Skip to main content

About the Book

About the Book

Savannah: Or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln

The author of sixteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers, called by the Los Angeles Times "the godfather of the historical novel," now brings to life an almost-forgotten moment in the Civil War.

Georgia, 1864: Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path, the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies--attractive widowed Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie-struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as "a Christmas gift," Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them.

In this rousing new tale, John Jakes tells a story of battlefield danger, wartime romance, and indomitable courage. The rich cast of characters includes a corrupt judge who positively exudes Dickensian wickedness, a fast-talking piano-playing reporter from New York, a pair of thwarted young lovers, a raffish Indiana cavalryman, a valiant former slave who practices bird calls with surprising results, and a whole bagful of rascals, rebels, and real soldiers who marched with Sherman.

Together they bring to life a season of simmering hostilities, rising hopes, and empty stockings-perhaps the most strife-torn yet heartwarming Christmas in all of American history.

Savannah: Or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln
by John Jakes

  • Publication Date: September 6, 2005
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Signet
  • ISBN-10: 0451215702
  • ISBN-13: 9780451215703