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Summary: My Favorite Novel
Review: Several years ago my children's doctor recomended that I read "The Source", and I have been forever gratful. Reading this book was like taking a magic carpet ride through time, and many years later it remains my favorite novel. As a philosophy major, I appreciated it's comprehensive theme on the history of thought as it aplies to religious beliefs. I have bought several copies of this book over the years as gifts for friends and family.
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Summary: The Bible, Louis L'Amour, Isaac Asimov, Wm. Shakespeare, Mic
Review: elin... profundity..michelin the prologue to Michener's _Hawaii_. I am surrounded by tempest... the keyboard falters. Caspar, Janet Airlines.. I am off to the
Clinton #alon/ Salon i shall return, mr. bacon spotter,
coastwatch,
truk island, south pacific state park
Rating:
Summary: The Source
Review: The Source is a wonderful journey through the evolutionary phases of man's beliefs in a higher power!
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Summary: This book wa the same thing over and over
Review: The Source, by James Michener, I found to be quite repetative. The story line has no twists or turns, and there are no suprises in the plot. Over the course of the book, the Jewish people who inhabit Tel Makor are killed, and then they rebuild. In my opinion, if you read the first chapter, you have read the whole book.
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Summary: A great read
Review: I'm sixteen, and at my school, many of the English classes were required to read this book. My class was not, but I decided to read it anyway because my best friend, who is Jewish, said it was his favorite book. I did read it, and I was amazed. Michener created a successful hybrid of dull history and exciting fiction, which ends up being entertaining and educational. I found myself with a very different opinion of the Jewish people in general and I now have a much better understanding of the conflicts in the Middle East. I recommend this book to anyone who likes history, or is interested in religion.
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Summary: a fable. but a very good fable.
Review: this is michener's best work. It's clearly a fable; and obviously all the characters are archtypes (the same person did not discover fire and hunting), but it's a great fable. If you ever visit Israel, you must read this book. In fact, if I were to recommend one piece of background material on Israel, this would be it.
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Summary: A historical epic that never lets up
Review: Well researched and sweeping in scale, this book is about Israel from its pagan origins to its Jewish high point to its bloody time as the object of capture for Muslims and Christians up to its present incarnation as a Jewish state again. In the process you see the transcription of the Talmud, the Muslim uprisings, the time of King David, the Crusades and the time of mystics. Tied together by an archaelogical dig that takes a little long to set everything up, the book is divided into a series of novellas. Michener tends to avoid the major tension points by giving us the pre-situation and post-situation but never discussing the miracle itself. This way he keeps all three monotheistic audiences happy by not outright disputing the myths and legends inherent in the religions, just the aftereffect. If you don't want to go through the entire book the best novellas include the one about the Hebrew tribe burning down the pagan village rather than assimilate into the Temple prostitute/child killing religions (although I think that those were two seperate cultures), the crusade material, the King David chapter, and the final chapter detailing the Israeli war of Independence in vivid and exciting narrative. This book is great for anyone interested in Judaism, religious history, world history and warfare.
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Summary: Excellent Michener epic
Review: Are you constantly perplexed by those "Mideast Peace Talks" that have (seemingly) been going on for 14 centuries? And still there is no peace in sight...and there never will be, of course....Well, Mr. Michener gives us a grand overview of the area. You'll find some surprises. Most notably that the Jews and Arabs used to get along pretty well. Not bosom buddies, of course, but better than they do now. But, I digress. What we have here is history and novel twined together in a fascinating way. Through the device of an archaeological dig, Michener provides personal stories of the folks who have populated the troubled region since prehistoric times. We have love, we have brutality, we have slavery, we have butchery, we have treachery, we have sieges outside the stone walls, we have a secret tunnel through the rock....and love again. It's life itself: messy but wonderful. And you get a nice history lesson along the way, making you a better conversationalist, especially at those cocktail parties in New York City. Great book. You'll like it. Now, how about a good vote? Just takes a moment. Thanks.
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Summary: A satisfying and rewarding read.
Review: In "The Source", James Michener takes us into the heart of an archeological dig for the town of Makor in Israel. As the workers dig deeper into the site, each layer of earth reveals an artifact which then becomes the basis of a vignette that tells the tale of man's construction of religion. From the stories of a few flints and a small figurine of the Canaanite fertility goddess, Astarte to a bullet used in WWII, we are swept into the histories of Paganism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Man has always worshipped a higher power and in some cases been persecuted for it...this novel, grand in its scope, will take you through the Crusades, Inquisition, and Arab/Israeli conflict (though conspicuously ignoring the holocaust) and help you to understand in fictional terms how the major world religions came to be.
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Summary: I never learned so much from a book and enjoyed it
Review: Mitchener achieved to write something captivating while increasing my knowledge of history and understanding of world problems.
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