CentennialCentennial
What it's about
James Michener tells the story of a fictional town on the plains of northeastern Colorado, starting with the formation of the land itself and the dinosaurs that lived there. Then come the Arapaho, the French and Scottish fur trappers, the settlers on the Oregon Trail, the cattle drives, the ranchers and farmers, and the immigrants who built the town, through the twentieth century. Each era's story is told through the families who lived it.
Why it's worth reading
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became a famous TV miniseries. It's Michener's great epic of the American West.
You'll love it if you liked
The Source, Lonesome Dove or Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Good to know
It's over 1,000 pages. The opening chapters on geology and prehistoric animals are slow; many readers skim to the people.
By the numbers
- Readers85 out of 100 · counts 40%+39
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller65 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+23
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
#1 New York Times bestseller (28 weeks at #1). 4.26★ from 46K Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #47 of the 251 historical novels we rank
- #86 of the 519 classics we rank
- #220 of the 1,404 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (28 weeks at #1)
Reads as
Adventurous, Moving
