Poland by James A. Michener Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Poland
Book Review: It is not Iberia!
Summary: 1 Stars
Wow, what a let down. I've been a fan of Michener since the 1960's. When Iberia was first published I got the first available hardcover, read it in a weekend and arranged for my next leave to get a military flight to Torrejon Air Force Base in Spain. From there I spent two weeks bumming all around Spain. Poland does not even give me a craving for Polish sausage. Don't bother with it!Book Review: Junk literature
Summary: 2 Stars
I firstly read Michener's Poland and then H. Mankiewicz trilogy. Junk literature Mr. Michener's book.Book Review: Massively entertaining
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't read much historical fiction up to now, but 'Poland' is definitely the best so far. It's a large work with each chapter typically covering several years at selected points in Polish history between the 13th and 20th centuries. Michener's ability to render convincing scenes (and to a somewhat lesser extent, characters) is astonishing. It's this kind of novel that makes many an aspiring author wave the white flag and give up any pretensions he/she has of being a master storyteller. Nothing wrong with being second class, but you know a master when you read this.
Some previous reviews complain about historical inaccuracies in the novel and then pan it with a low rating. Well that is silly because Michener never claimed that 'Poland' is non-fictional. Though the novel is set against a backdrop of actual events in Poland's history and though we encounter many real historical figures (with some or many perhaps portrayed inaccurately), most of the plot and characters are *fictional*. Michener makes this clear right up front in the Explanation section preceding the first chapter. The three families (Lubonski, Bukowski, Buk) that supply the major players throughout the novel are entirely fictional; hence, so are all of their actions. Some of these actions are portrayed in the novel as having pivotal impacts on major historical events (e.g. Wiktor Bukowski's heroic charge in the Battle of Zamosc, 1920). Though these actions and consequences are not historically accurate, Michener never claimed they would be and hence his right to artistic license should be respected.
The chapter on the Nazi occupation is particularly well-rendered and chilling. The descriptions of daily life in the Majdanek concentration camp, to my knowledge, do generally stack up with eyewitness accounts from survivors. It's incomprehensible to me that such monstrosities could have been performed on such a scale, so recently.
Like most such novels, 'Poland' focuses on major players and key events of political significance (e.g. wars, power struggles, etc). In doing so, I think we miss a bit of how the common people dealt with these events. By common people I mean the peasants, merchants, civilians, nobility et al who did not actually take part in the events (unlike the Lubonskis, Bukowskis, and Buks). In the end, however, 'Poland' is massively entertaining.
Book Review: Michener's Poland
Summary: 5 Stars
I think most of Michener's books are interesting reads. Basically, I like them because I usually don't know the country - or region - described, the people that inhabits it, and its history. Michener is a master of concise and informative description, portraying landscapes and historical facts in such a way that it's easy for the reader to see it in his or her mind. Although by the concept of his books his characters are not that well developed and tend to be kind of ephemerous, the stories and sub-plots are always compelling and even thrilling, if somewhat slow. "The source" is one of my all-time favorites, a book that I read once every few years.
In "Poland", Michener tells the history of one of the most conturbated and affected european countries. At times, Poland did not even exist. Dominated by neighbours Austria, Germany and Russia, the polish people couldn't always say they had a free nation, but they always fought to mantain their identity and their culture.. Michener shows that, and much more.
"Poland" was not my favorite Michener book, but a great read nonetheless.
Grade 8.0/10
Book Review: Michener's finest work
Summary: 5 Stars
I adore all of James Michener's books, and rate them all highly, but I think that this is his finest work. It has all the usual grandeur of his other works, but maybe because it is a history of an area about which I know so little, I find the story utterly mesmerising.There are of course elements of the story that we are familiar with, such as the horror of war, but even with the grand historical elements that Mr Michener weaves so well into his tales, I think it is the characters that hold the narrative together. And I think that this novel has the strongest and most believable characters of all his works.
The story and the lineage of the main characters flow wonderfully, and all in all, it is a very satisfying book.