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A review by larsenc23
Chesapeake by James A. Michener
4.0
My first Michener. At 865 pages this seemed like one of the longest books I've read despite being several hundred pages shorter. There is sparse dialogue so it's a long 865 pages of primarily narration.
This was a generational tale over several centuries starting with the natives of Chesapeake Bay and the settlement of the first white family, the Steeds. The narrative is authentically honest as it details the rejection of the Natives by Europeans as well as slavery and further mistreatment of Blacks up until the final pages. With the Steeds are the Turlocks, Paxmores, Cavenys, Caters and others I likely missed. The families are heavily characterized which makes them quickly very predictable as they evolve (or lack to) over generations.
The plots within chapters start to become predictable, new character meets conflict of the time, resolves conflict with help of legacy characters. The last chapter is a twist but because the prior chapters all ended a certain way, it's too easy to expect the fate of Pusey Paxmore to be different. Captain Turlock was one of the more interesting characters but again his conclusion is easily anticipated.
I admire the research and detail invested by Micehener. The descriptions of wildlife and scenery were memorable. The resolution of Devon Island was excellent symbolism. I really enjoyed The Watermen chapter, the waterfowl hunting and comparisons of the Labrador vs the Chesapeake; it was for this that I primarily read the book and that portion exceeded my expectations.
Overall decent story but Michener can drag it out.
This was a generational tale over several centuries starting with the natives of Chesapeake Bay and the settlement of the first white family, the Steeds. The narrative is authentically honest as it details the rejection of the Natives by Europeans as well as slavery and further mistreatment of Blacks up until the final pages. With the Steeds are the Turlocks, Paxmores, Cavenys, Caters and others I likely missed. The families are heavily characterized which makes them quickly very predictable as they evolve (or lack to) over generations.
The plots within chapters start to become predictable, new character meets conflict of the time, resolves conflict with help of legacy characters. The last chapter is a twist but because the prior chapters all ended a certain way, it's too easy to expect the fate of Pusey Paxmore to be different. Captain Turlock was one of the more interesting characters but again his conclusion is easily anticipated.
I admire the research and detail invested by Micehener. The descriptions of wildlife and scenery were memorable. The resolution of Devon Island was excellent symbolism. I really enjoyed The Watermen chapter, the waterfowl hunting and comparisons of the Labrador vs the Chesapeake; it was for this that I primarily read the book and that portion exceeded my expectations.
Overall decent story but Michener can drag it out.