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Janie's Reviews > Centennial
Centennial
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Wow! I'm not a fast reader, and have only read this before bed and during a few afternoon breaks, but after 8 weeks, this 1068 page, densely worded tome is conquered!! And what a story!
I'm convinced Michener could write about paint drying and make it interesting. I love how he draws the reader into the characters (and there are many) so that when the character moves out of the story, you miss them.
I started this only because my sister and I had a two-week Road Scholar tour of Colorado's national parks scheduled for June, and this was homework. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise since I have usually shied away from books about the West. But I'm so glad I read this even though our trip was cancelled due to our current state of affairs.
My two favorite characters who I loved were Levi Zendt and Jim Lloyd.
This makes my fourth Michener completed and five more to go on my shelf.
Out of many, many page flags I marked passages with, here are a few quotes / interesting info in Centennial:
"Any segment of land . . . can be interesting of itself, but its greater significance must always lie in the life it sustains."
"The control of any string of cattle lay with the left point, for when cattle stampede, in the northern hemisphere at least, they almost invariably veer clockwise."
"The relationship of a man to his land is never easy. It is perhaps the noblest relationship in the world, after the family, and certainly the most rewarding."
"The abuses stemmed from the fact that the owners of the railroads never saw themselves as servants to an expanding nation; they were men trying to squeeze the last penny of profit from a good thing, and to accomplish this, they subverted legislatures, perverted economic law and persecuted anyone who tried to hold them to a more honest discharge of their duties."
“The earth is something you protect every day of the year. A river is something you defend every inch of its course.”
"You preserve nothing without encountering some disadvantages. If we keep this [prairie] dog town, horses will break their legs and rattlers will come back. But in the large picture, things balance out, as they did two thousand years ago. The trick is to preserve the balance and pay whatever price it costs."
I'm convinced Michener could write about paint drying and make it interesting. I love how he draws the reader into the characters (and there are many) so that when the character moves out of the story, you miss them.
I started this only because my sister and I had a two-week Road Scholar tour of Colorado's national parks scheduled for June, and this was homework. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise since I have usually shied away from books about the West. But I'm so glad I read this even though our trip was cancelled due to our current state of affairs.
My two favorite characters who I loved were Levi Zendt and Jim Lloyd.
This makes my fourth Michener completed and five more to go on my shelf.
Out of many, many page flags I marked passages with, here are a few quotes / interesting info in Centennial:
"Any segment of land . . . can be interesting of itself, but its greater significance must always lie in the life it sustains."
"The control of any string of cattle lay with the left point, for when cattle stampede, in the northern hemisphere at least, they almost invariably veer clockwise."
"The relationship of a man to his land is never easy. It is perhaps the noblest relationship in the world, after the family, and certainly the most rewarding."
"The abuses stemmed from the fact that the owners of the railroads never saw themselves as servants to an expanding nation; they were men trying to squeeze the last penny of profit from a good thing, and to accomplish this, they subverted legislatures, perverted economic law and persecuted anyone who tried to hold them to a more honest discharge of their duties."
“The earth is something you protect every day of the year. A river is something you defend every inch of its course.”
"You preserve nothing without encountering some disadvantages. If we keep this [prairie] dog town, horses will break their legs and rattlers will come back. But in the large picture, things balance out, as they did two thousand years ago. The trick is to preserve the balance and pay whatever price it costs."
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Quotes Janie Liked
“Any segment of land . . . can be interesting of itself, but its greater significance must always lie in the life it sustains.”
― Centennial
― Centennial
“The relationship of a man to his land is never easy. It is perhaps the noblest relationship in the world, after the family, and certainly the most rewarding.”
― Centennial
― Centennial
“The abuses stemmed from the fact that the owners of the railroads never saw themselves as servants to an expanding nation; they were men trying to squeeze the last penny of profit from a good thing, and to accomplish this, they subverted legislatures, perverted economic law and persecuted anyone who tried to hold them to a more honest discharge of their duties.”
― Centennial
― Centennial
“You preserve nothing without encountering some disadvantages. If we keep this [prairie] dog town, horses will break their legs and rattlers will come back. But in the large picture, things balance out, as they did two thousand years ago. The trick is to preserve the balance and pay whatever price it costs.”
― Centennial
― Centennial
Reading Progress
April 2, 2020
–
Started Reading
April 2, 2020
– Shelved
May 29, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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CindySR
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May 29, 2020 07:36PM
I've only seen the mini series back in the 70s and am still in love with Pasquinel. :D
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I have only read Chesapeake by this author--- I think all of his books are long! But you don't notice the length when you are so absorbed. He is a masterful storyteller, for sure.
