''A Rage Against Heaven'' is a 1978 historical novel written by

Fred Mustard Stewart Fred Mustard Stewart (September 17, 1932, Anderson, Indiana – February 7, 2007, New York City) was an American novelist. His most popular books were ''The Mephisto Waltz'' (1969), adapted for the 1971 film of the same name starring Alan Alda ...

, and published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

. The story spans the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, starting with

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

's secession from the Union in the first chapter.

Characters

*Louis "Lew" Crandall - The protagonist, son of Judge Jefferson Crandall. At the beginning, he was attending

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, majoring in medicine. *Elizabeth Crandall (née Butterfield) - Lew's wife. *Ben Bramwell - Lew's best friend. One quarter

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

on his father's side. He has a strong sexual interest in prepubescent girls. *Nicole Louise Crandall - Lew's mother, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

woman. *Jethro - Ben's servant, a Negro. *Christine - A twelve-year-old

mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...

girl won in a poker game by Harvey Winkler. *Harvey Winkler - A man who had won Christine in a card game, though he initially claimed that she was his daughter. He was spending the night at Ben's house and was killed by Lew in self-defense. *Deborah Butterfield - Elizabeth's younger sister.

References

1978 American novels American historical novels Novels by Fred Mustard Stewart {{1970s-hist-novel-stub