I have an unwavering love for Caravans due to its remarkable authenticity.

Michener, in the sixties, embarked on an extensive journey across the country. At that time, such extensive travels were still feasible.

The blend of brutality and humour within the story makes it a truly unique adventure. It is not just a great story but also offers a breathtakingly profound insight into the culture, history, and geography of a country that is both forbidding and fascinating.

The vivid descriptions and the seamless integration of these elements transport the reader into a world that is both captivating and challenging.

Caravans is a literary masterpiece that not only entertains but also educates, leaving a lasting impression on the minds of its readers.

It is a book that should be cherished and recommended to all those who have a passion for adventure, culture, and history.

I thought I’d read a significant portion of James Michener’s books, particularly the older ones. However, while scrolling through a list of ebook offers, I spotted “Caravans.” Set in Afghanistan, I couldn’t recall ever reading this particular book. I promptly checked with my library and was delighted to find that they had a copy available.

I have always had a great appreciation for Michener’s books due to the extensive background and meticulous detail he incorporated into his stories. He created numerous memorable characters, many of whom I still hold dear. Naturally, I was curious to discover his perspective on Afghanistan. I had already read Khaled Hosseini’s outstanding works, “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” and wondered how “Caravans” would compare.

“Caravans” is set in 1946. Mark Miller, a young staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul working for the State Department, was assigned the rather unpleasant task of determining the whereabouts and well-being of a seemingly spoiled young woman from Pennsylvania named Ellen Jaspar. Part of his search would take him into the more wild and remote areas of Afghanistan, and he traveled with a driver/interpreter named Nur Mohammed.

One of the first things that struck me was the old cliché, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” There were certain issues that seemed to persist from then until now: the influence of religious mullahs, the use of the chaderi, and the prevalence of paternalistic households. Nevertheless, Michener also wrote about the beauty of the country and the strength and determination of its people. His Afghan characters were thoroughly likeable, and I almost found myself longing to embark on a caravan journey myself. Frankly, though, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sacrifice my comforts to march the great distances that the nomads did.

There were moments when I would sit back and muse, going “hmm.” If I were to attempt to explain those moments, I feel I would be revealing too much. These moments would occur when I made a connection between the history of the present and that of the past. If you’re a Michener fan and haven’t yet read “Caravans,” I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a great read, and it’s not as voluminous as most of his other books!

Despite, perhaps because of, its age, Michner's perspective on the then-current affairs and potential futures for Afghanistan makes for fascinating reading even now.

Forty-five years ago, he was astute enough to recognize the potential of fundamentalist Moslem control over the land. However, he chose to vote for the secularists. In hindsight, he was wrong, but it didn't necessarily have to end up that way.

(I have never seen the motion picture based on Michner's book and would encourage any reader to seek out the novel rather than the movie.)

For a modern and alternative ending to Afghanistan's latest chapter, which has unfortunately become a political football for world powers and religions, one should read Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. This book offers a different narrative, one that focuses on the power of education and the efforts of one man to promote peace, one school at a time. It provides a glimmer of hope in a complex and troubled situation.

I thought it would be interesting to read considering the continuing problems in this region of the world.

It seems that these issues have persisted for a long time and show no signs of abating.

The situation here is complex and multifaceted, involving various political, economic, social, and cultural factors.

However, despite the difficulties, there are still people who are working hard to find solutions and bring about positive change.

It was more of a nod to Michener and his embrace of the world and its peoples.

Michener was a great writer who had a deep understanding and appreciation of different cultures and societies.

His works often explored the human condition and the relationships between people from different backgrounds.

By reading his books, we can gain a better understanding of the world and its diversity, and perhaps also find some inspiration and hope in the face of the challenges we encounter.

I believe that by learning from the past and looking to the future, we can work together to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world for all.

Lebih pendek dari novel Mr. Michener yang biasanya seribuan halaman, tapi tidak kalah hebat.

The plot is simple, a journey to find an American woman with an anti-conventional character who went missing in Afghanistan. But the core of this novel is the geographical and anthropological records of Afghanistan in 1946.

Imagine walking on foot with a caravan of camels for up to 40km a day, crossing a desert so hot that it can kill in twenty minutes, climbing a cold mountain with sharp gray cliffs, while being intermittently treated to the view of a valley bisected by a river and shrubs. Crossing the ruins of a city whose former grandeur was once recorded by Ibn Battuta and Alexander the Great... and sometimes making love in the open air under the starlight of the desert sky or the shade of the Hindu Kush mountains.

This novel is capable of arousing the sense of adventure in even the most reluctant person to leave the house.

Michener, as always, did not disappoint. The story takes place immediately after World War II. It doesn't delve into the current situation. Instead, it focuses on the landscape and the transition from one way of life, that of the nomads, to another, the modern way. The author vividly描绘s the changing scenery, from the vast plains where the nomads once roamed freely to the emerging cities and industries. We can see how the characters are affected by this transition, some adapting easily while others struggle. The story also explores the cultural and social changes that come with modernization. It's a fascinating look at a time of great upheaval and transformation.

Hard to believe in some ways that Michener wrote Caravans in 1963 and set his story in Afghanistan in 1946.

It is truly astonishing how little has changed in that country over the years.

Moreover, so much of what he prophesised has come to pass in the decades that followed.

This book is a marvellous piece of literature that is well worth reading or rereading, especially in light of the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Michener's vivid descriptions really bring the people and the landscape to life.

One can almost feel the heat of the desert, the wind blowing through the mountains, and the emotions of the characters as they go about their daily lives.

It is a powerful reminder of the importance of understanding other cultures and the impact that our actions can have on the world around us.

Overall, Caravans is a must-read for anyone interested in history, culture, or simply a good story.

This book encompasses all the classic elements of an adventure. However, for me, it was even more captivating as a time and place "snapshot" style of story.

The author dedicated a significant amount of time to描绘 the foreigners' general life in Afghanistan before delving into the action and the main drama. It was evident that Michener was committed to constructing a historically accurate framework for this story to unfold, and he strived to be as authentic as possible in his descriptions throughout. He further confirmed this in an interesting epilogue in the version I read, where he discussed various story elements and how they related to his personal experiences or their historical accuracy.

I also believed that he provided a realistic portrayal of the attitudes and perceptions of the main characters. At times, the narrator's character seemed rather dim-witted, which was somewhat jarring. But considering he was a 26-year-old WWII veteran and an American patriot working in intelligence for the State Department in Afghanistan in 1946, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Obviously, he would have some rigid perspectives on the world, but I didn't think it detracted from the overall narrative. Similarly, the wayward woman with a more philosophically abstract perspective on things, in some ways similar to my own views, often behaved like a narcissist who didn't care about the impact she had on the people she left behind as she pursued her particular path as far from "normal" society as she could. Indeed, I find variations of both these archetypes still prevalent today. Their characters, along with others in the book, were realistically depicted and could have plausibly participated in what was actually a quite believable story for that time and place.

Although it may not rank among the greatest of books, it has its insights, its foresights (considering all that has occurred in the past 60 years), and its entertainment value. It also holds its own historical significance, offering a glimpse into a time long before America became so deeply involved in the country. It is definitely worth reading if you happen to encounter it during your own literary travels, especially if the region intrigues you.

3.75?

The last quarter of the book seemed to drag a little. However, I really loved learning about Afghanistan in 1946. It was fascinating to read about the landmarks that were discussed in Miller's travels. I even found myself googling those landmarks to get a better understanding.

It is truly interesting to gain some background knowledge about this country that has been plagued by so much trouble over the years. Learning about its people and their history gives us a deeper appreciation for their struggles and their resilience.

Despite the slow pace in the last quarter, the overall experience of reading this book has been quite enlightening. It has opened my eyes to a part of the world that I may not have known much about otherwise. I would definitely recommend this book to others who are interested in learning about different cultures and historical periods.

I read this book when I was in the Peace Corps. It had a profound impact on me, fueling my intense desire to visit many strange and wonderful lands. The descriptions in the book painted such vivid pictures of far-off places that I couldn't help but dream of experiencing them for myself. And as fate would have it, I eventually got the opportunity to do just that. After a 3-year stint in the Peace Corps, on my way home, I embarked on a journey that took me to several of those lands I had read about. Each place was more amazing than the last, filled with unique cultures, landscapes, and experiences. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I will always cherish.

**The Mystery of Selecting A Book?**

It is truly astonishing how one comes to read a specific book. Like many passionate readers, I find myself amassing books at a rate much faster than I can read them. There are probably a hundred or more unread books sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting for my attention.

But what is truly mysterious is the nature of that particular impulse that leads one, from time to time, to choose a specific book out of so many. I suspect it is the same mysterious motivation that leads any reader to select one of the thousands of books on display in any modern bookstore.

Certainly, I often buy books that are recommended by writers in the works I read. However, I am also frequently drawn to books for mysterious reasons that are difficult to attribute solely to the cover design or subject matter. Caravans is definitely one of these.

**The Importance of Place**

I was quite content reading the rather academic and lengthy (700+ pages) The Middle East, A History by William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher in anticipation of a forthcoming trip there. After retreating to Highlands, NC, and staying at a charming little place called The Main Street Inn, I set about reading it, enjoying the cool mountain air, excellent food, and interesting people in the bar.

As I was dining in the restaurant, I overheard a table of nearby Canadians asking the waitress if there was a bookstore in Highlands. The waitress replied that Highlands had no bookstore. What? No bookstore? I was shocked! A place like Highlands simply must have a bookstore!

For those of you who may have never visited Highlands, you should know that it is a meditative town, somehow simultaneously full of tourists yet still remote, tucked away in the cloudy Appalachians.

After finishing my meal, I set off down the street in search of the bookstore that I intuitively knew must exist. I found it on the far side of town, just before the street-lined buildings gave way to undeveloped, winding mountain roads. Entering, I met the proprietor, a sweet, beautiful woman about my age, reading intently.

“Welcome!” she said, looking up at me over her reading glasses. The beauty of her intelligence shone at me from the sun-filled room.

“They told me there was no bookstore in Highlands, but now I’m delighted to discover their error,” I replied. Observing her obvious state of relaxation and her profound enjoyment of reading, I added: “You seem to be perfectly in your element.” She smiled warmly and nodded in agreement.

“Everything’s three for a dollar,” she offered. I began to rummage through the many shelves of books. I immediately gravitated towards the history and religion section, finding little as the inventory consisted mostly of used and donated books. But then my eyes suddenly fell on this James A. Michener novel entitled Caravans.

I wondered how long it had been since I’d read Michener. Certainly not since my teenage years, but Michener was once my favorite author. I distinctly remember reading Hawaii and Chesapeake, but I’m sure there are other Michener books that I’ve read and forgotten.

Pulling the worn paperback off the shelf, I began reading the back cover of Caravans, surprised that Michener would have ever written about such a desolate place as Afghanistan. It occurred to me that reading Michener again would be a great exercise to assist me with my own novel-writing efforts. And certainly, Afghanistan is not entirely remote from my forthcoming destination, being located on the eastern boundary of that geography most people recognize as the Middle East.

So I left the only bookstore in Highlands, carrying with me the warm disposition of the proprietor and also the tattered and yellowed pages of this seemingly ancient novel tucked under my arm. But then I noticed that Caravans was published only 3 or 4 years after I was born, so I must not call it ancient! To my dismay, I later realized that the novel is more than 50 years out of date compared to modern Afghanistan history. Perhaps it first dawned on me how extremely dated Caravans actually is when I encountered one of the characters consulting the Encyclopedia Britannica instead of the internet. Of course, I can certainly remember doing the same as a child. This novel brought back pleasant memories, particularly of the leather-covered encyclopedia set my mother used to keep handy for us all in the hallway of my youth.

Apart from character development, Michener’s most favorable trait is his love of “place” and certainly my writing will benefit from again observing the way Michener integrates a setting into his storyline, as my feeble attempts at integrating Highlands into this review have perhaps illustrated. I learned from Michener that a profound sense of place is crucial to a novel. Nevertheless, people want to be entertained, which is wonderfully achieved through Michener’s characters, like the alluring Ellen Jaspers. But people also want novels to transport them somewhere other than where they are.

Perched on the elevated patio of the Main Street Inn, I began to read Caravans. Glancing up from my reading from time to time, I looked up and down the tourist-laden streets and quickly recognized how easily Michener magically transported me back and forth between Highlands and Afghanistan. I may never physically get to a place like Afghanistan, but writers as skilled as Michener can take me there nonetheless.

**Expressing Themes Via Character Development**

Certainly, Michener had little idea of the war-torn place modern Afghanistan would become and this novel is rather juvenile in its presentation of the history of that nation. But the magic of Michener’s writing reminds me of the things that inspired my reading as a teenager. I was immediately attracted to the amorous character of the mysterious Ellen Jaspers. However (if it is even possible to fall in love with a fictional character), Ellen is certainly no match for my first love: Natasha of Tolstoy’s War And Peace.

Nevertheless, Michener creates a deeply intriguing woman who strongly asserts her femininity against the Afghan backdrop of female suppression. Michener was ahead of his time in presenting womanhood in a context of equality with men, as Ellen moves from man to man, using them as she likes and going in her own direction against archaic cultural norms.

Certainly, Caravans is entertaining, with the typical mix of Michener’s soap-opera love affairs and conflicts. It is also extremely dated. I don’t suspect that Michener’s liberal female character, Ellen Jaspers, would survive long in the modern Taliban-dominated Afghanistan.

Additionally, the character mix that Michener deploys, with serious Jewish, Muslim, and Nazi-Christian components, is highly unrealistic in the modern sense, considering the contemporary animosity between Muslims and Jews. It is a rather outlandish storyline to think of a Jewish person finding reconciliation with a Nazi war criminal just after the war, as occurs in the novel. I see Michener striving towards a latent theme that portrays certain religions as appropriate to certain places and times, as he has his German character, Dr. Stiglitz, remark about mid-way through the novel:

“A Religion is not something eternal. It’s got to function in a given time in a given place. If it doesn’t function, it’s no good and you’d better get another. Have you ever considered how your Christianity functioned in Germany? The total perversion of society it permitted? The mass executions? The horrible betrayal of humanity?” -James A. Michener

Certainly, we see Michener’s point when one thinks of how Judaism emerged in contrast to paganism and then Christianity, Islam, and a multitude of other systems sprang from it. Our tendency towards static definitions and rituals, for example, for how a woman should act, dress, or incline herself towards submissiveness, becomes outmoded, archaic, and exploitative. Perhaps there was once a time for it, but that time has passed, as has the time for much other fundamentalist thinking that attempts to imprison us within our past.

Perhaps it takes people like Ellen Jaspers to break the mold? Certainly, the beauty of women has never escaped me and I am repelled by the extreme sort of fundamentalism that would have women hide their femininity, perhaps the most beautiful of God’s creations. Michener obviously shares my sentiments, characterizing Ellen Jaspers in a goddess-like fashion against the harsh desert backdrop of Afghanistan.

Even the beautiful actress, Jennifer O’Neill, who was cast in the 1978 movie of Caravans, fails to fully capture the wildness of attraction that Michener conjures in the book for Ellen Jaspers (However, I certainly wouldn’t recommend the movie, as it is extremely dated, drastically alters Michener’s storyline and really fails to capture the essence of the book at all).

**Expressing Themes Via Settings**

As in all of his novels, Michener is keen to point out prominent landmarks of the region of his setting, vividly describing the defunct German bridges of Afghanistan and, even more alluring, the thousand-year-old arch of Qala Bist, shown below.

Qala Bist Arch

Michener describes the arch as mysteriously associated with a nearby deserted city of unknown origin. Michener weaves his descriptions of the ruins into another theme of the novel, which emerges from the character conflict between Ellen Jaspers and her estranged husband, Nazrullah. Ellen has left Nazrullah because he is intent on building Afghanistan into a modern civilization, while she has fled America to reject civilization altogether. Ellen’s inspiration is the wildness of the countryside and the unbridled freedom of nomadism, while Nazrullah wishes to build cities and dams that, like in America, will forever alter the natural landscape.

In defense of Ellen’s liberal position, Michener uses the barbarism of Nazi Germany as an example of a modern state that is more detestable than the Afghan primitives. Michener also uses the plight of the American negro as another example, overworked and exploited to death in the name of economic progress. Additionally, Michener cites the deforestation that has desolated ancient places like Afghanistan, equating men to goats that maliciously devour natural resources in their quest to build civilizations.

As the ruins of the ancient civilizations haunt the Afghan skyline, Michener makes the reader wonder if the ruined civilizations were lost to the current state of primitiveness because they were indeed the wrong path forward. Ellen thinks the proper way to combat the disease of civilization is to remain close to primitive things. Michener has her respond to the protagonist as follows:

“Oh, Miller! she cried passionately. “You misunderstand history and the nature of man. We are born free, like the nomads. But step by step we insist upon crawling into little prisons on little streets in mean little villages.” - James A. Michener

Michener makes his reader struggle to understand the passion of Ellen Jasper, of what it truly takes to free ourselves from the shackles of dependency and roam free. Can the reader relate to Ellen? Or for that matter, can the reader relate to any position contrary to an America that makes itself constantly greater when it already wallows in riches more outlandish than any country the world has ever seen? Does it make sense for Americans to perpetually immerse themselves in relentless competition, social arrogance, and open greed when we already stand outrageously far beyond that of the rest of the world?

**Can Civilizations Be Sustained?**

But Michener does not choose to abandon civilization in the manner of the eccentric Ellen Jaspers, whom he ultimately reveals to be wanton in her disregard for others and her self-centered pursuit of sexual indulgence. Just as Michener portrays that certain religions only work in certain places and times, so he similarly asserts that civilizations must learn to adapt if they wish to be sustained and move forward in harmony with the earth. To remain static is to ultimately succumb to the harshness of the desert and return to the dust of desolation, as is evident in the Afghan ruins. Michener reveals in Ellen Jaspers that, in the same way we can become static in our industriousness, we can also become static in our slothfulness.

In describing the Caravanserai of the Tongues, Michener depicts an ancient pillar that Genghis Khan had built around a stack of his victims, thereby portraying how civilizations are typically built upon the backs of the exploited and ultimately become themselves victims of human violence. Similarly, in allowing his Jewish protagonist, Miller, to actually fight with the Nazi Stiglitz, Michener symbolizes the kind of conflicts that have persistently hindered the sustaining of a single civilization throughout history. When we fail to synthesize the common truth from the midst of our conflicts, one position is destroyed and the other persists in the half-truth of its prejudices. The ultimate result of this inability to synthesize truth is the eventual decline of civilizations, as has happened many times throughout history. To emphasize this point, Michener has Ellen say to our protagonist as follows:

“Society has become corrupt and men must reject it if they are to remain free. They know that life, to replenish itself, must sometimes return to the dregs, to the primitive slime.” -James A. Michener

**The Theme of Feminism**

Michener portrays Ellen as someone who refuses to allow herself to become a slave to possessions or to be possessed by anyone. She is a character who loves many men but detests the obligations that typically accompany relationships between men and women. For with these obligations come jealousy, strict social rules against interaction with others, and many other confining obligations.

Ellen understands that we are strengthened by love, not just spiritual love, but also physical love, which is as vital to us as air or nourishment. And just as food becomes stale, so Ellen thinks love needs to be renewed if it becomes too confining. Michener describes Ellen in the days after she starts a new affair with Stiglitz:

“In the succeeding days Ellen became an increasingly beautiful woman, lovelier even than her high-school photographs or my first sight of her in the caravanserai. Her smile grew more warm. Her freedom of movement was enhanced. Even the manner in which she wore her long gray burnoose became more feminine and alluring, but I remember best the way her blue eyes sparkled during the long uphill hikes.” -James Michener

Michener describes what love does for us. It brings life in fullness, but we thwart it with our possessiveness, jealousies, and manipulations. Instead of rejoicing for those clearly captivated by the benefits of love, we too often envy lovers their joy and jealously seek one of the partners for ourselves. And lovers themselves become afraid of losing their joy and infatuation, becoming overly oppressive in guarding their partner. Our greed, ego, and possessiveness too often turn something wonderful into a nasty affair. Michener sees the same thing happening, on a broader scale, with competing civilizations.

It is a mistake to think that Michener is characterizing all American women in the image of Ellen Jasper, for he is trying to capture something much deeper in her character. Ellen remains an enigma even compared to the typical American woman, who is herself an enigma when compared to the Afghan woman. In his characterizations of Ellen, Michener delves much deeper than typical stereotypes and reveals to us a greater sense of individualism, freedom, and self-determination than we have probably ever imagined.

This was a fun little read. Be good. -End-

Caravans, by Michener, clocks in at just under 340 pages, lacking the heft and span typical of his generational sagas. It's not his best or my favorite, but I'm glad I read it after all these years.

What makes this book especially intriguing is its 1963 publication and setting in post-WWII Afghanistan of the late 1940s. The main character is the land itself: beautiful, complex Afghanistan. Michener presents a land full of struggle and weaves stories within it. We get to know Afghanistan's aspiration for modern stability, feel the heat of its rich history, and cheer for its precocious steps to maturity. The 1960s were relatively stable and optimistic for Afghanistan, and setting the book 20 years prior allowed Michener to dramatize the people and events leading to this ambitious adolescence.

Afghans are portrayed as ambitious, clever people shaped by history and geography, accustomed to surviving in conflict with the environment, each other, and external powers. The emergence of Russian and American power rocked Afghanistan from the 1970s through the 2010s, but Michener, while anticipating its coming, had no knowledge of those events when writing. This gives a glimpse of Afghanistan before the modern age, before the encroachment of modern powers, and before many other significant developments.

The most distasteful characters are Westerners, which shields the narrative from contemporary claims of obtrusion. They are promiscuous people focused on personal or political objectives, willing to use Afghanistan and its people. Through them, we see the messiness of the struggle, with people using others often discovering they are also being played.

Added to the mix are various themes illustrating the complexity of Afghan topography. Political, religious, and social complexities are all on display, with different groups competing for advantage. All this complexity is brushed over with a romanticized stroke, making the book more of a fictional travelogue and less of a social commentary. Now that I have Michener's perspective, I'm ready for other titles. What do you recommend?

If you'd like a brief timeline of Afghanistan's modern history, see the BBC link. For epic Michener treatments of other countries, there are several titles to explore, both far flung from and closer to his American home.