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The Covenant
The Covenant
Author: James A. Michener
Adventurers, scoundrels and missionaries. The best and worst of two continents carve an empire out of the vast wilderness that is to become South Africa. For hundreds of years, their rivalries and passions spill across the land. From the first Afrikaners to the powerful Zulu nation, and the missionaries who lived with both--all of them will infl...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780394505053
ISBN-10: 0394505050
Publication Date: 9/12/1980
Pages: 877
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 16

4.5 stars, based on 16 ratings
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

awash-in-books avatar reviewed The Covenant on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of Michener's better books. (I think _Hawaii_ is his best. _Chesapeake_ is also worth reading, but nothing M ever wrote achieved the level of excellence _Hawaii_ did, a book which is a work of art as well as an informative history.)

_The Covenant_ is about the Dutch boers who settled in South Africa and their relationship to Blacks and other groups and their strange relationship with the Bible and racism.
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reviewed The Covenant on + 149 more book reviews
One of James Michener's best historical novels takes the reader on a tour of southern Africa from almost the beginning of time until the middle of the 20th century.

Michener was an artist who created books that gives the reader a canvas of words, allowing the reader to become absorbed into his created world.

Almost all of Michener's historical novels are "long". I do not find that a problem....with his novels....they end too soon.

I write from the point of view of someone who does not like to "watch the movie" - the movies almost always disappoint.
reviewed The Covenant on
As expected from Michener, full of wonderful historical detail while telling a great story. Loved it!
reviewed The Covenant on + 149 more book reviews
One of James Michener's best historical novels takes the reader on a tour of southern Africa from almost the beginning of time until the middle of the 20th century.

Michener was an artist who created books that gives the reader a canvas of words, allowing the reader to become absorbed into his created world.

Almost all of Michener's historical novels are "long". I do not find that a problem....with his novels....they end too soon.

I write from the point of view of someone who does not like to "watch the movie" - the movies almost always disappoint.
ASJ avatar reviewed The Covenant on + 341 more book reviews
The book is very long but excellent. I know nothing about South Africa when I started it and it gave me a good understanding of its history. One of his best. If you enjoy history this is a very detailed historical fiction book.
reviewed The Covenant on
Very long, but the usual Michener well-told tale
reviewed The Covenant on + 11 more book reviews
Michener's massive novel covers the history of South Africa from prehistoric times to 1980 when apartheid was still in force but he could see the it would soon crumble. He creates fictional characters that represent typical people and events, mixing in real events from the Dutch colonization and Boer wards With typical Michener magic he brings the complex history of this land into focus.


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