Alaska

Rating:
Summary: Alaska by James Michener
Review: I gave the rating a 1 star since I haven't heard it yet. I never received the Audio tapes. I was charged for them and never got them. The seller claims to have sent 2 copies? I am very dissapointed with the marketplace. The seller said that they would refund my money but never did. Original order was back in Oct.This is March. I leave for a trip to Alaska very soon and wanted to listen to this book on tape while I read other books.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction!
Review: I just finished this book in preparation for a trip to Alaska in half a year, and highly recommend it for those who want a sense of Alaska's history and culture. The nature of the book is to help people understand the history of the area, its geography, and what daily life was like from earliest times to the present (or at least to the 1980s when it was written). The characters are generally representative of the kinds of people who have lived and presently live in Alaska, showing their differing ideas, lifestyles, and backgrounds with some real historical characters described as well. The different characters and their descendents intersect each other's lives to form somewhat of a plot line, but plot and character development are secondary to showing the geography, culture and lifestyles, etc., of the peoples of Alaska. Michener has creative ways of bringing out explanations of how things worked by having some characters ask others about it, etc., and this he does with such smoothness that it seems natural to the storyline. It is masterfully written, and in the end, one does have a good idea of the history of Alaska and the differing cultures and ideas which have dominated at various times in its past. There are some maps included, and a section explaining which parts of the book are historical and which are fictional, which is very helpful.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction!
Review: I just finished this book in preparation for a trip to Alaska in half a year, and highly recommend it for those who want a sense of Alaska's history and culture. The nature of the book is to help people understand the history of the area, its geography, and what daily life was like from earliest times to the present (or at least to the 1980s when it was written). The characters are generally representative of the kinds of people who have lived and presently live in Alaska, showing their differing ideas, lifestyles, and backgrounds with some real historical characters described as well. The different characters and their descendents intersect each other's lives to form somewhat of a plot line, but plot and character development are secondary to showing the geography, culture and lifestyles, etc., of the peoples of Alaska. Michener has creative ways of bringing out explanations of how things worked by having some characters ask others about it, etc., and this he does with such smoothness that it seems natural to the storyline. It is masterfully written, and in the end, one does have a good idea of the history of Alaska and the differing cultures and ideas which have dominated at various times in its past. There are some maps included, and a section explaining which parts of the book are historical and which are fictional, which is very helpful.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't like this book
Review: I must say that, after reading this book, I was left empty. I learned nothing about Alaska that I didn't already know.

Rating:
Summary: ALASKA by Michener
Review: I purchased "Alaska" by Michener to gain insight into the history and culture of this land. This was in preparation for my family's Alaksan cruise. The book fulfilled that purpose above and beyond. But, in addition, I found myself immersed in the story of this land and its people which spanned thousands of years up to present day. I have not read a book recently where I found myself attached to the characters as I did in "Alaska". I was truly sorry when the book came to an end.

Rating:
Summary: Alaska
Review: I read the book a few years ago and felt the venturesome spirit of the Russian. Neither I realized the Russian reached Alaska ahead of other European colonists until I read Michener's Alaska. The American should be thankful of Tzar Alexander II and their country man Seward to acquire the frozen tundra approximately 19% the pre-1867 USA. Michener's Alaska is a 5-star book by any standard.

Rating:
Summary: I Can't Believe I Got Through It
Review: I read this book because I have a great deal of interest in Alaska and I am intrigued by the people who live there. This book nearly killed that interest. The long, drawn-out, horribly written, boring narrative was only made worse by unbelievable and unlikeable characters. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.

I won't ever read any Michener again.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing
Review: I read this book several years ago while in the Perian Gulf. It was just lieing around and I was a little bored so I began to read it. That was the best move I could have made. The book is outstanding. It covers from the beginning of Alaska's formation to it's current geograqphical location, and the migrations of humans throught the land bridge of old. Then of the run of the Salmon and their migration. It's extrmemely diverse. Hitting multiple levels of a persons intrest. From the Eskimos to their lawyers and the Ididarod, it's killer

Rating:
Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of its content.
Review: I really enjoyed reading Alaska. The way Michener always goes into such detail explaining his characters and their struggles is very interesting. The descriptions of the land made me feel like I was right there with all of his characters. It gave me a whole new outlook on the state. I always thought of Alaska as just a cold place but he showed me in his writing how beautiful the state really is. I always learn about the history of the places he writes about. My mother's uncle went to Alaska during the gold rush, hoping to make his fortune so I was able to associate with that part of the novel. I would recommend this book for reading because it is a very enjoyable book to read as well as a lesson in history and geography.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but...
Review: I'm about half-way through and have so far found the book both educational and enjoyable. However, what's all this about nuclear reactions in the center of the earth creating all the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium (chapter 8--"Gold")? I realize the book is about Alaska and not Stellar Evolution but this is a pretty big goof.