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Summary: Different kind of Michener
Review: Not at all a historical novel, "Caravans" is, regardless, a story about love set in a place of rich historical tradition; Afghanistan. It is the tale of a young American diplomat sent to retrieve an expatriate girl from Pennsylvania who has run off with an Afghan man. Michener weaves around this plot an intertwining love story quite different from the love in "Caribbean" or "Tales of the South Pacific." Michener's craft is evident as always: he is able to bring life and love out of a barren or hostile climate, in this case the steppes of Central Asia. Not his very best, but short and very enjoyable.
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Summary: Some things never change in Afghanistan
Review: Reading this James Michener novel is a thoroughly enjoyable way to learn more about Afghanistan and the Afghans. It is the story of a young American diplomat who is assigned to the Embassy in Kabul shortly after World War II. The story centers on his travels around Afghanistan in search of a missing American girl who has married an Afghan that she met in college in the U.S. Through this enthusiastic adventurer's experiences, the reader meets young, aristocratic Afghans, government soldiers, spies and diplomats, fanatic mullahs, elusive and alluring Afghan women, and a colorful band of nomads. The wonder and beauty, as well as the customs and history, of this fascinating ancient land are conveyed through the fast paced adventure and love story. I couldn't put it down. The fact that it takes place in 1946 is shocking since it seems to be taken right from today's news stories!
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Summary: a great novel and a good guide to Afghanistan
Review: The book is set in Afghanistan in around 1946, but things haven't changed much in that barbaric country. There are graphic descriptions of an adulterous woman being stoned to death (based on an execution that Michener actually saw) and of another public execution where a young man gets his head slowly sawn off with a rusty bayonet (again based on an actual event, though Michener wasn't an eyewitness). The story is narrated by an American diplomat who's looking for a missing American girl, and is fairly predictable. Despite that however, this is a great book to read in the context of current events, with lots of near-prophetic speculations from the characters and a poignant description of the now-destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas.
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Summary: Welcome to Afghanistan
Review: The fictional first person account of a young American diplomat in 1940s Afghanistan, Caravans by James Michener weaves a compelling tapestry of adventure, history, and romance. Simultaneously the backdrop and main character, Afghanistan materializes before the reader's eyes with the turning of each page. The story revolves around Mark Miller, assigned to the U.S. embassy in Kabul, and his mission to discover what has happened to a young American woman in Afghanistan whose family has not heard from her in months.The Afghan mosaic of culture and geography emerges through Michener's writing in one of his most enthusiastic works. Setting forth at an ambling pace, Caravans allows the richness of Afghanistan to permeate the story as the plot asserts itself. The middle portion of the book broadens both the story and the reader's understanding of this foreign land, while the plot accelerates toward the conclusion. What Caravans leaves to be desired lies in the absence of an adequate treatment of the thousands of years of Afghan history preceding the 20th century. In addition, the conclusion's rapid onset jars the reader out of the book's lullaby rhythm. To be fair, however, doing justice to the entirety of Afghanistan's history would require multiple volumes, and the conclusion, while rapid, presents itself at the appropriate time. For a reader seeking to understand more about Afghanistan in light of the events of September 11, 2001, Caravans is an especially palatable introduction the country. With no mention of the Taliban nor modern day terrorism, the book nonetheless convinces the reader of the severity of life in Afghanistan.
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Summary: Caravans
Review: The novel 'Caravans,' was an excellent piece of literature. Michener writes gives each character a completely different personality and throws them all into a country, where anything can happen. He gives great anaylsis of Afghanistan in 1946, he deliantes the geography and the society at that time. It's obvious he did extensive research, which gives the book an entirely different meaning. But instead of boring with facts on Afghanistan, he adds drama with different types of religions. He puts all of this stuff in there, plus adds a great adventure story to make it a worth-while book.
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Summary: Caravans
Review: The novel Caravans, was an exciting and educating book to read. Michener writes a great story about a missing girl in Afghanistan and a CIA agent tracking her down. But he delves deep into each character, giving them great personalities, so you never know what's going to happen next. He also writes about the different religions, the society and environment of Afghanistan. He puts a great story together, with of these facts. You can learn a lot about the Afghan culture after World War II and read something entertaining at the same time.
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Summary: micheners caravans
Review: This book was very interesting, it kept me on my edge of my seat the entire time. I really liked the description. he used.
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Summary: Early Michener, evolving style of history and romance
Review: This is one of Michener's early books, when his style was still evolving. In it, we follow the sotry of an American woman who is lost in Afghanistan and the diplomat that seeks to find her. I picked this book up after the US war on Afghanistan in order to try to better understand the history of the place without the more recent complications. It was a very good intorduction to the country and its people; we see the deep clash better the Kabul population, which is more "civilized" according to Western standards than the countryside, where the mullahs dominate. These happen to be the same mullahs that we get to see on CNN. The story itself is told from the perspective of a westerner, so the striking nature of the local culture is highlighted. The mystical nature of caravans and local customs is dissected, which I found very interesting. Also there were many references to the country's history, enough to wet the appetite about reading further on Afghanistan, but not enough to make one knowledgeable about it. Overall, it is clear this is an early Michener, and the author is evolving into the national novel model he adopts later on.
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Summary: Early Michener, evolving style of history and romance
Review: This is one of Michener's early books, when his style was still evolving. In it, we follow the sotry of an American woman who is lost in Afghanistan and the diplomat that seeks to find her. I picked this book up after the US war on Afghanistan in order to try to better understand the history of the place without the more recent complications. It was a very good intorduction to the country and its people; we see the deep clash better the Kabul population, which is more "civilized" according to Western standards than the countryside, where the mullahs dominate. These happen to be the same mullahs that we get to see on CNN. The story itself is told from the perspective of a westerner, so the striking nature of the local culture is highlighted. The mystical nature of caravans and local customs is dissected, which I found very interesting. Also there were many references to the country's history, enough to wet the appetite about reading further on Afghanistan, but not enough to make one knowledgeable about it. Overall, it is clear this is an early Michener, and the author is evolving into the national novel model he adopts later on.
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Summary: The epic tale of an Afganistani Oaf Gorilla
Review: This story is about an oaf gorilla and his quest to find oaf banannas.
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