Retire in Alaska

Alaska: A Novel

Description

In this sweeping epic of the northernmost American frontier, James A. Michener guides us across Alaska’s fierce terrain, from the long-forgotten past to the bustling technological present, as his characters struggle for survival. The exciting high points of Alaska’s story, from its brutal prehistory, through the nineteenth century and the American acquisition, to its modern status as America’s thriving forty-ninth state, are brought vividly to life in this remarkable novel: the gold rush; the tremendous growth and exploitation of the salmon industry; the discovery of oil and its social and economic consequences; the difficult construction of the Alcan Highway, which made possible the defense of the territory in World War II. A spellbinding portrait of a human community struggling to establish its place in the world, Alaska traces a bold and majestic history of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-05-23
Summary: "Michener at the Top of his Game"

The best Michener work I've read so far. (othes I have read include Tales of the South Pacific, Return to Paradise, Sayonara, Chesapeake, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, and Hawaii) So what makes it so good?

Writing History Well
Michener selects excellent historical highlights to give us a sense of the place: Russian exploration of the Aleutians, gold rush boomtowns along the Yukon River, Eskimo villages in the Arctic, salmon fisheries in the southern panhandle, and pipeline construction in the central interior. I also liked his handling of the philosophical aspects of settlement- particularly in the 1800`s. On one hand, trade and development could only begin with adventurous, entrepaneurial spirits, working independently -free of micromanaging government or corporate home offices. Many of these people were in one way or another disenfranchised from mainstream American or Canadian society (e.g. Mr Klope in Dawson City). For them, Alaska was a a fresh start in a land culturally and physically apart from the rest of the world. Rugged, self-reliant figures carved out empires for themselves, according to their own rules, and guided by self-interest. This view romanticizes Libertarian aspects of frontier life; but Michener tempers this well with the downside of lawlessness: gangs and renegades like Soapy Smith terrorized honest citizens like Tom Venn. Michener's delivery of these issues elevates the entire book above mere storytelling, or the recitation of historical facts. It is historical fiction at its best.

Readability
Alaska was published in 1988, late on in James Michener's career, when his experience and craft were at their peak. Despite its heft, it reads fast. In fact, I would place it on par with Hawaii for readability. Hawaii comes across well because of the author's obvious love for the subject; he had personal ties to the Islands. Alaska`s readability, I think, is more attributable to his growth as a writer. Since the narration continues over several centuries, there are by necessity a lot of transitions as old characters die off, and new ones are introduced. Also, since Alaska is such a big place and Michener is eager to show us so much of it, there are a lot of shifts in setting. Alaska's transitions are smoother than Hawaii and Chesapeake's. Those earlier works were more compartmentalized in time and space... characters would be introduced, play out their drama, and then the close of their era would end each chapter. Subsequent chapters would start fresh in a new time and place, without much carryover of characters (with a few exceptions, like Hoxworth in Hawaii). In Alaska, Michener employs a lot more carryover to link chapters. Staggering character entrances and exits creates a much more natural- feeling rhythm to the work. He also deftly blends space and time transitions. Take, for example, the story arc of Ciddaq: her movement from the Aleutians to Sitka early in life transport the story's physical setting, and then her life in Sitka raising her son (Arkady) moves the timeline smoothly into the next generation.

Readers` Aids
The three detailed maps are sufficient to show all the places mentioned in the text, which is an improvement over past Michener works. Better still, pages vii-viii of the foreword lay out clearly which elements in the story are fictional, and which are faithfully-depicted historical fact. Every work of historical fiction should have this. If an author wants to mix the historic record with fiction, I'm willing to grant a lot of artistic license, but at some point, I want to be able to sort out which was which. It can be fun to read historical fiction in preparation for travel, but you don't want to be the idiot at the back of the tour group, asking "Can we see the place where Luke Skywalker and those peasants stormed the Bastille?"

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-02-11
Summary: "Great Character Builder, Great Story Teller and Great Adventure"

I learned so much I never knew about the migrations of people and animals, about the climatic changes in Alaska and about the Russian presence there. I learned a lot I wished I didn't learn about the truly horrific exploitation of native populations, but I suppose that goes with world history.

But most of all, this book was a wonderful distraction from daily life. It was, for a short time, my get-away. It's hard to find a good book that just takes you away from thoughts of work and life and Alaska is just such an adventure to get lost in.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-02-08
Summary: "Good read as always with Michener"

Slow to start....I liked how Michener mixed fact with fiction...obviously, well-researched....Long, but worth the read if you are interested in the great state of Alaska and its history

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-01-30
Summary: "Long book!"

I am enjoying this book but it is long and because I only have a short time to read each day, it will take me a while to finish it. It is very interesting. There is a lot of historical information in this book that will create a good background of knowledge for me when I take a trip to Alaska in the near future.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-12-01
Summary: "Hard to put down."

This is a classic. It provides so much of Alaska history, even though the characters are fitional.