Rating: 
Summary: Compelling and Illuminating
Review: I have just finished reading this book, and I am in awe of Michener's power to "say it all" in his inimitable style. He has used a whole series of vignettes in this book in order to depict a group of people that has seen nothing but pain and suffering for all of their lives. I am speaking of the Jews - God's chosen people. If anyone wants a clearer understanding of the whole Middle East question they should read this book. It will explain a lot about the origin and the histories of the three main religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islaam. The first stories in the book of the ancient civilizations were thorough and revealing, but I found that the vignettes of the later conflicts in this tempestuous country quite brief and the characterization not as descriptive. I would recommend that if anyone wants a much clearer idea of the Middle East question - since the treaty of 1948, that they read Exodus by Leon Uris. Exodus explained the problems and conflicts of modern Israel and enabled me to really understand the whole "Middle East" question. But if you're looking for a walk through history in these ancient biblical lands, you will find none better than what is in this book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest Novels written
Review: I've read this book three times and it's still fresh and exciting. Michener's ability to blend fact with fiction is masterful. This book was written almost 35 years ago, but many of the issues raised towards the end of the book still apply in today's world. I highly recommend this book regardless of your religious beliefs.
Rating: 
Summary: Ambitious, compelling, uneven
Review: Structured into self-contained, oft-interrelated period tales corresponding to archaelogical strata at a skillfully imagined dig, Michener bites off lots of history to chew. Latter episodes brim with cultural and political insight into modern Israel and its neighbors -- even decades after publication. Similarly, archaeological methods and personalities are nicely explored, with decent characterization. But many earlier historical episodes -- particularly the prehistoric and Byzantine tales -- are full of speculation and inconsistency, betraying a misunderstanding of human evolution and some crass Eurocentric biases (also evident in totally inconsistent non-phonetic spellings of non-English names/terms and widespread use of archaic King James translations of Jewish liturgy). And throughout, Michener goes out of his way to flaunt modern stereotypes about Jews (e.g. fancifully speculating that, among early populations, Hebrews were notoriously bad with money, or emphasizing the blue eyes of many Jewish characters) -- an understandable approach given that the book was written in the sensitive early post-Holocaust years, but the overall effect is tiresome, protesting too much. Overall, The Source is a wild ride with solid plotting and a particularly compelling wrap-up set in the then-present. But keep salt grains handy when reading this uneven romp through the history of one small place.
Rating:
Summary: A "source" for information on how religion has formed.
Review: This is Michener at his best! Very informative, engrossing, and hard to put down. Anyone who wishes to understand religon in general, and Judaism in particular, should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, eye-opening, enlightening!
Review: This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I highly recommend it to any one who is influenced by the Judao-Christian God. This book will astound you.
Rating:
Summary: Life changing? maybe not, but absolutely eye opening.
Review: I first read this book in high school after reading most of what I could find by J.A. Michner. It was a hard book to find but well worth the search. I am now 24, married, reasonably well established, and have just bought a copy for my wife, I truely think that one cannot go through life without having read The Source at least once. Honestly eye opening. One of his best, if not...
Rating:
Summary: Best book I ever read
Review: I've read this book three times the last five years and look forward to reading it again. It never gets boring. Michener has a unique ability to weave history with fiction. Too bad this book was written in 1964 and doesn't include the events of the middle east the past 35 years. Nevertheless, this book is timeless and should be read by anyone who enjoys reading...
Rating: 
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: Although I found parts of this book to be tedious and wordy, I still enjoyed it. The way Michener was able to weave the objects of history into this history was truly astounding. I marked 8 favored chapters that I intend to go back and read again. I am just sorry that Mr. Michener is not with us anymore so he can update and modernize this book.
Rating:
Summary: A journey through the history of man
Review: An enchanting, and fantastic hourney through the past .... exploring the origins of religion and for that matter, the origin of the belief of man.It takes us through the past, a few thousand years back, when man (rather woman) just discovered cultivation ... the means of harnessing the nature ... all the way through the empires in Moses, Hebrews, Egyptions, Romans, and all through this journey, the small place which is the centre of the whole story, stands tall in pride ... And parallely unfolds the amusing love story between the explorers, one as staunch believer and supporter of the jews, and the other, from states who looks at it more as a profession, than passion.
Rating: 
Summary: A bitter disappointment
Review: I am a big fan of James A. Michener. I have read many of his books of which Mexico, The Novel and Hawaii are tremendous achievements. I waited a while to read The Source because I was sure it was his best book. The subject of roots of monotheism and exploration of Judaism is so rich that any author could do a lot with it. Michener could not miss. Alas, he did. Although I enjoyed the lengths of his previous books, this one was too long. I was simply not interested. There were too many stories and very little connection between them. For example, Hawaii had many characters and we saw from one generation to the next how members of different families changed and interacted with one another. The Source focuses on one family, Family of Ur, which is very loosely defined and sporadically mentioned throughout the novel. The archaeology angle is not interesting. The digging of the trenches is preposterous, not sanctioned by any archaeological society since the beginning of 20th Century. The rapid findings and digging for layers are laughable. Not even on a dig which produces many significant finds would such pace work and such success be achieved. Cullinane is too colorless to be the main focus and Eliav and Tabari are walking stereotypes. Michener is good at ancient, Bible-style, story-telling on a personal level. He usually uses personal stories to enrich a country's or a people's experiences. But in The Source, he uses a people's experience to enrich personal stories and it does not work. The only good chapters, which I actually enjoyed, are Psalm of the Hoopoe Bird and Rebbe Itzik and the Sabra. The Psalm of the Hoopoe Bird was up to Michener's standards and told a very poignant story simply and wonderfully. Rebbe Itzik and the Sabra was uneven and had some weak moments but the story of Gottesmann and the revelation at the end are extremely powerful and striking. If I were Michener, I would get rid of Of Death and Life and King of the Jews. I would combine Volkmar and The Fires of Ma Coeur into one chapter. I would complete A Day in the Life of a Desert Rider which ends apruptly and is not picked up again in the later chapters. I would stop interrupting each chapter by offering Cullinane's conversations and experiences that supposedly clearfy the position in the chapter. These interruptions are pointless, break the flow of the novel and make Cullinane sound even more annyoing (I applaud Vered for dumping him). I would focus on simply telling a story instead of trying to inject my personal (rather prejudicial) beliefs. The Source deserves one star, but because I respect the author, I gave it two stars. In the end, I would like to ask the author a couple of questions: Why did the narrative of the completely useless chapter The King of Jews suddenly change to first person? It disrupts the flow of the novel and alienates the reader even further. Why did Vered, energetic, warm and sexy in the beginning, turn into a pathetic, bigoted, desperate woman who is willing to marry anyone as long as he is a Jew? And finally, why the members of the Family of Ur were never identified when they were Jews?
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