1812

July 1, 1996
Ten bestselling authors have contributed blurbs to Nevin's second novel (after the bestselling Dream West, 1983)--among them fellow historical novelists Gary Jennings, James Michener and John Jakes. Nevin incorporates traits of all three in his re-creation of the War of 1812: Jennings's intense detailing, Michener's sweep and Jakes's passion for America all surface here at times, though what results is less a glorious work of historical art than an insistently intriguing animated tableau. The narrative can be terribly talky, especially in the beginning. An early scene in the White House featuring President James Madison and a visiting General Andrew Jackson, who wants to take Canada by force from Britain, crams enough political, military and cultural information into dialogue between the two to fill a history lesson--no surprise, since Nevin writes history books for the Time-Life series. Yet, in this very scene, Jackson and Madison, modeled with care, come to some sort of virtual life. As war begins between Britain and the U.S., culminating in the writing of the "Star Spangled Banner" and the burning of Washington, D.C., Nevin, helping himself with particularly vigorous battle scenes, conveys a kind of grandeur. This is, in essence, a patriotic pageant, but it's one crammed with color and captivating characters, and a good bet to follow in Dream West's footsteps as a TV miniseries. $150,000 ad/ promo; author tour.