# James Michener's novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2020, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530 "2020-05-10T11:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/41 "2020-05-11T20:16:33Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > So am I the only one who’s read _Caravans_? I mentioned CARAVANS upthread, along with DRIFTERS, both narrow time-slices and thus approachable. I’ll admit to reading all Michener till about 1990 and not touching him since. I blame [del]obliterated[/del] shortened attention span. What? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/42 "2020-05-11T22:17:11Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > I mentioned CARAVANS upthread, along with DRIFTERS, both narrow time-slices and thus approachable. Sorry, my eyes were scanning for book titles in italics. Not used to seeing them in all caps. Edward Rutherfurd wrote _Sarum_, somewhat similar to _The Source_, as a diachronic story of generations over thousands of years focused on one place. Anybody read that? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/43 "2020-05-11T22:33:12Z")
I did read \*Sarum! \*It was also a very long time ago and I remember basically none of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/44 "2020-05-12T08:36:52Z")
(I have trouble multi-quoting) – **RioRico** wrote: “I’ll admit to reading all Michener till about 1990 and not touching him since. I blame [obliterated] shortened attention span. What?” > [@Johanna](#): > > Edward Rutherfurd wrote _Sarum_, somewhat similar to _The Source_, as a diachronic story of generations over thousands of years focused on one place. Anybody read that? > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I did read \*Sarum! \*It was also a very long time ago and I remember basically none of it. I feel the above quotes offer some evidence for the phenomenon – observed in my own case, as mentioned by me upthread – that this particular kind of fiction is apt to be easy to read, and easy to forget ! I’m pretty sure that some years ago, I tried _Sarum_; but gave up on it at a fairly early stage. I, too, basically have no memory of anything that was in it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/45 "2020-05-12T19:05:07Z")
I plowed thru _Hawaii_ in the same spirit as eating my vegetables when I was a wee **Shodan** , in that I was told I would learn to enjoy it and it was good for me. It worked for vegetables, but not for Michener. Maybe I will try _The Source_. That sounds like something with more interest and less geology. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/46 "2020-05-13T11:31:08Z")
His reputation–he’s not in the pantheon of literary greats (unlike his Baltimore neighbor, John Barth, who sold far fewer but more highly regarded books). He’s sort of on the same tier as, like, James Clavell. If you buy one of his massive books new, you probably bought it in paperback in a grocery store and really enjoyed the movie based on his other books more than the books themselves. I read _Caravans_ and _The Bridges at Toko-Ri_ as a teenager in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/47 "2020-05-13T12:54:32Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > I feel the above quotes offer some evidence for the phenomenon – observed in my own case, as mentioned by me upthread – that this particular kind of fiction is apt to be easy to read, and easy to forget ! I don’t know if it’s fair to classify Michener as particularly forgettable. I’m not sure I have firm memories of any books that I read in high school unless I re-read it later. I do think they’re a product of a different time, though. I once read a description (maybe a quote from the man himself) about how his offices would be stuffed with interns making phone calls and digging through books to do the research necessary for whatever his current project was. You could read a Michener novel and, through his pretty engaging historical fiction, get this deep, sprawling understanding of a relatively narrow topic. Nowadays we have the internet and you can get a deep, sprawling understanding of most anything you want. I credit his novels with fostering my appreciation for really diving into a historical topic and learning about small details. I don’t know that I’d have the patience for them today if you dropped one of them in my lap (not from too great a height please and definitely not a hardcover), because I have YouTube and Wikipedia and instant access to a million experts. In the 70s and 80s and even 90s? Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/48 "2020-05-13T14:38:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I don’t remember much in the way of humor. The draw to his books (and I think college was the last time I read anything of his, so my memory is a bit fuzzy) is the scope. He manages to create these multi-generational storylines that feel coherent and whole. When he names the book, say, “Hawaii,” he really is making Hawaii the main character, and uses these broad, sweeping arcs to write about it. Yeah, not too much humor, but it’s not grim or dark either, except where history was that way. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/49 "2020-05-14T13:20:32Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > His reputation–he’s not in the pantheon of literary greats (unlike his Baltimore neighbor, John Barth, who sold far fewer but more highly regarded books). He’s sort of on the same tier as, like, James Clavell. If you buy one of his massive books new, you probably bought it in paperback in a grocery store and really enjoyed the movie based on his other books more than the books themselves. > > I read _Caravans_ and _The Bridges at Toko-Ri_ as a teenager in the 70s. Really? I’ve seen bits and pieces of his miniseries but they certainly didn’t seem to live up to the books. The Winds of War and War and Remembrance are both excellent books and excellent miniseries. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/50 "2020-05-14T13:31:13Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Really? I’ve seen bits and pieces of his miniseries but they certainly didn’t seem to live up to the books. > > The Winds of War and War and Remembrance are both excellent books and excellent miniseries. Those were by Herman Wouk, I’ve never read any of his work. ( I don’t mean that as a diss, I’m just kind of a slow reader.) Michener’s movies include _South Pacific_ (my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical) and _Hawaii_. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/51 "2020-05-14T19:27:42Z")
The mention of Michener’s name always brings to mind a sight gag on the Simpsons. The bookstore in town (called “Books! Books! And Additional Books!”) has a sign out front, “Today’s Special: Michener $1.99/Lb.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530.md?page=2)