Who Are The Main Characters In The Carpetbaggers?

Reading 'The Carpetbaggers' by Harold Robbins feels like stepping into a whirlwind of ambition, scandal, and raw human drama. The novel revolves around Jonas Cord Jr., a ruthless and charismatic industrialist whose life mirrors the excesses of early Hollywood and the aviation industry. He's this larger-than-life figure—reckless, driven, and deeply flawed, but impossible to ignore. Then there’s Nevada Smith, a former gunslinger turned movie stuntman, whose backstory is so rich it practically deserves its own book (and actually got one in Robbins' prequel). Their lives intersect in this wild tapestry of power struggles, romance, and betrayal.

Secondary characters like Rina Marlowe, the actress entangled in Jonas’s turbulent world, and Dan Pierce, the cynical journalist documenting it all, add layers to the story. What fascinates me is how Robbins crafts these characters—they’re not just archetypes but feel like real people with messy, contradictory motivations. The book’s a time capsule of mid-20th-century ambition, and Jonas’s relentless rise—and the casualties left in his wake—keeps you hooked. It’s one of those stories where the line between hero and villain blurs until you’re not sure who to root for, and that’s what makes it so addictive.

Jonas Cord Jr. is the beating heart of 'The Carpetbaggers'—a guy who’s equal parts genius and train wreck. He inherits his father’s empire and then burns through life like a wildfire, leaving chaos and fascination in his wake. Nevada Smith, his moral counterbalance, is this weathered cowboy whose past is as gripping as Jonas’s present. The women in the story, like Rina and Jennie, aren’t just window dressing; they’re fully realized characters fighting their own battles in a man’s world. Robbins doesn’t hold back, making everyone flawed and human. It’s a story that sticks with you.