The Immigrants - by Howard Fast (Paperback)

About the Book

This generational classic by the author of "Spartacus" is the story of Dan Lavette, the son of an Italian fisherman, who battles from the rubble of the San Francisco earthquake to build a fortune in the shipping industry.

Book Synopsis

"A most wonderful book...there hasn't been a novel in years that can do a job on readers' emotions that the last fifty pages of The Immigrants does."--Los Angeles Times

The first book in bestselling author Howard Fast's beloved family saga, The Immigrants is a transcendent work of historical fiction.

In this sweeping journey of love and fortune, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the family saga of roughneck immigrants determined to make their way in America at the turn of the century.

Quick to ascend from the tragic depths of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Dan Lavette becomes the head of a powerful shipping empire and establishes himself among the city's cultural elite. But when he finds himself caught in a loveless marriage to the daughter of San Francisco's richest family, a scandalous love affair threatens to destroy the empire Dan has built for himself.

The first novel of a compelling family saga, The Immigrants is fast-paced, emotional historical fiction that captures the wide range of relationships across Immigrant America during the tumultuous defining events of the early twentieth century.

NOW A MOTION PICTURE

From the Back Cover

A love story of tremendous beauty ... a tale of passion, adventure, and ambition set against the streets of San Francisco, America's most romantic city.

Dan Lavette, the son of an Italian fisherman, battles from the rubble of the San Francisco earthquake to build a fortune in the shipping industry. Rising to success through hard work and a loveless marriage to the daughter of the city's wealthiest family, he risks it all for the exotic beauty of a woman who shares his secret and scandalous passion.

From Nob Hill to the harbor, San Francisco comes alive through three immigrant families -- Italian, Irish, and Chinese -- whose intertwining dreams are propelled by the emotional events of America's coming of age...

Review Quotes

"Relentless pace of events...real experience leaping full-bodied from Fast's imagination...one of his best novels!"

-- New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Born in 1914, Howard Fast published over 53 novels, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His most famous novels included Spartacus, Freedom Road, Citizen Tom Paine, April Morning, The Crossing, The Unvanquished, My Glorious Brothers, and the three generation family saga beginning with The Immigrants. Nineteen of his works became movies.