A work of historical fiction, Mr. Michener masterfully combines meticulously well-researched facts with highly believable fiction to introduce his readers to the comprehensive history of the entire Caribbean islands.

Each chapter within this novel functions as a mini-saga, and remarkably, characters or their descendants often make appearances in other chapters, creating an interconnected web of stories. The framework of this novel is truly an interesting one, and for the most part, it functions extremely well.

However, I found the first half of the book to be significantly more interesting than the second half. Perhaps it was because I was more fascinated by the earlier history, or maybe I had simply grown weary of the formula as the book progressed. Nevertheless, this is the chief reason for deducting a star from the rating of this otherwise memorable book.

One interesting aspect that I don't recall from Mr. Michener's other novels is the substantial amount of death. Virtually every chapter concludes with the passing of a key person. Yet, despite these numerous deaths, the book does not adopt a somber tone. As is typical with Mr. Michener, this book is a well-told story, featuring well-developed characters who follow well-researched plots, and it is most definitely well worth reading.

Surprisingly, this book is extremely good to read when preparing for a visit to the Caribbean.

It has been immensely helpful in enabling me to understand a great deal of the region's history. I now have a much better understanding of where the various islands are located and how they are related to one another.

The book even provides useful background information for understanding some of the politics of the region, even in the present day.

I have indeed learned numerous new things. There are some fun and interesting topics, such as the ubiquitous sugar industry, which still exists today, even in South Florida.

However, there are also some not so pleasant topics, like the slave trade and how every nation was involved in it, including some African tribes or nations. It was truly horrible to read and contemplate, and in many ways, it was completely new to me, which is sad to admit. I was shocked and chastened by what I read.

The stories will stay with me for a very long time.

Despite these discomforts, I still love Michener's easy-to-digest history (along with geography and some politics!). As I am not very proficient in reading true historical (i.e., non-fiction) works, having the various characters and historical events presented in a mostly fact-based fictional context is just what I like.

As I was telling a friend, one can pick and choose chapters if you only want to gain some understanding of particular islands before visiting the area. However, to get a good overall understanding of the region's cultural formations, I think it is best to read the entire book.

I found the comparisons and contrasts of the nations of England, France, Spain, and Holland and their individual influences on the island nations to be fascinating and very enlightening. It gives me more of an insight into some of the reasons why a country like Haiti turned out so differently from the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with it.

Michener ties it all together with his completely fictional island of All Saints, which he uses to showcase his views on what the Caribbean islands could be like and his attempts to unify a very diverse collection of places.

The book is long and at times overly verbose. However, I would still highly recommend it as an informative backdrop for a cruise or other travel to the Caribbean. You can skim parts as needed and even skip some chapters if you wish.

Just be warned that there are many parts that are very difficult to read as the horrific treatment of the enslaved peoples is described in great detail.

If you have the time and attention span, it is well worth reading the entire book. It is a great one.

(I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars due to its length and at times, the run-on descriptions that can be overwhelming.)

I chose this book for two main reasons. Firstly, I have always been a big fan of Michener's previous works. His writing style and the way he weaves together historical events and fictional characters have always intrigued me. Secondly, we were planning a visit to Saint Thomas. I thought that reading this book would give me a better understanding of the history and culture of the area.

The book was indeed like a history class. It was filled with an abundance of information, some of which was a bit dull, but the majority of it was truly fascinating. The chapters were not really interconnected until the very last one. Instead, they were individual stories of characters, some of whom were real and some fictional, from different regions of the Caribbean and different time periods. Some of these stories had references to previous chapters, which added an interesting layer of depth to the overall narrative.

I have to admit that this is not a book that can be read in one sitting. In fact, it is very easy to put it down and then pick it up again at a later time, as I did. However, despite the fact that it took me a while to finish, I still learned a great deal from it. It has given me a new appreciation for the history and culture of the Caribbean, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject.

James Michener is truly one of my all-time favorite authors.

Through his works, I have been able to gain a profound understanding of the Caribbean and its rich and complex history.

It is not simply about the idyllic sandy beaches and swaying palm trees that we often associate with the region.

Instead, it delves deep into the darker aspects such as slavery, piracy, and the intense power struggles between the European nations.

This particular book takes the reader on a captivating journey from Cuba to Barbados, then to Panama and the Yucatan.

It explores various aspects like the rum trade and sugar trade, and introduces us to fascinating cultures such as the Rastafarians and Hindus.

There are so many things that I never knew before reading this book, and it has truly opened my eyes to the hidden stories and histories of the Caribbean.

I am constantly amazed by Michener's ability to bring these places and events to life, making his books a must-read for anyone interested in history and culture.

2.5 stars.

The picture Michener presents of the Caribbean is truly a macabre canvas.

You will encounter very little of what tourists experience in the jeweled Sea. The Caribbean was and still is a sordid and violent place.

There are some small threads that allow one to somewhat follow a few genealogies, but mostly each chapter is a standalone snapshot of the islands' history. Michener does island hop, so you do get to learn about each island's past. Michener refers to "Caribbean" as a narrative, and indeed it is.

I think I completed this saga out of spite. Several times I was on the verge of stopping reading, but finally the human slaughter ceased long enough for me to heave a sigh of relief.

Certainly, you will discover things about Columbus that you wish you had never known, but it pertains to the time frame that commences Michener's history. First, there is a chapter on an island's savagery, which sets the tone for the entire novel. The tale concludes in the late 1980s.

Good luck persevering with this. It makes the Middle Ages of England and Europe seem tame by comparison.

James Michener was an extraordinary author who had a remarkable habit. He used to read approximately 100 books before penning one of his own. Just think about the profound depth of knowledge that must have gone into a historical fiction novel with such an extensive amount of research backing it up. The amount of valuable insight that one can soak up from his works is truly astonishing.

I hold an immense admiration for Michener's entire body of work. Although "Caribbean" might not have the same level of impact as some of his other masterpieces like "Centennial" or "Alaska", it is still an outstanding read. This is not only because of the meticulous research that Michener has conducted to cover such a wide and diverse scope of Caribbean history but also due to his amazing talent for storytelling. His ability to follow the lives of characters across multiple generations and seamlessly tie their stories together in the end is simply breathtaking.

If you have an interest in learning about the Caribbean islands, then "Caribbean" is definitely the book for you. The things that you will discover about the people, their origins, their rich history, and their unique culture will stay with you for a lifetime, thanks to Michener's exceptional storytelling skills. And with this newfound understanding, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Cuba, Haiti, or Jamaica, you will have a far richer and more meaningful experience, as you will be able to understand the historical context behind everything that you see.

I could not really get into this book.

Partly, it was due to my expectations. I had been anticipating a saga, but to my surprise, the book turned out to be a collection of short stories. Each story is set in a different island and progresses chronologically from the oldest to the latest.

The short story format, unfortunately, did not allow for in-depth character development. As a result, the characters felt very one-dimensional and flat. The earlier stories, however, were somewhat better than the later ones.

The history presented in the book was impeccable, with the exception of a completely fabricated island called All Saints. This island was used to depict the race hierarchy and race relations in the islands. I believe All Saints was meant to be a substitute for the St. islands such as John, Croix, and Thomas. But I have to wonder, why did the author choose to do this?

The All Saints story was also quite disturbing. It glossed over a rather rapey encounter and equated the perpetrator with negritude, which seemed slightly racist to me. This one story alone caused me to knock off a whole star from my rating of the book.

Overall, while the book had some interesting aspects, it ultimately failed to meet my expectations due to the issues with character development and the concerning content in the All Saints story.

As is typical of Michener's work, one of the main strong points of this book is its vast informativeness.

I learned an enormous amount about the turbulent and often tragic history of the Caribbean. Having visited the region several times and even planning to get married there in a few months, I found it fascinating. However, aside from what I learned from visiting typical historic tourism sites like Tulum and Chichen Itza, I was never really aware of its history.

Rather than following the pattern of novels like Chesapeake and Hawaii, which follow a set of families more or less continuously over a certain time period, Caribbean tells the story in several discrete episodes. There's a story about a character in some region, then it moves on to something else, and we may see something about that character's great-great-great-grandchild in a couple of hundred pages. The episodes are made even more separate as Michener chose not to restrict himself to any one Caribbean island, so the story jumps around in both space and time.

Some might object to the somewhat discontinuous nature of the story, but I thought it mostly worked well. As a result of the way the story was told, some chapters were quite strong while others were weaker. The first chapter on the Arawaks and the Carib was excellent. I would have liked more chapters on the indigenous population, but there were only two (the other on the Maya), after which they more or less disappeared from the story. The chapter on the Haitian slave revolt is outstanding; the book is almost worth buying for that chapter alone. Personally, I felt that most of the chapters on the Spanish domination of the Caribbean were a bit dry and overlong, and the chapter on the Maya could have been much more interesting.

The other problem I had was Michener's decision to include a fictional Caribbean island, All Saints. The chapters on All Saints weren't particularly interesting, and I didn't quite understand its purpose in the story. All Saints was portrayed with two defining characteristics: racial segregation and love of cricket. I thought that if these are common Caribbean characteristics, they could have been dealt with using a real island as a backdrop. If not, they really don't belong in a book whose main goal is to give readers an understanding of the Caribbean islands.

Ultimately, though, I quite enjoyed this book. It had its flaws, but overall I thought it was very good.

It is extremely challenging to rate a book of such a vast scale and scope. However, a significant portion of it was far more enjoyable than the less engaging parts.

I often found the disparate storylines rather frustrating. But, interestingly, they all came together in the last chapter in a manner that I found highly refreshing. You have spent 1,000 pages following dozens of people as they go about their lives, and in the end, they all simply transform into stories. They become a part of the cultural framework of an interesting and challenging region of our globe.

I'm not entirely sure if I liked the portrayal of the Rastafarian all that much. While Michener's intentions are good, and I believe a lot of the racism depicted is intentional, it still feels a bit clumsy 32 years later.

Also, I'm not certain if I liked the fact that Theresa's ultimate purpose in life seems to be to save a man.

Nevertheless, it is still a good book!

Why the insanely low rating?

Well, I couldn't finish this. I gave up literally a third of the way into the last chapter. This isn't a novel. It's a collection of novelettes based around a common theme: the Caribbean.

Some of them work well, mostly the ones in the modern era where Michener is telling a single story about an event and using it to illustrate a point. The ones in the 15th to the 19th centuries, however, read more like synopses for a novel, interspersed with a history lesson.

They skim over the story ridiculously fast, and spend far too much time sketching out the background - which is to be expected when you're trying to cover two or three generations in 20 or 30 pages.

I used to love Michener when I was younger. His sprawling style was an amazing way to learn about the world through fiction. Now, however, I'd rather have depth and better storytelling.

Perhaps it's a matter of personal taste and growth. As I've matured as a reader, my expectations have changed. I now crave a more immersive and engaging narrative that delves deep into the characters and their emotions.

Michener's approach in this collection just didn't resonate with me anymore. It felt too disjointed and lacking in the kind of substance that I now seek.

Maybe others will find value in it, but for me, it was a disappointment.

Highly entertaining and informative - long - read.

I have visited the Caribbean on numerous occasions and will be returning soon. I was thoroughly impressed by how Michener skillfully wove a tapestry that spanned the centuries, sometimes loosely and sometimes strongly linking stories that were separated by chapters.

The Caribbean's role as a strategic chess match for the European powers is now much more understandable and engaging to me, especially when considering how sugar was like the oil of that era. However, the history is also deeply tragic.

Captain Obvious alert: the history of the slave trade in the Caribbean is a huge blot on the region. I can't remember where I first heard the statement that went something like, "Even though slavery was nothing new in human history, the Atlantic slave trade was the first time a society with slaves was transformed into a slave society." Michener does not hold back in his account of this tragedy in the region's history.

There is so much that can be said about this. Perhaps a couple of centuries from now, the pain felt by succeeding generations will be just a faint memory, but it must still be quite sharp for many in that region where tourism and little else remain.

I must confess, I really had a tough time slogging through this novel. It was a real struggle to get through the pages.

That being said, many parts of it were eye-opening to me. I was truly amazed by some of the revelations.

Having had the privilege of cruising the Caribbean several times over the past 20 years, I really had no idea of its troubled history which in many ways continues to influence the present day state of affairs. The past is still very much alive in this region.

Chilling to think about men long dead fighting, dying, and now at rest at the bottom of “Spanish Lake” with cruise ships traversing the waters above them. It gives one a sense of the passage of time and the contrast between the past and the present.

I was shocked to learn of the very dark side of Thomas Carlyle and his belief of “lesser breeds” of people and how those people should be treated. His views were truly abhorrent.

I was particularly intrigued by the chapters on Rastafari, and the conditions in Cuba and Miami in the decades following Castro’s takeover. These chapters provided a fascinating look at different cultures and political situations.

The chapter on Haiti was especially eye-opening as it pertains to the mess going on in Haiti today. It was a sobering reminder of the challenges that this country faces.

I had a hard time following the timeline, the many minute details and dates. It was all a bit overwhelming at times.

I was not impressed with the final chapter which, for me, read like an unnecessary romance wrapping things up. It felt a bit out of place and didn't really add much to the overall story.

This is the 2nd Michener novel I’ve read, the first being Hawaii. I enjoyed Hawaii much more. It was a more engaging and enjoyable read.