Customer Reviews
My favorite epic novel! - By: Ann Alexander, 23 Jun 2008 
James Michener has done it again. Although I am a fan of his booksin general, this one is the best yet. Don't let the detailsin the start of the book deter you. It will be well worth the effort to continue into the heart of the story. Setin the American West, it tells the tale of one spot on the Colorado map, following the area from early beginnings to the 1970's. The description of the families' struggles through the "Wild West" segment is particularly fun. Although this work is categorized as fiction, a history buff can identify the essences of each time period to be accurate. Obviously, Mr. Michener is a grand researcher of historical fact. If you want a great summer book, read this one.
Epic -- Here -- Means Epic - By: C. Hargrave, 03 Nov 2005 This is an epic story requiring staying power as it long & involved. It covers the history & eventual birth of the town of Centennial & the vast area around that part of Colorado over two hundred years seen through the stories of the Indians, trappers, pioneers, cowboys, farmers, & everyone else who came to & through that state. You get swept along by the pace up to about the Depression & from there tails off a little to the present(1970's). You must read on to the end where explanations are revealed about the past.
I have read this book twice & saw the TV seriesin the late seventies & I have now just received a 12(all regions)DVD set of the videos (e-bay) & have just started watching thae whole series (about 20hrs) again.
Masterpiece - By: M. Deal, 03 Aug 2005 Michener's majestic & sweeping history of the American West is brought to lifein this epic tale of people & places thrown together by breathtaking endeavor. In Centennial Michener manages spectacularly to weave episodes of modern fictional history from the tumultuous geological events that shaped the area of Colorado millions of years previous. By telling the entire history of the American West, from the geological upheavals that formed the New Rockies, from the dinosaurs & early mammals, from the early native American inhabitants, from the fur trappers & traders, from the cowboys & from the insidious Indian wars, right through to modern man's violent manipulation of the land, Centennial is as much an evocative triumph of a novel as it is an education. The characters will become part of your life as you read about them & their adventures. You will also feel a sad sense of loss at their passing. As you read through Centennial you will gather the pace of nostalgia & the fiction will stay with as if it were fact. As for me, I read this book three times as a teenager & am now reading it again with the same fresh anticipation more than twenty years later. A true blockbuster, a story with soul, from a master storyteller & an amazing book that you shouldn't miss.
Centennial by far a great read - By: Mr. C. P. Robson, 12 Aug 2004 Its a brilliant book. But answering a question raised by a reviewer last year, the TV series is available on videoin the states.
best book i ever read - By: carolyn hoss, 29 Nov 2003 loved this book am reading it again. but i would love to see the t v series shown years ago.anyone know if it on video. anyone considering reading this book do so you wont be dissapointed.
