Customer Reviews (2)

Dave's Review
Typical James Michener novel.Great historical novel of the Chesapeake East-Bay area of Maryland from the time before we were a nation to the mid-70s.Kind of a sad ending.

Michener
I loved this book.What a great introduction to James Michener.I just started to read Caribbean and if it is almost as good I will be one happy reader. ... Read more

Product Description
First edition collectible book.This book is in great condition.There is some smudges on the dust cover. The pages and binding are in tact. Shop from thousands of books in our Amazon store. St. Vincent DePaul is a non-profit charity that has a mission to help any person in need. The funds we receive are used exclusively to further this mission. The society of St. Vincent DePaul has been offering aid to those in need for 176 years, and was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Award. The total amount of assistance provided in our area in 2007 is $659,689. We have served 64541 people in Snohomish county alone in 2009. We offer the best in customer service and back every sale with that promise! Please help support our efforts with your purchase. We have sold and shipped several hundred books and always take care of our customers. Our objective is to ship fast and satisfy every customer who visits our store. Please help us establish a reputation that assures others of our guarantee of satisfaction. If you have a title for which you have been looking, email us with the request and we will get back to you. Thank You! ... Read more

Product Description
The best-selling novelist recounts the genesis, development, abandonment, and resurrection thirty years later of his novel, Mexico, in a book that includes a previously unpublished novella, The Texas Girls. Reprint. NYT. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

MY LOST MEXICO, Michener's Separate Book [Sharlet Liebel Reviewed]
MY LOST MEXICO, James A. Michener [Sharlet Liebel Reviewed]-[ASIN:0812534379 My Lost Mexico]

James A. Michener published his separate book-length guide to the novel MEXICO in the commentary MY LOST MEXICO. In his own Voice and Pen, he TEACHES the Art of Writing. I am reading it for the first time. He says he wrote 10 Chapters of MEXICO, with history & photos of his characters, became disillusioned, boxed it, and resurrected it 30 years later.

He shares his chapter outlines and the psychological world that controls the writer. I am out-of-my-mind thankful to have found this magnificent work of historical significance and inspiration. OMG !!! aka ~Sharliebel

"My Lost Mexico" should have stayed lost
This is one of the most-tedious, boring books I've ever tried to read.I love Michener's books, but this one, about the writing of "Mexico" is boring to the extreme.I don't think I'll finish it.

A Worthwhile Read
An interesting account detailing how Michener began the novel, 'Mexico,' abandoned the manuscript for 30 years, then came back to complete what became an international bestseller in 1992-93.

Ironically, though I admire Michener as one of Pennsylvania's stellar writers and have read much of his work and love Mexico, its history and culture, I've never read this particular novel. I can't really say why I've neglected this particular book, but I now will have to read it.

The interesting part ofthis book is how it provides insight into Michener's writing process. He was a prodigious researcher and a hard worker. He often spent 12-15 hours a day at his typewriter. He was a genius at plot construction. Yet his lengthy, complex novels came together on the barest of outlines. The examples he gives of his outlining in this book show that the term to him might be as simple as a single word defining the 'outline' of a chapter. Other elements he refers to as 'outlining' include drawings and photographs which he used to focus his imagination.

Since I haven't yet read `Mexico' I can't comment on the changes he mentions and his reasons for them. Other than the memoir, `The World is My Home,' this is one of the few opportunities to gain insight on Michener's creative process and I found it an interesting and worthwhile read.

good read
not our typical Michener book, it is more the making of a Michener book, in this case the making of Mexico, and how he overcame a 30 year writers cramp to do this, well worth the read to any fan of his Mexico novel or to aspiring writers, not for a casual read otherwise.

Good Text on the Writing Process
For fans of Michener's book, "Mexico", this is an excellent little companion book to read the behind the scenes, "Making of" book.Lots of photographs, drawings, and copies of hand-written notes,tell the tale of the tale.Very interesting to see how even such aprolific author as Michener struggled to complete his novel of Mexico. ... Read more

Product Description
"In Matecumbe, written at the height of his career, Michener returned to the shorter form of his earlier novels to explore tangled human relationships. Matecumbe is a counterpoint to his epic novels and should serve to remind readers of Michener's extensive talents."--Stephen J. May, author of Michener: A Writer's Journey

Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener was in his sixties when he began traveling frequently to the Florida Keys. One result of those visits was the novel Matecumbe, named after two of the islands that comprise the town of Islamorada, located approximately half way between Miami and Key West.

Never before published, Matecumbe features many of the hallmarks of Michener's best work, including detailed descriptions of place. However, the plot is much more intimate than that found in most of his large-scale, epic historical novels. Focusing on the parallel lives of a woman and her mother, both divorced, Michener spent his creative energy on character development and allegorical storytelling. Random House, his publisher, wasn't pleased, and wanted the mega-best-selling author to concentrate on producing "heavyweight" books like Hawaii and Centennial. Matecumbe seemed too much in the vein of his earlier romance novel, Sayonara. So it sat in a drawer until, eventually, Michener gifted it--including the copyright--to Joe Avenick, his friend and former ghostwriter. Avenick played a key role in the research and writing of Sports in America and Chesapeake, and introduced Michener to Melissa (Missy) DeMaio, who soon became the primary reason for Michener's increasingly frequent visits to the Keys.

Biographers and critics have long agreed that Michener's personality and his characters were both affected by his relationship with DeMaio. As perhaps his most encompassing autobiographical novel, and the one written in the midst of these changes, Matecumbe provides what may be tantalizing glimpses into Michener's life.

The publication of Matecumbe, in the centennial year of the author's birth, will be a boon for fans who have longed for more Michener in the ten years since his death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

no stars wasn't an option so I gave it one
I am a Michener fan from Florida so I was excited to stumble across this title. Unfortunately I did not read reviews first. I really can't believe that this book is by Michener. It is like a poor attempt at a Harlequin Romance novel, which would have been rejected by even the lowliest of publishers. It is a shame that it was published and now muddies Michener's literary reputation. It must be some kind of mistake, I keep thinking. So, very, very bad.I mean, really, unbelievably bad. Disturbingly bad.

great book!
I loved this book, transformed me to a place that I have never been.Allowed me to see the power of people and relationships.I feel that I knew the people in the story!

Matecumbe
For those who are expecting a Michener masterpiece, this is a disappointing piece of fiction. The plot may have some parallels to the events of his personal life as stated in the afterword but this is where the value to the avid Michener reader ends. I received the book in the mail and sat down to it with great expectations. Finished it up the same night just to get over with it. I woud recommend it only to those who are interested in the genre of "Barbara Cartland" romance novels.

Latest Amazon transaction
The book arrived in a good and timely manner.

However, I was disappointed that my $5. Harry Potter purchase credit was not used during this transaction.The credit has now expired, so it was just wasted.Your site should link such credits to purchases transactions. ... Read more

Product Description
Young Francis Hanrahan dreams desperately of a life different from that of his country-born, suburban-living parents. On his first day at his first job Francis makes his first real friend. Shay, a would-be older brother, introduces "Hano" to Dublin's appealingly seedy after-hours bars and drug-fueled parties. They are joined by Cait, a troubled teenager who spends her days in a stupor. But the noir thrills of underground Dublin cannot conceal the unemployment, corruption, and violence strangling the city. The Plunkett brothers, masters of "the subtle everyday corruption on which a dynasty was built" will use the friends--with tragic results.Torn between his friends, his family, and his own ideals, Hano ultimately falls victim to these powerful forces and commits a heinous crime. He flees through the countryside with Cait, wondering, as he narrates the events that set him on this path, if there is a home at the end of it. Controversial for its gritty portrait of Dublin in the 1980s, The Journey Home is Dermot Bolger's unflinching look at the personal cost of social progress, and those, innocent or not, lost during the journey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent.
The book itself was in great condition and arrived very quickly. I still haven't been able to get into the heart of it, as I have heard too many sad stories in my life, and this sounds like a thoroughly, if not relentlessly sad book.

Well worth the time
Gritty, tough and rough.It may take a while to get in the saddle, but once you're there, you don't give up until you have taken the entire ride with these unforgettable characters.Not everyone will appreciate the reality expressed --- the corruption of the young country is revealed in a stark portrayal.But, it's a fine read, and the images don't fade fast from your memory.It reminds us of the struggle to be born...and to morph into something finer.We are left waiting for the next chapter.

Like slogging through a bog at times but worthy...
The story is set in Dublin during its dark days in the 1980's (high unemployment, high crime, mass exodus, etc). There are three main characters in the story: Francis Hanrahan ("Hano" or "Francy"), Seamus ("Shay") and Cait ("Katie"). Hano, 19 years old, is befriended by Shay at his first job.Shay is 21 - he is fearless, confident and popular - he shows Hano the way about the office and town.Hano looks up to Shay as he would an older brother and best friend.Katie, 16, a troubled teenager who lost her parents - and is a drug addict - also comes under Shay's spell and is a key player in the story line.

I wish someone had explained to me upfront that the story is told from 3 different vantage points:

1) Hano and Katie on the Run:Shay is dead.Hano and Katie are on the run from the authorities (and the mob?) through Ireland after Hano commits a serious crime. Story is told in the third person.

2) Shay's ghost speaking to Katie (this is all in italics)

3) Hano speaks of his life and his relationship with his family, Shay and Katie.

The story starts in the middle and zig zags backward and forward (without much notice) between the three story lines.The third track (Hano speaking of his life) is by far the most engaging.I found the other story lines in track 1 and 2 to bring environmental context to the plot but add murkiness and confusion.(Track 3 was that good and outweighed rather sluggish Tracks 1 and 2.)

You are "treated" to a visually depicted dark side of humanity in this novel - including but not limited to: heavy drinking, bare knuckled fist fights for sport with unwilling participants, drug fueled parties, human degradation, poverty, physical and sexual violence, corruption by police and politicians, and the fruits of high employment - all painting a picture of desperation/suffocation and frightening hopelessness.

Yet, while everyone is looking to flee Dublin, they can't seem to leave it behind -- as the promised land in Europe and/or America leaves them feeling empty and yearning for the homeland (and what "it was" as opposed to "what it has become").As Bolger writes: "Home was not the place where you were born but the place you created for yourself, where you did not need to explain, where you finally became what you were."

This book will likely not appeal to the casual reader looking for a light and breezy page turner - this is another book assigned to you by your college professor in your "Advanced Literature" class......deep, introspective, beautifully written and reflecting the environment of the times.

My ratings scheme with 10 being high grade:

Page Turner: 6.5 (Dense, thick, dark and gloomy)
Memorable: 10
Character Development:8
Live the Story: 9
Flow / Easy to Follow:4

The Journey Home
Surprising that there's not a review of this book, which was, only a few weeks ago, featured on the cover of the Times Book Review. Deservedly so, in my opinion. Mr. Bolger, of whom I wasn't familiar, can write as well as John Banville, though with less flamboyance. This novel, also published by the University of Texas press, is a gritty look at life in Ireland as seen through the eyes of a young man. A glimpse of the end is shown on the first page; flashbacks are skillfully woven throughout. Hano, we eventually learn, is abused by an older man. He later loses his best friend. A thriller of sorts, since murder is involved. Darkly sad most of the time, but also intensely vivid in its descriptions of people and places, the part of Ireland tourist rarely see. Well worth reading.

Good, but don't believe the critics
Bolger writes well.Sometimes he writes too well.Take the very first paragraph of the book and you'll come across not one but two strong, beautiful metaphors.Only they demand to be read twice, so you read them twice, then wonder at their proximity and then worry that things are going to be moving rather slowly.On the whole, they don't.Part of the book is about a couple on the run from an unnamed crime, part a poetic confession from beyond the grave and part an account of how it all came about.Of the three separate tales, only the latter is truly riveting.The description of Hano and Shay's friendship is spot-on, revelling in its aimlessness, energy and displacement.Dublin comes alive and seems at odds with the other parts of Ireland that Bolger displays.It's Ireland on the move, only its inhabitants haven't figured out where yet.The Old Ireland, the green sod, is gone.The Celtic Tiger hasn't yet arrived and that's what makes this novel, written in 1990, amazingly prescient.Its only weakness comes from the dialogue placed in the mouth of sixteen year old Katie, who never rises above being a two dimensional mouthpiece for the author.She stops in the middle of her escape, again and again, to deliver thoughtful, wordy descriptions of her place, or lack thereof, in the world.There's much to be impressed with and 'THe Journey Home' is worth the read, but this is a book with a distracting streak of purple prose and a single character bent on undermining the solidity of those who share the page. ... Read more

Product Description
Readers will be charmed by Michener's often poignant retrospectives of a writer who has had a long and sucessful writing career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Awesome
This was a gift for my father.He told me the book had never been opened.He was very pleased with the item!

WOW!
As an English student, I've come to appreciate the level to which Michener can analyze a work.He can draw meaning and nuance from seemingly dry prose.Micherer's 70-year career has left him well-armed to analyze anddefend any topic.His reflections on the literary giants of our time comefrom a giant themselves, thus giving us a new perspective on otherwiseexhausted topics.Excellent! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great history lesson
Since I was going on an Alaskan cruise in late summer, I wanted some background about this 49th state.I remembered that Michener had written a book about Alaska and wanted to read it.My trip was very much enhanced by the information provided in the book.I believe I enjoyed the trip a little more because of prior knowledge of what had taken place over the years.I am not daunted by a long book if it is able to hold my interest.This was, I felt, a great way to be introduced to the state.Great characters, settings, etc.I feel Michener really did his homework.I purchased this book for a fellow traveler who wanted to read it after the cruise.

Clean and Wonderful Books
This vendor had an excellent copy of Alaska that is no longer in print.My son-in-law was pleased with his bd gift. ... Read more