Jeff Lake reviewed Texas: a novel by James A. Michener
Review of 'Texas' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
It took me a while to start enjoying this book. Honestly, it would take a while to do anything with this book, since it's about a million pages long. It was sometimes hard to argue myself into picking it up again when it was on my shelf next to unread books with a fraction of its page count.
After a certain point, though, its length becomes its strength. I'm awed by the sheer scope of this novel. It covers hundreds of years of Texan history, starting from the time of Cabeza de freakin' Vaca half a millenium ago and continuing up until around the book's original publication date in the mid-1980s. It features dozens of characters who enter and leave the narrative in a faux-historical fashion and provide a kaleidoscope of perspectives.
None of it is particularly deep, but as the narrative years go by the interwoven stories create a …
It took me a while to start enjoying this book. Honestly, it would take a while to do anything with this book, since it's about a million pages long. It was sometimes hard to argue myself into picking it up again when it was on my shelf next to unread books with a fraction of its page count.
After a certain point, though, its length becomes its strength. I'm awed by the sheer scope of this novel. It covers hundreds of years of Texan history, starting from the time of Cabeza de freakin' Vaca half a millenium ago and continuing up until around the book's original publication date in the mid-1980s. It features dozens of characters who enter and leave the narrative in a faux-historical fashion and provide a kaleidoscope of perspectives.
None of it is particularly deep, but as the narrative years go by the interwoven stories create a fascinating tapestry. Michener has an unsubtle but sure voice that lets him spin up memorable characters quickly, then just as quickly move on from them. He also peppers the stories with facts and figures in a way that avoids dryness by relating them to the action.
I picked this up because as a born-and-raised Texan I wanted to read some stories about the place's history. After reading it, I'm a converted fan of James Michener. I'm putting more of his books on my list.
