and societies. ;)
Rating: really liked it
Ok--Be very careful with Taylor Caldwell books. She has geared these toward women who want hardcore romance--if you know what I mean. It is usually brief I hear, but the point of her books is not about "heaving bossoms" it's to educate the average reader about governments and what goes on behind the scenes. She is very educated and a very talented writer and usually writes about a specific conspiracy. They may sound strange but I would highly recommend any of her books (minus the bedroom scene) for anyone interested in learning politics without getting out a history book.
Rating: really liked it
A truly extraordinary book in every way! My mom told me that a long time ago, she read a book that was so good, and I thought to myself, I have to read this. I enjoyed every page, and it's amazing to think about how it applies to our lives today. If you read it and think about it, the book should both frighten you while making you wonder who the hell is actually running our country and the world. Men behind curtains that no one has ever heard of making decisions that change how the world functions, all for political and economical gain that furthers their push for abosolute power.
I highly recommend anyone willing to turn on their brains give this a try with an open mind. You will no regret it. Five stars is all I can give but I would have given more.
Rating: really liked it
For everyone who did or has ever voted in a presidential election, this is a must read. When an unknown can come out of the woodwork, unstudied and untested, without any sort of litmus test, and become our president, we must ask ourselves, "Who is he and who owns him?' Read this book! It is haunting!
Rating: really liked it
I can't even bring myself to finish this book. The descriptions sometimes go on for pages. I can't make myself care about the main character. He is cold and unfeeling and I have lost interest.
Rating: really liked it
The ending implies that the Joseph Armagh only lived for his family, but the truth was that he only wanted his family to fulfill his own aim in life, which was to take revenge on a world which was too hard on a poor immigrant boy. His sister was to grow up to be a great lady, not a nun. His brother was to grow up to be as strong as himself, not a musician. He ignored his son Rory until he held potential to change the world as Joseph wanted it changed. Then he ruined Rory's life in the process.
The conspiracy theory was too unbelievable for me.
Maybe fans of Ayn Rand would like it?
Also..it's .very hard for modern readers to slog through the extensive description.
Rating: really liked it
A wonderful old book that has long been a favorite. Written beautifully with a fascinating storyline.
Bravo and a real winner!!!
Rating: really liked it
Captains and the Kings is such a great all around read in my opinion. So much so that it is one of my favorite books of all time (and that's saying a lot coming from me).
While the theme at first glance seems to be a rags to riches story, it goes so much more beyond that. You have history, romance, politics, drama (plenty of it yet not overdone), and it also delves into the different natures of human beings. It is easy to read, yet pretty intense and I had a difficult time putting this book down! Caldwell writes so well and is able to captivate the reader that by the end of the book, I was left wanting more.
For those who haven't read this book yet, I hope you give this one a chance!
Rating: really liked it
Since my grandparents immigrated to the USA in the mid/late 1800s I love reading historical fiction shining light on the ocean travel across the Atlantic and then the determination and independent hardwork necessary to become prosperous American citizens. The beginning of this novel was very enjoyable but the rambling filler throughout this novel turned the reading enjoyment into a grueling task just to finish reading this book.
I did finish this it because I made a promise to myself to always finish any book that I start reading but I honestly had to drag myself through this one. This is a terrific story with interesting characters but the micro descriptions of storm clouds and wall paneling and fireplace flames and facial expressions and so on stole 2 stars from my review.
My analogy is this....When I go to a fine restaurant for an outstanding enjoyable meal I don’t need the chef or waitress to stand at my table telling me every ingredient used, where the spices originated, how they were prepared and how long the meal baked. Would that equate to an enjoyable eating experience? Not to me! I’d consider the meal delicious but definitely not enjoyable. That’s exactly how I feel about reading this book.
Rating: really liked it
One of my favorite books. The characters are strong and the story line is compelling. When you are finished reading it, you are left with a disturbing thought . . . who are the people in charge . . . calling all of the shots?
Rating: really liked it
TV miniseries
Great watching but glad I didn't read - know what I mean?
Rating: really liked it
An epic novel that will no doubt charm conspiracy theorists who read it. For me, a timely read in light of US politics today. Well written, if a little repetitive on some of its key themes but made powerful through the author’s steadfast stance on the universality of corruption in industry, politics and the lives of society’s powerful elite. Quite a large meal, this book.
Rating: really liked it
DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE VERSION OF THIS BOOK!!!! I read and enjoyed Taylor Caldwell when I was in high school, so when I found Captains and the Kings for a Kindle $1.99 special, I thought this was a sure hit. I could not have been more wrong. The first third of the book was gripping, despite me gritting my teeth over the complete lack of punctuation or random punctuation in spots where no comma or quotation mark ever should have been. Then it began to seem like chunks of the book were missing. And perhaps these chunks really were! I think whoever formatted this book for Kindle was on drugs. For example, in one chapter Katherine is dying and asking Joseph to marry Bernadette, and in the next screen they refer to Rory as if I am supposed to know who Rory is. Given Taylor Caldwell's detailed descriptions that go on for pages, I found it very puzzling that the wedding and subsequent birth of Rory would be completely omitted. I suspect it wasn't Caldwell, but the fault of whoever was turning the book into Kindle. And from there it just went downhill. I found myself bewildered as to who people were, what had happened during time gaps, and finding more and more excuses not to continue reading. And finally I just gave up at about 52% or so. If I can find a paper copy someday at a used book fair, I will start it over and probably really enjoy the book. But the Kindle version is appalling. I'm glad I paid only $1.99.
