A Tale of Two Trilogies
I have grouped two of TC's trilogies below. Among her 40 novels, one easily finds groupings of novels that suggest dynamic changes in her, and in the reception she received from publishers and her public.
The Armaments Family

1. Dynasty of Death OR 11/15/16 1938 Charles Scribner Sons
2. The Eagles Gather 1940 Charles Scribner Sons
3. The Final Hour 1944 Charles Scribner Sons

Diatribes on Evil

1. The Listener eNet 1960 Doubleday & Co.
2. No One Hears But Him OR 1/15/17 1966 Doubleday & Co.
3. Dialogues With the Devil OR 1/15/17 1967 Doubleday & Co.

A large gap in time separates those groupings. Prolific as was TC, that represents many life changes.

The first trilogy features the Bouchard family. The designation OR indicates that Open Road does e-book promotions of them, but in that first trilogy, they chose only the first. The family review is here; the walk of fame plaque for TC in Buffalo, where she lived most of her life, based on that novel is here. Those three novels featured one stellar talent, TC's ability to intricately weave plots and characters in a many-decade saga. The first and 3rd also featured two great romances, replete with astonishing females and charismatic males.

Even here, though TC progressed. The Bouchards at first are war-mongers who become wealthy by selling guns, cannons and ammunition to BOTH sides of the Civil War.   They help create and perpetuate the Civil War (and others) so they could financially profit from both sides fighting each other!

By the 3rd novel, they are patriotic conservatives who want to defend America in WW2. As one newsletter reader has said, TC created bad guys and later turn them into good guys.

The second trilogy novels all have e-reader promotions. In these, the evil has become more abstract, objectified by a chair; though TC lets you know behind the evil are – hypocritical liberals – who have become her personal ogres. Not coincidentally, also the bette noire's of the now fully operational John Birch Society, born in 1958.

Between the two trilogies are important changes in her life.

• Marcus Reback, her second husband and source of a great part of her research and moderation has died.
• This initiates the period of estrangement from Mr. Reback's daughter, Judy, who eventually, with TC's blessing, committed suicide.
• This is the start of the period during which TC took long cruises with Peggy – as her chaparone – aboard.

All this deserves much more comment, especially as we experience this fearful confusing time of the coronavirus. Among still uncollated materials is the following chapter from the 18 from Peggy's autobiography.

Chapter 11: TC More Shocking; Peggy More Shocked. What kind of character is TC? How does Peggy's decription of her compare with that of others? I've met Jan Robinson, and others have met Soula. They match Peggy in her protection of TC, though they felt less manipulated by her. Here Peggy warns Judy that she won't get access to Marcus Reback's estate against TC. Yet, that is exactly what Peggy tried against Prestie, TC's last husband. Gerry abets TC's control over Peggy, insisting she carry through whatever social functions TC asks of her. Why? Judy, in real life is warmer, funnier, and more inclusive by far than is Peggy. Of those three, though thwarted, she was the more womanly, lovable character.

TC's early warped ideas of making her daughter tough – because life is tough – never uncovered genuine love or concern. Much of literature concerns our internally held, and externally stated, views of what is love. You can't deal with life without treating the discrepancies between the two, in our relationships. Between TC and Gerry, Peggy would never grow in her Chap. 4 comment: "I was beginning to realize that I had no idea of the meaning of [Love] … [p. 141]." Even if Peggy wanted her mother's love and acceptance, TC didn't have it to give, anymore than Peggy had such for her children. To her mother's needs she sadly and pathetically acquiesced. Why else would she have put up with TC's abuse? Why did her children mean so little to her? Why did she write this autobiography as "Taylor Caldwell's daughter?" Why did she always deny her need for help, when no one I know needed help more? Judy gave up early, but that didn't help either. Was Peggy stronger than Judy? Maybe Peggy's children disappointed her because they couldn't love her like she thought, or childbirth hormonal changes led her to believe, they would.

Peggy, though warily, found an ally in Stancell. Con artist though he was, he had something TC wanted, and sought unskeptically. A more desirable woman would never have announced, as TC did, that "Anyone can have a child, but a good man is hard to find." Peggy found it hard to understand TC's "love" for Stancell, or her outrageous display of libido, but maybe we should. TC could probably only control people with money, and liked doing that. Yet, she repeatedly makes unwise decisions about who controls her finances. Pages 493–552. MAChap11-Shocking-Shocked493-552.pdf

 

Michael Fried, Grandson
For the Descendants of Taylor Caldwell
The sign-up for the Descendants of Taylor Caldwell Newsletter: is here.