Customer Reviews

The Source

5 star:		(131)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This sweeping epic traces the fictitious history of Makor, a city in Israel, from prehistory to modern times. Starting in the 1960s, an archeological dig turns up artifacts in an ancient mound composed of the remains of successive settlements in Makor. Then, starting with the deepest, oldest artifact and moving forward in time, in successive chapters Michener chronologically describes the inhabitants (who are often descendants of characters in earlier chapters) and events in and around the city over thousands of years. In this way, he tells the fascinating story of the Jews and other local inhabitants, of Judaism and its role in the creation of Christianity and Islam, and of the establishment of the modern state of Israel.

This is the first book I have read by Michener, my interest having been piqued when a friend responded to my praise of Edward Rutherfurd's "London" by describing Rutherfurd as "a poor man's Michener". My friend's point was that Rutherfurd borrowed Michener's often-used story structure for historical fiction, a structure perhaps best exemplified by "The Source". As much as I enjoyed "London", it pales in comparison to "The Source", one of the classics of the genre. I recommend it without reservation.

When I was in my early teens, back in the days of disco, fat ties, oil crises, and gaudy leisure suits (aka, the 1970s), I remember looking through my parents' book collection for the book with the most pages. At the time, I thought that the length of a book somehow corresponded to its difficulty level, and that if I could read a 1,000+ page book, then I must be REALLY smart and also grown up! Anyway, one of the first books I decided to read, based on these sophisticated criteria, was "The Source," by James Michener. Surprisingly, I found out that the book was actually easy to read, fascinating, and highly entertaining, and I whizzed right through it (boy, did I think I was smart afte that)! I remember being completely engrossed as the centuries flew past, as conquering armies marched, as cities rose and fell, as blood flowed through the streets of Jerusalem, and as the Jews wandered through the Middle East and Europe. I also remember thinking that the Middle East had an incredible history that I needed to learn a lot more about.

Well, almost 30 years later, with a Masters Degree in Middle East Studies, with a couple of trips to the region under my belt, and with a job dealing with the Middle East, I can blame it all, at least in part, on reading "The Source" at age 12 or 13. Seriously, though, I do believe that the seed of my life-long fascination with history, international relations, politics, and the Middle East was planted when I read "The Source" as a young teenager. Actually, come to think of it, another Michener book -- Centennial -- got me fascinated in the history of the West and the American Indian, while several others made me want to learn more about South Africa, Hawaii, the South Pacific, the Chesapeake region, and even outer space. So, definitely read James Michener, but be warned: you could become addicted to a lifetime of learning, travel, and adventure.

I love Michener and wound up getting this book from the library. About 35% of the way through I decided to get it for my Kindle and finish reading it on there. The story is awesome but when I switched to the Kindle version I discovered an amazing number of typos in the text. Within the first two pages I read there were five. I guess the publisher isn't as picky with quality control for the Kindle folks.

UPDATE: After reading to 85% of this book I came across a section that is totally missing. I know because it repeated a previous chapter. I went BACK to the library to figure out what was going on and discovered that a whole page was replaced by a previous page. Now I wonder about previous chapters where they seemed to end without resolution. I will be asking for my money back. I would be more understanding if the Kindle version were free or maybe around a dollar but to have a book cost nearly as much as the paperback be obviously unedited is ridiculous! It appears that the text was scanned using OCR and no checking was done. Frequently odd characters appear in the text such as a ? instead of a letter in the middle of a word. Pathetic!

Are you constantly perplexed by those "Mideast Peace Talks" that have (seemingly) been going on for 14 centuries? And still there is no peace in sight...and there never will be, of course....Well, Mr. Michener gives us a grand overview of the area. You'll find some surprises. Most notably that the Jews and Arabs used to get along pretty well. Not bosom buddies, of course, but better than they do now. But, I digress. What we have here is history and novel twined together in a fascinating way. Through the device of an archaeological dig, Michener provides personal stories of the folks who have populated the troubled region since prehistoric times. We have love, we have brutality, we have slavery, we have butchery, we have treachery, we have sieges outside the stone walls, we have a secret tunnel through the rock....and love again. It's life itself: messy but wonderful. And you get a nice history lesson along the way, making you a better conversationalist, especially at those cocktail parties in New York City. Great book. You'll like it.

This was one of the first books I ever read by James Michener, and what an introduction! Don't be daunted by the size of the novel, for this book is a real page turner! Once you start, you will be drawn in and you won't want to put it down; however, being over a thousand pages, you will have to take breaks to eat, go to the bathroom, go to work, etc.! Only Michener can take a topic like the history of the Jewish race and weave an intricate historical fiction that captures the imagination, creates a sense of drama, and teaches the intellect. He begins with the earliest ancient settlement of a place called Makor, located in modern day Israel, and begins telling a truly fascinating tale based on archeological artifacts that are unearthed layer by layer by an archeology team digging in the present time. In the course of time, you will learn how the Jews first came to understand monotheism, the intricacies of their religion, and perhaps an understanding of why the Jewish people have been persecuted throughout history. There are 15 chapters and each is a mini-novel in itself. The Jews are truly a special people, and you will gain an appreciation of their beginnings, their unique travails as a race, and their nothing-short-of-a-miracle rebirth as a nation. You can read each chapter in a sitting and each chapter stands alone as a complete story, each fascinating and different. But put together, oh, what an epic Michener has created! I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in anthropology, archeology, history, or just good fiction. I guarantee this book will not disappoint! I have read to cover to cover four separate times and it has held my interest each and every time. It will end up on your personal list of favorite reads of all-time too.

I have read Michener's "The Source" several times and on each occasion I have gained fascinating new insights and perspectives into the history of mankind. This masterful work progressively unfolds the epic sweep of history through the story of a fictitious archaeological dig in 20th century Israel at the site of the settlement of Makor. Each layer of soil reveals a find that takes us through history from the dawn of mankind, through key stages of man's development as a spiritual being and the region's past up to the present time. Michener cleverly weaves vivid and intriguing stories around each of the artifacts that are unearthed. This book brings history to life - the history of man, of civilisation, of religion, of monotheism, of Palestine/Israel and of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The book is written in a style that proves Michener's empathy, his love for humanity, his respect for the great modern semitic religions, his objectivity, his intellectual prowess and his ability to tell moving stories. If there is only one book which you read in your lifetime it shoud be THE SOURCE!

I'm sixteen, and at my school, many of the English classes were required to read this book. My class was not, but I decided to read it anyway because my best friend, who is Jewish, said it was his favorite book. I did read it, and I was amazed. Michener created a successful hybrid of dull history and exciting fiction, which ends up being entertaining and educational. I found myself with a very different opinion of the Jewish people in general and I now have a much better understanding of the conflicts in the Middle East. I recommend this book to anyone who likes history, or is interested in religion.

I first read this book in high school, and have read it several times since. You can read the publisher's review and other reviews to get an idea of what this book is about, but I think it is absolutely brilliant. I remember finishing it and thinking I just learned the entire world's history. A bit dramatic, but what captured me so much about this book is not only understanding the history of Hebrews and Judiasm, but of other cultures and religions that interacted in the city of Makor: ancient Greek, Rome, pagan gods, early followers of Islam, Christianity...this book is a necessity to whoever loves history.

I have just finished reading this book, and I am in awe of Michener's power to "say it all" in his inimitable style. He has used a whole series of vignettes in this book in order to depict a group of people that has seen nothing but pain and suffering for all of their lives. I am speaking of the Jews - God's chosen people. If anyone wants a clearer understanding of the whole Middle East question they should read this book. It will explain a lot about the origin and the histories of the three main religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islaam. The first stories in the book of the ancient civilizations were thorough and revealing, but I found that the vignettes of the later conflicts in this tempestuous country quite brief and the characterization not as descriptive. I would recommend that if anyone wants a much clearer idea of the Middle East question - since the treaty of 1948, that they read Exodus by Leon Uris. Exodus explained the problems and conflicts of modern Israel and enabled me to really understand the whole "Middle East" question. But if you're looking for a walk through history in these ancient biblical lands, you will find none better than what is in this book.

This may very well be one of the most breathtaking books you will ever read. Based somewhat on fictional characters and places in the middle east you are still transformed into history as it had occured.

After reading this book I had learnt so much about the prosecution of the Jewish people and the barbaric nature of humans in those times, particularly concerning the sacrifice of children. I have taken a passage from the book about this to give you a taste of 'THE SOURCE' James Michener wrote ' The last child was a boy of nearly three-his parents had prayed that the years had passed when he might be taken-and he was old enough to understand what was happening, so with frightened eyes he drew back from the priests, and when they lifted him to the god he screamed, trying to hold on to the stone fingers and save himself, but the priests pulled away his small, clutching hands and with a violent push sent him tumbling into the flaming mouth.'

The story begins in modern times of the 1960's and then takes you through 15 short stories all connected to each other but in different times in history.

The book has 1032 pages but the best part of it is the short stories which I found very readable and easy to follow. I particularly loved how in the book, the life and times of Jesus are mentioned as it was an important event during those times in the middle east but not dwelled upon in the story as the book is not about Jesus but about the people that lived during BC and AD.

Be prepared as it is a sad book and as you are finishing each short story you find yourself hoping that it will end with a happy ending - but, it rarely does and this is why I found the book so remarkable, because it is true that events in history and our present times had never seen a happy ending BY ALL.