Caribbean Audiobook By James A. Michener cover art

Caribbean

A Novel

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Caribbean

By: James A. Michener
Narrated by: Alexander Adams
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In this acclaimed classic novel, James A. Michener sweeps listeners off to the Caribbean, bringing to life the eternal allure and tumultuous history of this glittering string of islands. From the 1310 conquest of the Arawaks by cannibals to the decline of the Mayan empire, from Columbus's arrival to buccaneer Henry Morgan's notorious reign, from the bloody slave revolt on Haiti to the rise of Cuba's Fidel Castro, Caribbean packs 700 dramatic years into a tale teeming with revolution and romance, authentic characters and thunderous destinies. Through absorbing, magnificent prose, Michener captures the essence of the islands in all of their awe-inspiring scope and wonder.

©2015 James A. Michener (P)2015 Random House Audio Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sagas Fiction Caribbean Latin America Ancient History Caribbean Fiction

Critic reviews

"Michener is a master." ( Boston Herald)
"A grand epic... [James A. Michener] sympathizes with the struggles of the region's most oppressed, and succeeds in presenting the Caribbean in its rich diversity." ( The Plain Dealer)
"Remarkable and praiseworthy... utterly engaging." ( The Washington Post Book World)
Masterful Storytelling • Historical Accuracy • Soothing Reader • Compelling Characters • Educational Content
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It was a good story but only a few islands were covered. It was so sad that many of the islands were poorly managed, especially Haiti. Lots of coverage of Haiti, not a word about Dominican Republic. Many of the islands were not even visited. Much about Panama but only about transporting gold and silver.

Needed to know more

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Michener gives his usual complete picture of a complicated
Area. Interesting sidelight is the role cruise line plays in the
Economy of Haiti and how the European countries come off
More prejudice than the U.S. South.

Great history and drama.

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A tad long winded and overall the style of writing weak.

several great chaptera and then several duds.

Pretty disappointing overall

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I appreciate the history of the Caribbean after listening to this book. One important bit of feedback: some of the recording returned back to previous played material requiring an adjustment to unplayed material. Otherwise it is a good story.

Caribbean is incredibly long, but thoroughly engaging

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as usual, James Michener writes a fictional story that seems anything but. he gets you involved and emotional about probably a dozen different eras with distinct circumstances, and ties them all together to the present day. in the last chapter, when the main character of that particular segment makes a big decision based on the things she learned that Michener narrates to us, you can't help but feel some of what she's going through. like he does so often, he biographises lives you would love to have lived, and lives you feel pity for hundreds of years later. The first book of his that I read was Poland, and it made me super interested in all things Polish. then, Hawaii. same result. A few books later, I just finished Caribbean, and I feel I have to travel back to the Caribbean and pay attention to the things I've learned about in this book that you don't hear on tours. I would give this book 500 stars if it was possible. enjoy it!

Typical Michener...

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A miniseries should be the next undertaking to bring some of the West Indies / Caribbean history to life . Fast moving , but well written and read. You almost feel that you're in the scenes when the events are happening. incorporating fiction with historical facts is an interesting way in telling the stories, but it keeps you interested in the outcome. Will definitely be an eye opener for folks who are oblivious to the West Indian people and it history and the parts the Empires played

A miniseries should be next and long over due

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If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love this. This is one of Mitchner’s best.

Stunning Revelations

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The first half caught my attention much more than the more modern half. A little more adventure and intrigue. But overall I felt there were so many missed opportunities. Other than reference to marijuana through the Rastafarians there could have been so much more modern piracy through the drug trafficking tying into the the old. When Cartagena played such an important role early in the book I figured it would make a strong return in this sense. We don’t meet Castro until the Regan administration and the whole Russian influence on the area is just glossed over. The Cold War is just forgotten entirely. Overall I enjoyed it but felt there could have been more ties to major events.

Not my favorite Michener

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First half of book covering through 19th century was very interesting. Second half was fairly boring.

Half and Half

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I think the format is confusing as an audio book. The listening is great but the audio jumps chapters and coming back to a specific scene to very difficult. I would have preferred having the paper book.

probably better to tead the book than listen

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