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Summary: Michener Captures Factual Chesapeake In This Fiction
Review: "This book is a novel, and to construe it as anything else would be an error," commences Michener in his story covering 394 years of life on the Chesapeake Bay. With this short, direct statement the author releases himself from rendering any obligatory factual information. The wordy writer, however, can't help himself from bringing the reader as much accurate historical information as comfortably possible in this 1,024 page book. From the broad shouldered Susquehannock outcast Pentaquod who becomes a tribe leader of the Choptanks to the Roman Catholic outcast Edmund Steed who becomes the cornerstone of the Maryland Colony to the well-muscled African Cudjo who becomes the ray of hope for all Maryland slaves before the Emancipation Proclamation, Michener takes the reader through time, marking milestones with strong-willed heroes who stood fast against prevalent social mores. This gives the reader a deeper understanding of why historical events turned out as they did. The author also provides a medley of sinister characters, devious families, and pious personalities, which keeps the story alive and invigorates the reader for reading yet another page. The key character is the Chesapeake Bay, as it endures naval battles, life-ending rain storms and pollution. In the end, the Bay flexes its muscle to reveal how many more times powerful it is than any of Michener's characters presumed.
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Summary: It's one of those great books that becomes a classic!
Review: Although it is the largest book I've read, it was one of the best! I would've finished it alot sooner, had I more time. I enjoyed learning about the struggles of the Paxmores the Steeds, the Turlocks, and most of all, the Native Americans. when I was reading it, my U.S. history class was learning the same information, and my teacher was amazed I knew so much! I also read the book for a book report, and my teacher was amazed I picked the book, as opposed to the shorter, Catcher in The Rye-like books we've been reading. Never have I learned this much history from one book, and actually kept my interest in it! I went to the Chesapeake Bay when I was little, and remembered the atmosphere that I had forgotten, almost immediately. If this is a fair example of what James Michener has written, you can count me in as a regular James reader.
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Summary: Classic Michener
Review: Although maybe not his best work, it's not far from it. I have read six of his books and have not been disappointed yet. The characters were interesting and diverse. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good things come in big packages
Review: Chesapeake is an amazingly huge book. That is, there's a lot of pages in there! Likewise, the book offers the reader a lot of story. It covers plenty of grounds through the 500 years of fictional Chesapeake bay history. Its powerful imagery introduces several characters, ideas, times, and events; and I think everyone who reads it can find at least one chapter to latch onto. Yet it's such an immense story, justice can't be done to it by a simple, ten-sentence review. Chesapeake started out slow and ended on a very sour note, but everything running in between turned out for the better. It's a hefty package, no doubt, but if you can spare the time, by all means, spare the time.
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Summary: Chesapeake - Use it as kindling for your next fire!
Review: Chesapeake is one of the worst books I have ever read! If I could, I would give this book negative stars. The characters are not developed in the least. The plot is contrived. The storyline flops around like a man with epilepsy. In many parts, the grammar is incredibly bad. I would not give this book to my worst enemy! The poor quality of this book makes me wonder whether Michener actually wrote it or one of his flunkies.
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Summary: Chesapeake is not intended for the average male reader
Review: Chesapeake, although fairly well structured, is a somewhat monotonous book in that it does not follow a plot line, but rather the events taking place in a location (The Chesapeake Bay area). I chose this book for a book report in a college course I am taking this year, and found it to be consistent with our material, which is a positive thing, however, it is consistent to the point where it is nearly synonamous with reading directly from a history book, with things filled in here and there for coherence. Overall, it was a good book, but not for those who intend to actually want to have a desire to read their book before turning in for the night.
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Summary: Recommended
Review: First off, let me say this was the first Michener book that I ever read. I'm in the 10th grade, and we were given a long list of books to choose from, only a few of which were Michener's. I knew how long it was, and that's mainly why I decided to try it (my version was 1001 pages). The beginning of this book goes into a lot of detail with the landscape, as does Hawaii, which I'm currently reading. Therefore, if you just skim the parts which he describes the landscape, you won't miss anything. The book takes you through around 400 years of history, up until the 1970s. It focuses on three main families, as well as the history of the surrounding land. It's a great book, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who has/think they might have the time to read it.
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Summary: A fantastic work!
Review: For an Irish person Chesapeake is not a place of note. Hence I came to this book knowing nothing of the place and with no emotional involvement at all. Mitchener manages to make the place important through a combination of history and characterisation. He uses the sagas of a number of families to personalise the bay and give it meaning and dimension. By the end of the book I found myself empathising with the wildlife, bemoaning the shorefront development and wishing I could do something to reverse the destruction of the pristine landscape that we saw at the beginning of the book. Totally engaging and a great read. Well worth the five stars.
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Summary: A chronicle of life on the Eastern Shore
Review: Having spent some time around Oxford, MD in the early '50's, I could visualize the scenes in Mr. Michener's novel and return again to one of the beautiful spots on earth. In 1952 the black population still lived in their own enclave, and kept a low profile. Old habits surely did die hard. In Chesapeake, I could once again smell the breezes, feel the wind and spray, taste the boiled crabs, watch skipjacks drudgin' for arsters. Michener gave an awesome sense of being there, at those times, and participating in the daily struggle for survival in the early times. And his upbringing by Quakers in poverty gave him an amazing insight into to problems between the several races. Even though I read this novel many years after publication, Michener's rich descriptions and sense of presence make it a superb story. Recommended reading for everyone with a feeling for history, and the changes that an expanding civilization makes on our environment.
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Summary: The best mandated book!
Review: History was one of the very last requirements I covered in college. When I saw the size of this required book, I considered dropping the class. I was thankful that we only had to read the first half of Chesapeake. Michener's telling of the history of where I grew up and the place for which I was home sick drew me in; I continued reading the book (sometimes ignoring other important studying) until the very end. This is a must read for EVERY ONE! It was the book that created my appreciation for history and it can probably do the same for anyone.
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