The Covenant

by James A. Michener

Book Overview

James A. Michener's masterly chronicle of South Africa is an epic tale of adventurers, scoundrels, and ministers, the best and worst of two continents who carve an empire out of a vast wilderness.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394514009
• ISBN13: 9780394514000
• Release Date: September 1980
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 877 Pages
• Weight: 3.08 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Monumental

This most fascinating of books tells the story of South Africa in the form of an Epic. It traces the history of South Africa, from the arrival of the first black Africans, through to the cementing of apartheid (the book having been first published in 1980). To a certain extent, the book traces the history of South Africa through the history of a certain (fictional) family, the Van Doorns. As the story strides through history, we see the various members of the family born, make their mark upon history, and then pass on. Along the way, the story takes many sidetracks, showing the history of other people and groups that also affected South African history, as they also join the narrative.It's hard to say too much about this book. It is simply monumental in its scope, and yet in execution it is wonderfully simple and easy to read. Having read this book (in two volumes), I now feel a much deeper understanding of the history of South Africa, and the varied people who live there, than I could ever have gotten from a history book. The book is very even-handed, showing the heights and the depths that people of all colors can reach to.Overall, I think that this is one of the most important books that I have ever read, and certainly one of the most masterfully written. I cannot recommend this book enough!

A great introduction to a complex place

This is the 1st Michener I ever read. It was recommended to me by a native South African when I asked him about books that would help me learn more about his facinating homeland. I had been to South Africa twice on business and wanted to learn more. I throughly enjoyed this book. The beginning was a bit slow but it kept getting better as it progressed. I finished reading this book shortly before touching down in Johannesburg for my 3d visit to South Africa, and I must say it gave me a whole new prespective on this complex nation. If I have any complaints they are that the period after the Nationalist party takes over isn't given much coverage, and that after finishing the book I was left wishing Michener would write a follow-up that covers from the last 20 years!

...Where one could commit crimes for the love of the land

This is a masterpiece. A masterpiece of history bur also a masterpiece of human nature. Often, in a 1200 pages book, the author loses himself (and us) with useless details. Not in this one. Each page conveys the essence of that book: The Love of The Land.One would think that Michener came from South Africa since he depicts that love with such purity and such passion. He also sucessfully avoided falling into the trap of taking side which, when you write on such a contreversial country, is very tempting.You will discover South Africa and learn to love it, even if you never have set foot in Africa or never particularly cared about that region. This is how powerful this book is.Learn to love that land through the eyes of the Nxumalos, a family of Zulus who emigrated south thousands of years ago to find food and adored the land in all of nature's expressions.See it also through the destiny of the Van Doorns, a dutch family who, exploited through many generations by a country ran by the sense of business, returned to the fondamental values of god and the soil and made this land theirs, convinces that god granted them this new Eden.Finally, follow the Saltwoods, A family of English noblemans who after wondering what Britain presence should be in South Africa became part of that intricate cultural web.No race or culture is evil, history dictates what we are and will be. Passing on that book is passing on a great opportunity to understand the complex history of a country rich in emotions but also in understanding the events that led to the Appartheid and racial tensions in South Africa.Mr. Michener, while you are there, write us an history of the paradise !!!