Customer Reviews

Journey

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read several James A. Michener books. For a book that is very short for Michener's usual fair, this is very good. Why? For this one, Michener sticks to one plot. No, you don't have his usual descriptive settings or his lengthy battle of some animal trying to survive. This book just tells the story. A very good story. The plot involves five men from Britain who go to Canada to get to the gold rush in 1897. There real mission is to get there by traveling only on British territory. No one has ever done that. As any one knows, traveling in Canada over mountains is not that easy. These five men will soon discover that the idea of adventure for the sake of honor may be a high price to pay. One of the reviews I saw for this book listed on Amazon, didn't like the idea of killing off some of the characters. One wrote that this book was depressing because of that. James A. Michener doesn't write anything without history backing him up. Killing off some of the characters proves how hard this journey really was. And, I am sure that some men did see this as an adventure not a suicidal journey. Some men just don't see the big picture. If you have never read a James A. Michener book, this could be a good one to start with. But, you have not read anything until you've read a Michener epic. Try Texas, Hawaii or Caribbean.

You can tell James Michener does his research. His knowledge about the peoples, wildlife, climates about Europe, Canada and the USA during this time is top notch and I certainly learned many things.

However, the story itself leaves much to be desired. Five guys go for the gold and find much trouble along the way. That's it in a nutshell. Now to my main problem.

Michener tells us over and over again that the lead character was going to make a decision that would be tragic for the members. He tells you this almost every other page, so that when it does happen, you aren't moved or anything. You're waiting the whole book for things to fall apart and you know they will. So the book is a test of patience, with little to make the wait worthwhile. The characters themselves are not all unlikable (particularly Harry Carpenter) but they are unbelievable.

Lord Luton is too stubborn in his decisions without reason. He obviously really wants to get to the Klondike his way. Everyone tells him it's the worst plan and would likely kill them all. Yet he refuses alternate plans. Why?? Michener never tells us why he is so stuck on this one route. Luton doesn't want to cross through American territory for some reason, but even when presented with options that would be easier and meet this criteria he refuses. Simply unbelievable. And Harry Carpenter, knowing that death may be in store for all of them, goes along with it out of some sense of loyalty. Maybe that's how people were. If so, then these characters that you are going to be spending the whole book with are either incredibly fake or incredibly irresponsible. Either option is incredibly unenjoyable.

I finished it, and while his command of the English language is stellar, the book is not. Pass on this one and read his others (Alaska, Chesapeake).

I had read Michener's "Hawaii" and found that enjoyable though somewhat drawn out. I had trouble starting "Chesapeake" and "Centennial," two books with apparently slow introductions that I shelved for later perusal. Journey was the best of all the Michenor books I've explored, with an engaging adventure story and great wilderness background.

The tale is set in the period of the Yukon Gold Rush from 1897 to 1899 and follows the endeavors of five men; four Englishmen and their Irish servant, to reach the gold fields of Canada through a British-only route. The leader of the group, Lord Luton, is bound and determined not to venture through the United States due to his priggish snobbery and stubbornness, a misguided decision which proves to be painfully costly. The descriptions of Canadian life, its wonders and dangers are vivid and enthalling. The pitfalls of the expedition had me turning the pages rather enthusiastically, and some of the characters were quite likeable.

However, I had some real problems with the protagonist of the story, Lord Luton. I disliked him so intensely that it served as a detriment to the book. Michener did a splendid job depicting this thoroughly unlikeable man in the context of the English lord with cherished rules and customs (no matter how ridiculous) but I still found him so insufferable that I found myself hoping the character would be removed from the story, and the tale would focus upon the remaining survivors. Certainly he had some good qualities such as bravery, a good work ethic, and concern for his fellow travelers, but the negative aspects of his character overwhelmed the positive. I despised the way he (and the book) referred to the Irish servant, Fogerty, the best of the bunch, as "his gilly."

Throughout the tale Luton apparently learned nothing about the foolishness of his decisions and actions, nor does he reform any of his mannerisms into more reasonable modes of behavior. The sacrifices made on the journey are ever more poignant because the person responsible for them never even finds remorse for his actions.

I think James Michener has a good story going here. I was impressed by some of the irony and allusion, especially Luton's stubbornness when it came to Americans, as well as taking advice from anyone after he'd already made up his mind. I think more detail and suspense could have been added, but that's strictly reader preference. The deaths of some of the characters left me feeling a bit lost as well. It was as if their death kind of snuck up on you and then wasn't talked about after about a page or so. However, the overall storyline pleased me very much. I think it personified cultural stubbornness as well as gold rushes in general. I nearly laughed out loud when reading about some of the inexperienced travelers that were trying to make their way through the Arctic (i.e. the man with the modified tractor). I was also very satisfied by the ending. It was unexpected, but complete and understandable. Also, I liked the fact that Luton stated from the beginning that he wasn't after gold and by the end he hadn't changed his mind at all. After all, the title of the book, Journey, certainly implies that the adventure and travel is the fun part of the book, not a quest for gold or a search for pride. Overall, I liked the book and thought it was a very entertaining read and believe it deserves four stars.

It's 1897, and people from all over the world are heading for the Yukon gold fields. Most follow the grueling overland route from Alaska after arriving there by ship. Lord Evelyn Luton, though, wants to prove that it's possible to reach Dawson without straying out of Canada. The 32-year-old younger son of the Marquess of Deal gathers three fellow noblemen (including two members of his own family), plus a trusted Irish servant, and sets out for Canada at mid-summer. Although they're well prepared for their trip down the mighty, wandering Mackenzie River, unlike far too many others making the same perilously late start, they have no chance of reaching their goal without wintering along the way. This they do with remarkable success - the first year, anyway. After that it's another story entirely.

What can it cost us humans to cling pigheadedly to our preconceptions, even when those around us know better and try to persuade us of our folly? What can blind loyalty cost those who follow such a leader? JOURNEY addresses these themes with some poignance, although it's hard for a modern reader to avoid wanting to shake Lord Luton silly. What I found most interesting and enjoyable wasn't the novel itself, though. I was intrigued by Michener's "Reflections" at the book's end, in which the author describes how he conceived the characters of JOURNEY and first told their story as a chapter in his novel ALASKA. When his editors rightly pointed out that it didn't fit well there, and made an already long book longer still, he put the material away. Only to take it out and rework it, even adding scenes that he hadn't bothered to write when he thought it would form one chapter in the longer work, after the characters he'd created refused to leave him alone. "Reflections" provides a fascinating trip into the creative process of a prolific and highly successful writer.

The novel is the story of the adventure of a group of English aristocrats and an Irish servant travelling to find gold across Canada. It describes two harsh winters spent out in the wild and makes for a riveting read.

The descriptions are vivid, characters are well-developed and word pictures compelling. Michener also writes a section at the end about how he came up with the idea for this book, as well as the research and process underlying the writing of this novel. This gives a good insight into how a book is developed and a glimples at the thinking process of a remarkable writer. This also makes for a good read. The book however does not compare favourably to other Michener efforts.

The plot involves five men from Britain who go to Canada to get to the gold rush in 1897. There real mission is to get there by traveling only on British territory. No one has ever done that. As any one knows, traveling in Canada over mountains is not that easy. These five men will soon discover that the idea of adventure for the sake of honor may be a high price to pay. Not your typical 1000 page Michener book, but a easier read that will touch your heart.

Although I have not read all of James Michener's books, the ones I have read were very good reading and helped me to remember history.

Most people have had at least one teacher in their past that stood out from the others. I had a couple, but the one I will never forget was my history teacher, Mrs. Murray. She had a way of telling a story about historical events. Even now, thirty years later, I still recall her with fond memories. She taught like Michener writes.

I do have to admit though, that the first few chapters are at times hard to get through, but once you do, you're in for a good story.

Diane & Greg Haugen

I love James Michener, and I have since I read Centennial when I was a kid.

The Journey is a great adventure story, and a great lesson - of how NOT to do it.

I wanted to write that this was the worst book I ever read, but it wan't the prose - it was the characters. Michener really nails the arrogance possessed by Lutton, and the sheep (follower) mentality of the others.

I think it was great poetic justice that the 'servant', an Irishman surrounded by bombast, appears to be the real winner at the end. In a metaphor for life, he demonstrates that colonialism can be beat, if one uses their head and is patient.

Kevin

Let's call a cat a cat. It is a weak Michener. If it is the first you read, it will probably your last. Michener, in the afterword, tells us that The Journey was originally in his book Alaska but was cut by the editor. He then took that section and made a book.

The premises are good. A party of adventurers, including a snob British Lord, a poet, a retired Colonel and a cunning Irishman go on a journey to the Yukon River during the gold rush. This is too little to make a book.

There is some good characters interraction, some good moments but they are drowned in the long repetitive parts of the journey, to the point where you keep thinking something will happen and...

If you want a good Michener, look at my review of the Covenant or Poland, forget The Journey