This is an extremely challenging book to assign a star rating. James Michener was indeed an outstanding author, and each of his works was highly readable and captivating. This holds true even for this novel, which is his longest (comprising 1,096 pages in the hardcover edition). However, I have the sense that this book falls somewhat short in terms of its artistic effect. There are numerous aspects of Texas that I could discuss, and I took a great many notes while reading it, but I will attempt to keep this concise.

The most significant issue with "Texas" is that Texas (the state itself, which essentially serves as the protagonist of this novel) is presented in a rather unflattering light. The novel, "Texas," is generally sympathetic to the story of the state, but Michener either lacks the ability or the willingness to downplay or sugarcoat the more negative aspects of the state to a sufficient degree to make the story appealing to those who are not already emotionally attached to the state. Moreover, the parts where he does attempt to present things in a more favorable light for Texas often come across as uncomfortable and ineffective.

To begin with the latter point: the Spanish and then Mexican governments are depicted as uniformly corrupt and incapable of effectively governing Mexico, let alone Texas, in an effort to make the Texas Revolution and then the Mexican-American War seem more justifiable. Even worse, Native Americans are portrayed almost uniformly as violent and barbaric, and completely opposed to diplomacy or civilization. There are a few Mexican (and Hispanic Texan) characters, but they are curiously underdeveloped, despite the fact that several of them likely have stories that are more interesting than those of some of the protagonists in the book. There is only one Native character who receives any real development at all, and he is portrayed as cruel and exploitative, trapped in his futile attempt to preserve his barbarous way of life.

The successive protagonists of the book, spanning from 1540 until 1985, are not really much better. They are portrayed sympathetically, but it becomes a problem when even the most sympathetically depicted characters are violent individuals who murder strangers in cold blood, or are members of the KKK, or who murder countless innocent Mexican civilians, or are greedy real estate speculators. No matter how sympathetic the characters are shown to be, it is impossible, at least for me, to truly embrace and identify with the experiences of these people, given the profound ugliness of their souls. As in other Michener epics, the characters who are the best often die abruptly and ignominiously, while the wicked or unscrupulous thrive. However, it is a problem when my reaction to the sudden and shocking deaths of the "good" characters is one of relief, because they are not that much better than the "bad" ones.

Texas itself, as the real main character of the book, is deeply unappealing. Every state in the USA has sordid aspects to its history that cannot be honestly ignored, but reading this book gives one the inescapable feeling that Texas is the most sordid of all - that Texas is a vile edifice built on a foundation of, and lastingly shaped by, genocide, racism, slavery, injustice, and violence. Furthermore, Texans as a people are characterized as being dim, petty, hypocritical, short-sighted, reactionary, anti-intellectual, greedy, and parochial.

The latter is not (uniformly) true in real life, of course, but it is the impression one gets from this novel, given the repeated (three or four times over, depending on how you count) cycle that the novel depicts: well-meaning white people emigrate to Texas; they work hard and try to be decent; they are succeeded by their children, who become hateful monsters. One must conclude that Texas itself exerts a powerful and malign influence on those who grow up there, turning them into the worst possible versions of themselves.

Jubal and Mattie Quimper immigrate to Stephen Austin's colony from Tennessee and establish an honest business, a ferry and inn. They are succeeded by their son Yancey, who is a coward filled with genocidal hatred for natives, a chickenhawk who aggressively pushes for Texas to secede from the Union and then murders innocent Texan civilians who disagree, and a grasping conman who cheats a veteran out of his lucrative business and makes a fortune from it.

Finlay Macnab immigrates to Texas from Scotland, via Ireland and Baltimore. He (bigamously) marries a Mexican woman to secure land in Mexican Texas, then dies in the Revolution. His son Otto becomes a Texas Ranger consumed with race-hatred for Mexicans, and who extrajudicially murders dozens of Mexican civilians in the disputed Nueces Strip.

Earnshaw Rusk is a Quaker from Pennsylvania who attempts to make peace with the Indians. He is cruelly disillusioned by the natives' cruelty and lies, and marries a much-abused white woman who had been kidnapped, mutilated, and serially raped by the Indians he tried to pacify. They make an honest living ranching. Their son, Floyd, is another paranoid coward of a man, who as a teen murders two men in cold blood in a confused Oedipal rage. Later, he founds a chapter of the KKK and drives all black people, all Jewish people, and many Catholics out of the town his parents founded. Then he gets rich from oil and cons his neighbors to secure even more oil, and uses his oil wealth to sponsor massive cheating by the local high school football team, because having the winning high school football team is a cause that induces religious mania in Texans, I suppose.

After all this, there are a few small seeds of hope in the last chapter, showing, in the descendants of these family lines, awakening social consciences and appreciations of art and nature. But that is 1,000 pages in. The novel ends with the latest Rusk, with encouragement from the latest Quimper, appointing the latest Macnab (his son-in-law) as the director of a museum of sports art he is founding (after "comically" calling up Tom Landry to ensure Macnab is not gay). But that is after nearly 1,100 pages of the unrelenting awfulness of these characters and their ancestors, and it is far too little, far too late.

I liked the book overall. Michener truly has an incredible skill when it comes to narrative.

Unfortunately, the epic scope of the novel comes at the expense of character development. The people populating Texas never transcend basic sketches. As a result, the reader ends up running out of steam near the end. There's just not enough invested.

Part of the problem is that Michener loves his details. Not details of description, but the minutiae of plot points, like the exact cost of every item that is bought and sold. It grows wearying.

However, this can be excused. The story is still skillfully constructed. I came away with a better appreciation of Texas and its colourful past. The way Michener weaves together the history and events of Texas is quite remarkable. Despite the drawbacks in character development and the excessive details, the overall narrative manages to engage and educate. It gives the reader a sense of the rich tapestry that is Texas.

Perhaps with a bit more focus on fleshing out the characters, the book could have been even more outstanding. But as it stands, it is still a worthy read for those interested in the history and culture of Texas.

Texas is an epic novel that weaves the lives of families in Texas together over several centuries.

Sometimes, it reads as non-fiction, captivating readers with its detailed and vivid portrayal of the state's history.

Just like most of Michener's works, this book is exceedingly long. However, this length is not a drawback at all.

It allows for a comprehensive exploration of different storylines, each with its own charm and interest.

Some storylines may be more engaging than others, but they all constantly intersect in various ways, creating a rich and complex tapestry of Texas life.

The only negative aspect I could observe is that the book ends in 1985, the year it was published.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Texas history and who has the time and patience to immerse themselves in a long and rewarding read.

It offers a unique and fascinating perspective on the people, events, and cultures that have shaped Texas over the years.

This was a LONG'un! Thankfully, I chose the Kindle edition, so I wasn't carrying around 10lbs of book.

I truly enjoyed the majority of this book. The story was engaging and filled with interesting details. However, I didn't particularly care for the Task Force interludes between chapters. They seemed a bit out of place and disrupted the flow of the main narrative for me. Also, I felt that the last chapter ran a little long. It could have been more concise and to the point.

Nevertheless, I think I enjoyed reading Centennial a bit better than Texas. But this was still a great read regardless. After reading this book, one really gets a good sense of Texas character (assuming the representation is accurate). It did the job it set out to do. It satisfied my "his-fic fix" with plenty of 1800s western migration, money-hungry bastards, southern aggression, Indian fights, horrendous tortures, shootings, burnings, and War. There was so much to offer, which is why I love books like these. They transport me to a different time and place and allow me to experience history in a vivid and exciting way.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and wants to learn more about the history and character of Texas.

Once more, it is a narrative of men (primarily)展现出他们最英勇、坚韧和创新的一面，同时也展现出他们最卑鄙、不合理、贪婪和自私以及（残酷地）不容忍的一面，因为它呈现了如今德克萨斯州广泛的历史画卷……特别工作组的框架装置再次体现了米切纳先生最具灵感的一面，并且为孤星州历代的故事创造了一个可行的视角——从最初的西班牙定居点、美国人的到来、战争与独立、内战以及之后动荡的遗产——三K党、石油发现等等。一方面，它让你对冷酷无情地漠视人类生命和充满活力的差异以及商业道德的缺失感到厌恶，但另一方面，那些超凡脱俗的人物和活动又让人产生某种敬畏之情。人物形象再次像往常一样被刻画得非常好，历史人物的出现也被无缝地编织进去——尤其是山姆·休斯顿，还有尤利西斯·格兰特的客串……

This is the book of the year for me so far. It is such a well-researched and entertaining historical fiction novel.

I have been engrossed in this book for a very long time. Indeed, it holds the distinction of being the largest book I've read this year. The history of Texas is vividly told through the eyes of generations of fictional characters, spanning from the 16th century to the late 1900s.

One can only begin to fathom the scope of this literary juggernaut. Reading it feels like embarking on a time-traveling adventure, journeying back in time and then returning to 2021. You encounter hundreds of fascinating characters along the way. Among them are Native Americans, Texas Rangers, Oilmen, Ranchers, Mexicans, Football players, and many more.

This is the 5th James Michener book that I've had the pleasure of giving a 5-star rating. This Pulitzer Prize-winning author has yet to disappoint me. Michener was known for taking about 5-10 years to pen a novel and for reading approximately 200 books for each one he wrote. He is truly a legend in the literary world.

Texas is a unique state in the US, with a distinct personality all its own. This novel contains all the information one needs to learn about the state and its rich history. Moreover, it presents an unbiased record. Michener doesn't take sides; he simply tells the story and allows the readers to decide where and with whom they want to stand.

This is a photo of the illustrated hardcover edition of Texas. It truly looks magnificent. Just imagine having a 1000+ page book adorned with illustrations.

I really liked the way Michener structured this book.

A modern-day task force was established specifically to document the history of Texas.

Each member of this task force was an expert in a particular aspect of the state's history.

The stories they shared were truly captivating.

Michener's approach added a unique and engaging element to the telling of Texas' history.

It allowed for a comprehensive and multi-faceted view of the state's past.

The reader gets to explore different eras and events through the eyes of these knowledgeable individuals.

The tales are not only informative but also entertaining, making it a pleasure to read.

Overall, Michener's use of the task force concept was a brilliant way to present the history of Texas.

At 1400 pages, this book took me quite a while to finish.

In fact, I would often pause and pick up another book. The pausing wasn't because it wasn't interesting. Instead, the lengthy chapters, most of which were over 100 pages long, presented a natural breaking point.

It became very clear that Michener was deeply in love with Texas. With a history spanning over five hundred years, the main characters had to change, so he had the descendants play a role as the time periods changed.

While I really enjoyed reading Texas, I was disappointed to discover that Michener revealed his political philosophy towards the end. It's not a spoiler as it doesn't affect the story. But frankly, his idea that a certain rich elite should control the country seemed to me to verge on fascism.

This revelation made me view the book in a slightly different light. However, overall, the book was still a captivating read, filled with rich historical details and engaging characters.

Despite the disappointment with the political philosophy, I would still recommend Texas to anyone interested in history and a good story.

I truly relished the state of 'Hawaii'.

It is a place where beautiful beaches stretch as far as the eye can see, parks are abundant, flowers bloom in a riot of colors, and green hills dot the landscape everywhere.

However, my feelings towards the state of 'Texas' were quite different.

The beaches there don't really make the cut in my opinion as they are only gulf beaches. Moreover, it is relatively flat and brown all over.

And just as art often imitates life, my perspective on the books was similar.

I am well aware that many people have a deep affection for the state of Texas, especially those who were born there.

It's simply that when I head to the beach, I prefer to see beautiful, turquoise water and I have a penchant for a landscape filled with lush greenery everywhere.

This contrast in my experiences and preferences between the two states has had an impact on my perception of various things, including literature.

It shows how our surroundings and personal tastes can shape our views and interpretations.

Finished!

This is truly well worth the time it takes to read it.

I have an especially deep affection for reading about so many places that I recognise.

It's like taking a journey through familiar landscapes and memories.

However, I do think there was one huge omission.

There should have been a chapter dedicated to the space program.

The exploration of space is such a fascinating and important topic.

It represents the cutting edge of human knowledge and ambition.

Despite this omission, the book is still a great read.

It offers a wealth of interesting information and engaging stories.

I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.

Overall, it's a valuable addition to any bookshelf.

I have a deep affection for James Michener. In fact, I can truthfully state that I have loved him for a considerable number of years. Interestingly, "Texas" was the very first book that I read by this renowned author. However, upon delving into it, I came to a rather startling realization. I had to admit that perhaps I only loved J.A.M for his financial success.

Alas! The book itself was truly awful. Its sheer mass or volume was even more appalling. Michener had so much potential with the story, yet he seemed to have done so little with it. He could have crafted a more engaging and profound narrative with far less effort. Oh well, despite its shortcomings, I still loved the book in a strange way. This was because its popularity and success made the author a great deal of money. And that, in turn, enabled me to fulfill my dream of having a beautiful garden in Austin.

So, in a roundabout way, my love for Michener and his works, even the less-than-perfect ones, has had a positive impact on my life.

I have a great passion for reading his books. The stories and ideas he presents always manage to capture my imagination and keep me engaged from start to finish.

However, as I delved deeper into his works that touched on Texas' history, I found myself confronted with its rather tumultuous past. The accounts of numerous wars and the prevalence of corruptions were quite overwhelming at times.

But despite the challenges that this aspect of the narrative presented, I was determined to finish the book. And I am truly glad that I persevered. Through it all, I not only gained a better understanding of Texas' history but also a newfound appreciation for the author's ability to bring such complex and often difficult topics to life.

Now, whenever I pick up one of his books, I approach it with a sense of anticipation, knowing that I am in for a journey that will both educate and entertain me.