Alaska by: James A Mitchener
Oooohhhh… that was a long read. Paperback book, over a thousand pages, small print and a billion years in the making. Well not the writing of the book took a billion years but it is the time frame that the book covers. True to form in his writing style and method Mitchener goes to the dawn of time and weaves a history from the forming of continental plates, land bridges, mastodons, mammoths, first humans, etc.
It was interesting to read how the first humans came to Alaska and settled the islands and coast lines. Then the Athapascans, Tlingits and later the Eskimo followed on and took up their own respective areas. He explains what life was like in those early days. Then he quickly comes to the white man’s foray (Russian) into this vast wilderness. The story then continues to the modern era. Sale of Alaska to the U.S., two gold rushes, salmon fisheries, Japanese invasion, statehood and on and on it goes.
This book took me four months to get through. There came points where it was just a tiring read. Eventually I read the book only during those late night episodes of sleeplessness or doctor’s visits. Ha! My wife started the book before me, she is a faster reader, but still hasn’t finished the book. She stalled about 800 pages into the book. She is currently devouring other books and reader’s digest condensed stories. I enjoyed the story but like the Lord of the Rings trilogy it needs to be broken up and read at different times. This book in one straight read is just way too long. It seems to me to be one of his longest.
About his method. One giant story filled with smaller stories for each era covered. Most of the characters are fictional and are simply a representation of the types of people in the circumstances you could have come across if you were there. The story ends rather abrutly sometime in the late 1980’s.
If you are not much of a reader you should avoid this book. If you like historical fiction and don’t mind stretching your reading over a couple of months you will enjoy this book.
A tempting read … but would I make it through?
Can’t know right now. Too many other books on the “to-read” pile.
That does sound like an interesting read Joe. My wife has so many books she wants me to read I figure by time I’m finished them all I should be about ready to retire…in about 35 40 years!
I don’t know Dm… It sure felt like I was reading it for about 35-40 years. Sometimes I envy the person who could sit down and read at 2000 words/minute. Then again, if you take a cost over time evaluation it was a good deal at just pennies/hour.
Patti, I know what you mean. Sometimes it takes so long to get to the other books I forget I have them and buy another copy. Sigh! Ha! Even Linda picked up a book by J.R. Tolkien for me. And it too was a second copy of a book she bought me in December.
So after reading Alaska I’m a bit gun shy. The next book I read needs to be light and a quick read. Hmmm… Maybe “War and Peace” hahaha.
“War and Peace” – Tolstoy, right?
Haven’t read it.
I’m a Dostoevsky fan, though!
Oh, I did read Anna Karenina once – that’s Tolstoy. Didn’t really care for it.
One of the guys who used to work shifts for me was a big reader. He would show up for his 12 hour night shift with a huge Michener book under his arm, wade through it in no time flat, then try & tell me how hard he worked and that we expected too much from him.
Too long for me. It would be quicker to get on a plane and go visit Alaska than read that book. I think that’s what I will do………..some day. Salmon fishing!
Tolstoy’s War and Peace… the abridged version… aka reader’s digest condensed books… runs well over a thousand pages. The full length version is huge. I read the abridged version and enjoyed it. Better than Mitchener. Haven’t read Anna Karenina but heard of it as a possible read.
Where did I do most of my reading. At work when on the midnight security watch. It was a hard job but someone had to do it.
Salmon fishing 😉
Maybe they have an audio version I could use while driving my bus!
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