The Source

Rating:
Summary: A Windy Disappointment
Review: A very long book, that's really a medium-sized book that's been relentlessly padded to outlandish lengths. Despite his massive success, Michener's writing also suffers from an unpleasant clunkishness -- his prose is anything but elegant. Frankly, halfway through, I threw the book into the ocean.

Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read.
Review: This should be required reading in every school. Even though fiction, as usual, Michener does much research which gives you so much history. Increased my interest in ancient history by clearing up my understanding of a subject which baffled me in school.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible showcase of mastery
Review: I turned to The Source after learning that I knew virtually nothing of religion and Judaism and the strife in the Holy Land. I turned to The Source for a quick and dirty Cliff Notes session; I got far more than that. James Michener has met head-on the intracies of religion and history and has woven the two together into a beautiful thread not soon to be forgotten. Few authors could with his scope and skill condense the history of Western religion into a single volume. Yet Michener adds to the main line the epic struggles of humanity in heart-wrenching saga after saga. Religious or not, you finally get a grasp of why a person would stand fast for his religion in the face of death. Michener has created a work of art in this book; I can offer no other praise than to recommend you to read it, for you'll gain immesurably for the experience.

Rating:
Summary: Story-telling at its best
Review: I first read The Source in the mid 1970s; since then, I have worn out four copies of this magnificent tome. Astounding in sweep, breathtaking in its research and quite simply riveting in its masterful blending of religion and history. This is not a book, it is an education.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best book I have ever read.
Review: If I was allowed to give this book 100 stars it still wouldn't be enough. It is the only book I have ever read more than twice.

Rating:
Summary: Great Historical Story-Telling
Review: Michner is a great story-teller. Once I got started on this book, I could not put it down. I very mucb enjoyed the vivid portrait of history that Michner created; however, I would like to offer to all those that read this book that this is what The Source is, a story. Read this book but be aware that Micbner's view of religion and the origin of life are his alone and we each must determine on our own how to reconcile ourselves to an all-pwerfull God

Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: A worthwhile investment of time to read a stirring and moving account on the origins of some of the ancient religions of the world. The contemporary characters are almost flat, but the ones that lived in history are vibrant and memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Interesting
Review: It opens a window on a world close to us, but generally not well known through the normal educational process.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Incredible concept for a novel. Another book that for potential readers the less that is known about it's structure and content the better. Best to become enraptured in novel only the mind of Michener could create.

Rating:
Summary: If you like this book, you'll lIke Sarum by Rutherford too
Review: Michener's style of creating a series of little vignettes through time allows the reader to watch the progression of time while still caring about what is happening. You aren't simply reading a dried out version of history. It becomes a living drama through the characters while still giving you the broad vision of the rich history. If you enjoy this type of epic storytelling, you will also enjoy "Sarum" by Edward Rutherford and its follow up of "London".