This book was enjoyable to read. I was just reading it for an english assignment first, but I started to enjoy the book. I liked how Michener set up the whole story. Seeing what happened to David Harper was quite interesting. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes life stories because that's basically what this is about. I guess the thing i like the most is all the girls David goes through in the novel... all of them are different characters.

One of the finest books ever written. I would like for all readers to know about this book, because this book has the kind of depth that readers long for and cannot find amid the formulaic installment writers of this era. What is amazing is how this novel remains so vibrant 50 plus years after its release. The human interest aspect is still so poignant. The cast of characters are among the most interesting ever created and Mr. Michener does such a great job of bringing the time and place alive that you can smell it. I can't see how this was never made into a movie. From the poorhouse where he was raised by his aunt that ran the place to the funhouse where he meets a tragic prostitute that he falls in love with, David's story is a wonderful odyssey. The scene where the indigent members of the of the poorhouse pool their pennies to buy David clothing remains one of the classic moments in literature. I wish that today's writers would pick this book up before they pick up a pen and learn how to create this kind of chemistry in their books rather than just applying their formula. The only knock I have on this book, is that it lured me to read other Michener works that I found boring and longwinded. But I treasure this novel and so will you..

I have long been a fan of Michener's, particularly the way he brings an area to life. I picked up Fires of Spring almost as an after-thought and was completely mesmerized. It really brought home the locale (I am from the area) and kept me thoroughly entertained throughout the entire book. I could visualize exactly the life and atmosphere even though I was born much later. My copy is much dog-eared as it is one of the few books interesting enough to hold my interest again and again.

I thought this was a really great book. It tells the story of Major Lloyd Gruver, who falls in love with the beautiful Takarazuka girl, Hana-ogi. Through his relationship with her, he begins to see past the darkened skin and slanted eyes of the Japanese into their hearts. The ending was very sad. I reccomend this book to everyone.

I honestly thought this book is one of the best books I have ever read, at least for a school assignment. Truthfully, it is probably in the top ten of my favorite books now. I never thought a book that even remotely had to do with war would interest me. Apparently I was wrong since Sayonara has affected me in the way that I am interested in reading more books about topics like this love story and also more books by James Michener since I have enjoyed his style of writing. It flows well and is easy to read and I enjoy books written with that style.

To me, Sayonara is an amazing story of a very unlikely couple. Maybe it is simply the woman in me that enjoys reading of a great love tale, but this novel truly hit me. In the beginning Lloyd is a man that would not think twice about dating a Japanese woman simply because of her race. But as time goes on, and the storyline progresses, his perspective begins to shift. He sees Hana-ogi not as a JAPANESE woman, but as a warm-hearted, loving human being. And although both of their careers forbid their relationship, neither one of them is willing to give up the bond they share. Their friends Joe Kelly and Katsumi are only another example of how love conquers, or rather, should conquer, all. Sayonara is not just a sappy love story. It is a tale of struggle and the overcoming of obstacles merely to be with the one you were meant to be with.

Just a few words to describe the sheer magesty of Michener's retelling of the tale of Poland. Unless you were specifically educated as to Poland's history, I guarantee you will awed by what this peice of land, and its people, have been through. I am of Polish ancestry, and though I knew I knew very little about what my roots were, I had no idea what the sheer depth of my ignorance was. Just the simple fact that at two different times during the past few hundred years, there wasn't even a Poland at all, will probably shock most people.

The way Mr. Michener is able to weave his tapestry of Poland over the course of thousands of years, keeping his reader glued to the pages, is a blessing to us all. I am so happy I was able to discover even an over-view of what my past family had been through. After understanding how the Polish political system worked for so long, I also think I begin to understand where all of those Polish jokes probably came from through the years :)

It is an often-times sad story, of a strong people set upon at all points of the compass, used by Nation's over and over again, yet still they survive today. The families that Michener allows us to follow throughout the novel will at times have you in awe, at other times have you in ire, but unfailingly, they will have your interest.

Throughout the many novels of Michener's I have read, I have yet to be unappreciative of the opportunity to visit with the many Lands and Peoples he brings to life in his books. I eagerly await the next novel I will pick up of his, as yet again, I know I will be transported back in time to visit other people and places, with the sheer brilliance of the undisputed master of the factual/fictional historical novel leading the way.

I am half Polish and I finally committed myself to reading an imposing Michener novel. Once I got past the first few chapters I couldn't put it down. I have always felt the tragedy that is and was Poland and Michener has told a magnificent story. My maternal grandparents fled Poland at the turn of the century. I could see their story and my history on these pages. I read it several years ago, but it is the best I've read to date and I feel compelled to give it my highest rating for the benefit of Amazon's readership. There is a flow and a rythm to Mr Michener's writing style that is hard to resist. He deserves his place in history as best-selling author. Larry (Possum) Ronnow

There's only one thing that could describe the reviews by Hecht. Hate. And one remarkably similar to hate propagated by the Nazis. James Michener's book proved to be well researched and objective. The novel has an added credibility of being written by an American author, one with no apparent agenda to vilify or glorify any one group of people. This is further reinforced by his portrayal of the scandalous behavior of Polish magnates that resulted in Poland being torn apart by the neighboring powers. For anyone to think that Michener somehow favored Polish view of history is simply ridiculous. His reliance on facts, however, is commendable. "Poland" is an incredibly interesting, educating and enjoyable read, one not deserving the hateful scrutiny of the reviewer mentioned previously. It is such malignity that drives the terrible events with which human history is scared.

Michener is one of the great historians of the 20th century. Not only is his research vast and impeccable, but Michener is able to translate his research into a wonderfully readable book. The Bridge at Andau is no exception.

In the mid-1950's Michener was living in Austria, along the border with Hungary. From this unique vantage point, he was able to observe the large exodus of Hungarians fleeing their communist nation. His observations and discussions with these refugees brought many aspects of the communist regime to light.

He was able to bring the reader into a communist state and to reveal its inner workings, including how the government controlled the masses. At the time, this was no easy task, as the Iron Curtain was nearly impenetrable to Westerners. Nevertheless, Michener was able to piece together countless interviews with these refugees and create an accurate picture of life under the red flag.

He discussed nearly every facet of the politics of the Hungarian people. He told of intellectuals beginning their theoretical revolution, and he told of the students who were the first to pick up arms against the police forces and Soviet army. Michener also spoke of the workers, the bones of communism, and how they turned their back on the system and tried to destroy it.

Unfortunately, the revolution failed and the Hungarians were forced to flee or face dire repercussions. And Michener was there to chronicle their tales.

The Bridge at Andau is a fascinating book and a document of Cold War history. It is definitely worth reading.

I read Bridge at Andau while in Budapest this spring. It was amazing to be in the places where this terrible history took place while reading Michener's account of the events. Two points were apparent to me; 1. I was surprised to realize that this history is overshadowed by other events in eastern Europe, 2. The book was written at the height of McCarthyism and must be taken with a small grain of salt. The stories told about the revolution of 1956 are no less legitimate or compelling than at the time the book was penned, but the purpose of the book was different. Michener wrote a novel that was to serve as a warning to anyone who might have romantic ideals about the evil communists that were percieved to be ready to destroy America. This is a great story about about courageous people. Unfortunately it may be misinterperted as soft sell propoganda about why capitalism is better than communism.

I read this book as a reading assignment during high school 2 years ago, forgot the title, but still remember the history. I finally got the title in a search here and have bought it to read again because I missed some of the fine details in the hour class I had to read it in. It portrays the struggle and eventual defeat of the Hungarian Revolution well from the view of Hungarians, though it does not give us insight into the USSRs view, which I wouldn't expect in a novel about the Hungarians fight for freedom. An excellent read.

I read Cheseapake before I read this and I was enthralled at the way history was woven into a coherent saga that followed a few key families through time.

But in Covenant Mitchener fails to maintain the coherence. At times the story breaks down completely and becomes a pure history book, or subjective narrative. He captures all the complexity of the situation in South Africa in the apartheid era, and if you know nothing of the political history it is a useful read, but in the end it is not a great novel.

In _Covenant_ Michener takes us to a society that has always been more complex than many would like to believe: southern Africa. I truly felt better educated after reading it. It is important to note (in case you're not very familiar with Michener) that it was written during the latter days of apartheid, when it was looking shaky but not yet tottering.

Michener's efforts to see the unfolding South African history through many different sets of eyes (of multiple colours) remind us that it is not only South African blacks who have many cultures, but whites also: French, Dutch, English and Germans all took root. The book does not minimize the historical origins and impacts of segregationism, but it has the breadth to see that not every European has always supported the apartheid system. We see that some have bucked it, and paid the price.

A weakness, in my view, was the lack of much real cultural depth on the widely varied African tribes. On two or three, we get depth; on the rest, little. The other is debatable, not really a weakness but a caveat to the reader: there are major events depicted in the book (such as the Mfecane, a sort of mass self-destructive movement supposedly sweeping through the tribes and depopulating them) that are now asserted not to have occurred. Certainly, when Michener wrote, whites were telling most of the history; however, by itself that does not validate or invalidate any of the history--it simply means it's open to question and should be investigated further. In that light, before allowing Michener's take on major events to plant itself as definite historical truth, one should take care to seek multiple viewpoints and deeper evidence than what is presented in this novel.

Recommended to Michener fans, those interested in South African history, and those desiring to see how religion can shape the very core of a society.

I chose "Covenant" because I wanted to read a James Michener's novel that was unlike anything else that I have read before. "Covenant" was very different, not in context but in quality. It follows a standard Michener's design: an epic from some thousand years B.C. to 1971 A.D.. The difference here is that Michener's passion for his characters is lacking. I felt no emotion while important characters were born, grew up, married, and died. It is not that the characters are so unappealing. On the contrary, they are very intriguing and daring. But by the time they are involved in a life-and-death struggle with forces of nature or other men, I did not care what happened to them. This should have been Mr. Michener's most passionate work. The title reflects it. Instead of calling the book "South Africa", the country about which he writes, he called it the "Covenant" reflecting the fact that each subsequent member of a nation who! want to colonize South Africa sees himself as Moses entering into the covenant with God. It is hard not to get emotional just thinking about it, but Mr. Michener surprised me by not involving emotion in his writing. By only affecting the readers' minds, not their hearts, James Michener makes the "Covenant" a beautiful but dispassionate narrative

I've been fortunate enough to read several of James A. Michener's works, and CENTENNIAL is by far my favorite from this gifted author. In fact, I've read this book twice, which is no small task, given its 900-plus pages.

CENTENNIAL is about a fictitious town of the same name in Colorado. The town is not nestled in the majestic Rockies, as one might expect, but instead is located out on the vast, open, treeless, windswept plains that run down from the eastern slopes of the mountains. It is here, at the nexus of two radically diverse land masses, that Michener gives the reader a comprehensive history of the area, from the formation of the land and its rivers, to its prehistoric inhabitants, to its early settlers, to its subsequent clash of various cultures. The plains Indians, fur trappers, pioneer settlers, soldiers, ranchers, dry land and irrigation farmers, and the hearty descendents of these diverse groups--all are depicted vividly and weaved into an engrossing story by an author with a keen eye for detail.

CENTENNIAL furnishes an impressive assortment of powerful, unforgettable characters: Lame Beaver, an Arapaho chieftan; Pasquinel, a French fur trapper; pioneer Levi Zendt; trail boss R.J. Poteet; ranchers Jim and Charlotte Lloyd; and many more. Through these characters the reader is given an epic tale of the American West, a tale that is beautiful, compelling, profound, and often tragic. CENTENNIAL is higly recommended to any student of the American West, or to any lover of epic literature.

I grew to love Michener, when I read Hawaii, Mexico, and The Novel. I lost a little faith in him when I attempted to enjoy the Covenant, Source, and Journey. Fortunately, I'm glad to say that Michener redeemed himself with the Centennial. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a wonderful novel that is as sweeping as his best works are. Finally, the biggest weakness of his writing, binding all the characters together, is gone because the span of time is relatively short. Even though some events seem hurried and never fully explained, Michener is still poetic and fills the novel with startling images and original characters. I especially liked the final fourth of the book. Michener foreshadowed what would happen in the first few pages, but he took sweet time getting there. The Wendells and the Grebes are the most intriguing characters in the book, so be patient until you read about them. The only gripe I have is Michener's knack of cheating his readers by providing an interesting portrait of a character and then, suddenly, drop them out of the picture: e.g., Elly and Soledad. Overall, he is at his best here and I would rank it third on my list of his best works, behind Hawaii and Mexico.

This is the 8th Michener book I've read, and they're all good books. Always well researched and entertaining. This one concerns the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, and like most books written by Michener, start with the formation of mountains and animal life at the beginning of time, and later focuses on a few families and their extended family trees throughout the ages. He wonderfully illustrates the influences of the many cultures that make up the heart of America, using this one fictional town only as an example. A long read at over 900 pages, but worthwhile.

(If you want, though, you can skip the second chapter about the land forming and dinosaurs wandering over the earth... It's pretty dull and has little bearing on the rest of the book.)

Granted, this book is very long (the particular version I read exceeded 1,000 pages), but it is also very well written (what would you expect from Michener?) and fascinating.

It tells the history of Texas, including notable events like first exploration of that area by Cabeza de Vaca, the Texas Rebellion (the story of the Alamo is told) during which brave soldiers like Sam Houston fought the Mexican dictator Santa Anna, and the first discoveries of oil in that region.

This book will teach you some things about Texas. For instance: I, for one, did not know that for a brief period of time Texas was an independant nation recognized by, among others, the United States.

Don't confuse this for an impassive history lesson, because it is not. Michener makes it come alive with vivid characters and historical events.

Michener has a great way to recount history in story-like prose. I learned a lot about Texas; what a neat story about how this state came to be. Michener tells it like he thought it was; the good and the bad. This book should be mandatory reading throughout high schools in Texas.

The book is long and a bit slow to read. But it is one of those things you invest time on and it really gives you a lot of return.

I would recommend it and look forward to reading it again some day.

As a first time Michener reader I have nothing to compare Texas to, but as a collector of "anything Texas," I am amazed. While America's current affair with memoirs grows, this is an excellent work of fiction to enjoy between diary pillaging. Texas reads with the believability of several family histories inter-connected with each other through Michener's "Texas history." The novel is so masterfully prepared that I found myself repeatedly glancing back at the "Fact and Fiction" section near the introduction making sure I had not fooled myself into believing Michener's Texas is fully real. I first purchased Texas in 1989 and kept putting off reading the 1300+ page book for shorter books and personal projects. I finished reading the novel in less time than I expected and as soon as my second copy arrives ( nearly destroyed my nine year old copy through wear and notes) I plan on reading it again. Note Michener's use of quotations throughout the text as he presents the story through the voice of Dr. Travis Barlow and the individual voices of the well developed Texans. Every section brings one closer, focusing not only on the entity of the Texas spirit, but also humanity and interconnections between all people and all histories.

It's nice to learn about new places, and John Michener effectively describes Afghanistan through the eyes of Mark Miller. It was nice for me, a high school student, to explore the culture of the Afghans. Some details,though, were utterly disgusting, like the torture of woman. I can't handle the horror of toruturing people. This definitely doesn't convince me to travel to Afghanistan any time soon. The plot itself was interesting, however. It was like a detective story: a women marries a foreign man, moves to his homeland, and disappears, and it's the American embassy's job to find out where she is. The main character, Miller, spends his time searching through Afghan cities and deserts for this woman, but he gets very sidetracked along the way. He discovers ancient monuments in the lonely desert, and learns more about the people who he is working with.

Despite the interesting information about Afghanistan Michener wrote about, I thought his pace was extremely slow. Most of the first 200 pages focused on other things besides the missing woman. Miller had too many events occurring on the side. It is an easy read, but the reader must have an ample amount of patience, because it takes time for the information to sink in. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under high school age, because younger people have little or no patience for such an in-depth book. If you are ready to sit down for awhile and find out if Miller ever finds this woman, read Caravans, by John Michener.

Michener, James A., Caravans (Ballantine Books, United States, 1963). 438. 1 map. 1 Note to Reader. 0-449-21380-3.

Caravans is the story of an American woman, Ellen Jaspar, lost in Afghanistan after marrying an Afghan engineer. The novel is told through the cooperation of American officials and Afghani leaders to find the missing woman at the pressure of a U.S. Senator. Michener touches upon various aspects of Afghanistan, including women's rights, religious fanaticism, foreign perceptions, and the character of the Afghani people.

James A. Michener found his inspiration for the novel in his personal experiences and travels through Afghanistan. He in fact met many European women who struggled for freedom from the confines of their marriage and Afghanistan. Michener is extremely well-traveled in the region, and furthermore has much diplomatic expertise lending to credible portrayals of Afghani leaders and people in the novel. Hence, his portrayal of the many facets of Afghani culture and politics are credible and well-researched.

The motive of Michener in writing this novel seems unclear at times, as it's adventure-style narrative can obscure the reader's vision of it as more than just a story. Yet, there is some hint of the author's desire to enlighten the world on the deeper character of Afghanistan. Michener strives to shed light on such a perplexing people and culture, that more often than not are judged solely by the negative qualities that appear on the surface (i.e. fanatical mullahs and repressed women). And, by incorporating both Afghani and foreign perceptions of Afghani people and culture continuously throughout the novel, Michener achieves this goal.

Although the novel was written in the 1950's, and Afghanistan did make many advances in human rights in the decades following its composition, the subject matter is sadly more pertinent today than ever. In a time when terrorism lends the outside world to focus only on the evils of Afghanistan, this novel could be extremely useful in explaining the development and perspectives behind such evils. When Americans look at Afghanistan, what comes to mind is terrorism, religious fanatics, and atrocious women's rights abuses. This solely negative view of Afghani culture causes people to view the entire nation and people of Afghanistan to be judged in this light. Michener helps to end this attitude and truly depict the majority of the Afghani population rather than let the minority represent them.

Overall, this book is not only very helpful on giving a reader an insightful look into Afghani culture and mindsets, but is also both politically relevant and useful. Now, more than ever, a true understanding of Afghanistan is need in order to stop the violence and pave the way towards cooperation and mutual acceptance between Afghanistan and the rest of the world. Yet, the reader must be mindful to not just focus on the story-level aspects of the novel and its trite subject matter, but rather delve deeper into Michener's depiction of the character and desires of the Afghani population.

Shirin Raza (002788950)

Don't be fooled by the "Harlequin Romance"-looking cover art. Caravans is a ripping good adventure/travelogue/history lesson, with some romance thrown in for good measure.

The story is simple: An American girl who married an Afghani man is missing in Afghanistan. Her family is frantic, and a military man stationed in Afghanistan in 1946 is assigned to find out what happened to her. The story veers into some unexpected territory, and Michener delivers a TON of Historical perspective on the people and places of Afghanistan without ever making you feel like you're back in History class. (This is a VERY illuminating book to read after September 11th...)

The characters are interesting, and the book just zooms along: I finished it in no time flat. My only complaint is the map in the beginning of the book: It's printed so dark that it's totally useless.

To use an old cliche, this book gives the reader a sense of "being there" during the Second World War in the Pacific theater.

This is not a chronicle of the war itself. It is not a military history, although it is full of military anecdotes. It's a series of loosely connected stories of the prolonged island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, related through the personal experiences of a variety of characters. Michener's emphasis is on the individuality, humor, valor, and idiosyncrasies of the men and women who populated the bases and combat units of the Pacific campaign.

As anyone who has seen the musical "South Pacific" (based on a part of this book) knows, it includes the island natives and expatriates who happened to live in the places where the war was taking place. In reading these stories, you may come to understand why many of the armed forces veterans of the Pacific war were drawn to go back to the islands in later years.

If I were limited to one sentence, I'd say that this book is about everyday Americans doing unusual jobs in exotic places. I like it well enough that I've read it multiple times and consider it a favorite. It's a lot easier reading than many of Michener's later epics, and in my opinion it's as good as anything he's ever written and better than most.

Because this is Michener's first published book, because it is different from his subsequent works, and because many people are more familiar with the Rogers and Hammerstein musical than with the book, I will reveal my biases up front. I do not care for epic historicals, and so have never enjoyed Michener's writing before reading Tales of the South Pacific. The musical was Rogers and Hammerstein's second or third collaborative effort, and to me was a poor follow up to Oklahoma.

That said, reading this book gave me the feeling I have when my father and I rummage through his collection of black and white war photos, postcards, and 78 RPM disks from his days as a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy in and around the South Pacific. Each artifact stimulates a story, many of which are linked to another, and another. Sometimes the stories are about the war theater in Europe or Africa or home in the states. Most often, they are simply about friendships, loss and the discoveries of an eighteen year old doing a man's work in the first few months away from his parents' farm.

Like my father's stories, Michener's Tales of the South Pacific could be set anywhere, but they are about being somewhere other than where one comes from. They are about finding belonging in new surroundings and accepting that great people are rarely 100 percent great. Michener's heroes are the very human people who were decent to one another, believed in the value of their nation's cause and the people around them, demonstrated leadership, but didn't take the trappings of the navy or rank very seriously. His nemeses were not just the Japanese, but American biggots, mean SOBs and phonies. Like Hersey's, Bell for Adano, the stories were practically current events when they were published, and Michener's perspective on sex and the races were shocking material for many Americans who had been fed years of propaganda about their boys (and girls) overseas and who only after 1945 could truly emerge from the depression of 1930s to enter a new, modern and more aggressively democratic age. Tales of the South Pacific foreshadowed the new world to come while honoring the great people who helped to make it possible. At the end of the book, the reader is glad to be among the survivors, standing in the graveyard among heroes, but worried that the supply of greatness might someday be used up.

I first read this book when I was young, not long after I saw the movie "South Pacific". I didn't particularly like it because the characters were the same ones as in the movie but they didn't "fit" in the same way. After many, manyy years, I read it just the other night and loved it! It had been long enough since I saw the film that the characters could stand on their own. Mitchener wrote this soon after the war when his memories were still fresh and he displays a great deal of affection for the "typical" sailor caught thousands of miles from home. For many, they would never get home. To this American tale, he adds a lot of tropical spice: Bloody Mary, the Frenchman's Daughter, Emil De Becque himself. Mitchener shows the American fighting man as hero, coward, nice guy, louse, sacrificial, selfish, and mostly a combination of all of these traits. Although I have read many of Mitchener's books, this is still his best: young, filled with Mitchener's memories from his recently-concluded naval service during World War II. Deservedly one of the classics that came from World War II.

Overall this was an interesting and informative book. From an historical perspective Michener covers all of the bases in good style. While he makes history interesting, his perspective appears slanted and euro-centric. His language, when speaking for the native population, is awkward and unrealistic. "Me go hut..., we not join them..." His take on Jamaica and the Rastas is unrealistic. He has little to say about Jamaica in the '70's, a seminal period in that island's history and a key to understanding the Caribbean.
I last read Michener a long time ago. His writing has not aged well.

Caribbean is a typical Michener book. He is the best when it comes to tell a story of a place, not of a person. Recently there has been some followers of this kind of books, like Edward Rutherfurd, who is a good author, but not like Michener.

Caribbean is a very long book, telling almost a millenium of history of one of the most enchanting places on Earth. Michener is able, through sixteen short stories, to narrate what happened on the various islands and main parts of the continent (like northern Colombia and eastern Mexico) since the time of the pre-colombian indians, passing through spanish domination, the attacks of english and french pirates and buccaneers, the abuse of the black people turned into slaves, till comunism in the form of Castro in Cuba. More, he is able to relate all what was happening in the Caribbean related to what was happening in the foremost countries in Europe, and the rising participation of the United States in the international scenario.

One thing I think it's really important when an author wishes to blend various real facts with his immagination efforts is to inform his readers what is fact and what is fiction, and in Caribbean Michener has a list of actual facts of each chapter and a bibliography of each subject for readers who want to learn further. This kind of attention to the reader is something we don't see too often, and everyone who likes a well written book should mourn Michener's passing away, as well as be glad he was so prolific and intense while writing.

This book is as colorful as the place of its name.

Grade 8.8/10

If ever I wondered why the Caribbean keeps drawing me back, it's read in the pages of "Caribbean". This fiction based on fact novel allowed me to understand and appreciate the history of the Caribbean. From the beginnings in Mexico and through the history of the Arawak and Carib nations. After I finished, I again traveled to St.Somewhere with a different propective on the islands and its people. My first Michener book, but not my last. A true lesson in Caribbean history.