The Covenant

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Summary: Great introduction to African History .....
Review: .. but not up to Michener's usual quality, much more choppy, and character development, in many areas is not as robust or as engaging as in his other books. A slow read.

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Summary: A great introduction to a complex place
Review: A friend of mine purchased this book for me while we were working on a research project in South Africa. It was just after I had confronted my Afrikaaner co-workers about their racist words, and they proved me ignorant about the country's history. I know firsthand what the people in both the cities and the veld are like, and this book really shed light on how the people of Africa came to be the way they are. History embedded in exciting fiction. One reviewer said that he thought the book lacked passion. How untrue. During a subway ride to 59th street, I started to cry uncontrollably because the words hit me with such strength. This book will make you want to visit Africa, and to live your life with devotion to some belief, whatever it may be.

Rating:
Summary: History lesson without the lecture
Review: A friend of mine purchased this book for me while we were working on a research project in South Africa. It was just after I had confronted my Afrikaaner co-workers about their racist words, and they proved me ignorant about the country's history. I know firsthand what the people in both the cities and the veld are like, and this book really shed light on how the people of Africa came to be the way they are. History embedded in exciting fiction. One reviewer said that he thought the book lacked passion. How untrue. During a subway ride to 59th street, I started to cry uncontrollably because the words hit me with such strength. This book will make you want to visit Africa, and to live your life with devotion to some belief, whatever it may be.

Rating:
Summary: Monumental epic of the hypocracy of European colonization.
Review: A tremendous saga of people struggling for their justified way of life as a legacy of heritage, values and beliefs. Exposes the utter horror of the origins of apartheid, and the insistence for the concept as a mandate based on religious ethics. Heart-wrenching plight of native Africans is brought out in generations who show their determination, loss and pride. A must-read book for anyone who calls himself a student of social change and history!

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Summary: A wonderful trip through history
Review: A very entertaining trip through the history of south africa. This book is quite long but well worth it. A very detailed accounting of the people and places and events that led to apartheid. Although this book was published before apartheid ended and therefore doesn't contain the latest events of south africa, it is still well worth reading and of the most enjoyable books I've ever read.

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Summary: A solid monolith, Story of a Nation
Review: Before reading this book I knew precious little about South Africa. After reading this book I will visit the country. Michener ties everything together beautifully. From the prehistoric bushman, to the early trading days of the Dutch East India Company, to the modern events of the 20th century. All events set to a complex story involving the people of this nation. The content is rich, real, and powerfull. Definitely my favorite Michener novel.

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Summary: Engaging history, fitful plotting
Review: Engaging read for those who prefer to learn history through fiction. I wish he hadn't grown so cautious with the recent history; the speculative meeting on Spion Kop should have been grander. Didactic style occasionally tiresome, e.g. "There were five interesting things about the bushmen..." (my paraphrase) and by the way, the most outlandish of these "things" seems unsupported, (no pun intended)!

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Summary: This is one book I'll be happy to read again.
Review: From early man's wanderings to the heady days of apartheid Michner walks you through South Africa's history and makes you think you lived it. As a teacher of history I'd love this book as a class text.

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Summary: Historical Fiction at its best
Review: I am currently in the middle of this fantastic book. I have been on an historical fiction craze lately, and after a couple of Leon Uris books, I decided to tackle some James Michener novels. I am so glad I did, as this is my first real attempt at reading Michener, and I really love his comprehensive portrayal of history. I feel like an honest attempt is made to present the facts as objectively as possible, but as I am a white person reading this, it is hard to imagine how the story might be viewed if I was a black or brown person of African descent.

I find myself constantly trying to picture the landscape, and am often drawn to a map to check out the topography of the areas in question. I don't know if I will ever visit the country myself, but it sounds beautiful.

I look forward to finishing this epic story.

Rating:
Summary: unusual and encompassing
Review: 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