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56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sprawling Epic of the American West, April 1, 2003
I've been fortunate enough to read several of James A. Michener's works, and CENTENNIAL is by far my favorite from this gifted author. In fact, I've read this book twice, which is no small task, given its 900-plus pages. CENTENNIAL is about a fictitious town of the same name in Colorado. The town is not nestled in the majestic Rockies, as one might expect, but instead is located out on the vast, open, treeless, windswept plains that run down from the eastern slopes of the mountains. It is here, at the nexus of two radically diverse land masses, that Michener gives the reader a comprehensive history of the area, from the formation of the land and its rivers, to its prehistoric inhabitants, to its early settlers, to its subsequent clash of various cultures. The plains Indians, fur trappers, pioneer settlers, soldiers, ranchers, dry land and irrigation farmers, and the hearty descendents of these diverse groups--all are depicted vividly and weaved into an engrossing story by an author with a keen eye for detail. CENTENNIAL furnishes an impressive assortment of powerful, unforgettable characters: Lame Beaver, an Arapaho chieftan; Pasquinel, a French fur trapper; pioneer Levi Zendt; trail boss R.J. Poteet; ranchers Jim and Charlotte Lloyd; and many more. Through these characters the reader is given an epic tale of the American West, a tale that is beautiful, compelling, profound, and often tragic. CENTENNIAL is higly recommended to any student of the American West, or to any lover of epic literature.
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48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Centennial Is Michener's Epic Novel of the American West, August 5, 2005
James A. Michener's "Centennial" is arguably his best literary work. Released in 1976, at the bicentennial of our nation's history, Centennial was a the novel blockbuster of the year. Like all of Michener's historical fiction novels, Michener lived in the actual town of Centennial, Colorado, for a year or more to do the extensive research for his story. The story itself is one that spans the ages from the lying down of the bedrock of the earth to the first creatures, to the Native American Arapaho, to the coming of the white settlers, to modern times. Each chapter is a mini-novel in itself dealing with a specific time period. Some of the characters Michener has created will be remembered for the rest of the reader's life. He writes at length on the life of Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chief, a fascinating narrative of how the Native Americans lived and how their society was overcome by the tidal wave of European white immigrants. Then there is R. J. Poteet, the cowboy trailboss who moves a herd of cattle from Texas to Centennial in order to establish the first cattle ranch in that area. Michener writes about the "dry-farming" methods of the white farming settlers such as "Potato Brumbaugh and men like him, who were the first to turn the soil, and how these "sod-busters" conflicted with the open-range ranchers, and their conflict to who would control the water rights of the land. The chapter on the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years is still vivid in my mind more than 30 years after reading it.
Yes, this is a novel of epic proportions, over 1,000 pages in length, that will entrance you with every new chapter. It is a novel that you will not want to put down. It is also so well written that you will want to read it again to experience the lives and stories of the characters that Michener brings to life.
Michener's writing style is one that is unique to him. Readers seem to either love his vivid and pprolific prose, or they are overwhelmed by the great attention to detail that is Michener. I happen to be in the group that loves his writing and has read virtually all his novels. If you have never read a novel by Michener, this is the one to read first to see if you like his writing style. Like me, chances are you will become a life-long fan of the man who has become one of my favorite authors.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Michener doesn't disappoint, April 14, 2000
This is the 8th Michener book I've read, and they're all good books. Always well researched and entertaining. This one concerns the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, and like most books written by Michener, start with the formation of mountains and animal life at the beginning of time, and later focuses on a few families and their extended family trees throughout the ages. He wonderfully illustrates the influences of the many cultures that make up the heart of America, using this one fictional town only as an example. A long read at over 900 pages, but worthwhile. (If you want, though, you can skip the second chapter about the land forming and dinosaurs wandering over the earth... It's pretty dull and has little bearing on the rest of the book.)
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