Rating: 
Summary: A good tale including a stereotypical English Aristocrat
Review: A story told by a well experienced novelist. A pseudo historical novel that kept me very interested from start to finish. However, a notable weak spot for me was the treatment of the deaths of the two gents from scurvy (sorry to sound so grisly) that I thought could have been better handled. The strength of Lord Luton's character was well handled, including his own eventual realisation that he probably made a series of major blunders leading to two deaths. Nevertheless, Luton goes on in typical Aristocratic way to survive and thrive: becoming a senior politician in his home country. The Irish skivvy comes across well, too. I'm not a fan of poetry, so the poetry section at the end left me cold. I'm in two minds as to whether I appreciated the history of how the story came to be written: many will like this section though, I'm sure.
Rating: 
Summary: High expectations fell short in the end
Review: Although this was the first and only Michener novel I have read, I think it was a poor choice. My expectations going into reading were quite high, but by the end of this novel I was very disappointed. The story was decent, however the plot was very thin. I had alot of trouble relating to the characters. I could not figure out if Luton was just a snob, or a real caring person that was afraid to show his emotions. The deaths were very predictable, and to be quite frank the ending just sucked! What a let down, Luton just leaves the same day he gets to Dawson like he is supposed to be some kind of hero or something. Luton just made me angry the whole story especially the way he treated Fogerty, at the end I am very surprised he paid for his telegram. Definitely not the greatest book in the world.
Rating:
Summary: incredible disappointment
Review: First I want to say that I am a big fan of Mr. Michener. "Mexico" may be my all time favorite book. So you can imagine my disappointment at finding a book that had so much potential that went absolutely no where. What a basis for a story. A small group of adventurous, proud Englishmen; the harsh and lonely Canadian wilderness; and gold fever. Unfortunately the gold was never a topic. The Canadian wilderness with its extreme weather, beautiful landscapes, and abundant wildlife, was only passively mentioned in very small detail. And as for the characters- the only ones you really liked died, with very little discussion ( this did not bother me because I know reality has to play into a book of this sort). And the one character you truly begin to despise lives long enough to cause one of the worst endings to novel I have ever read. One mans pride- excuse me, stupidity- killed the most admirable characters in the novel, then went home as soon as he accomplished the task. I have never been so frustrated in my life with a book.
Rating:
Summary: incredible disappointment
Review: First I want to say that I am a big fan of Mr. Michener. "Mexico" may be my all time favorite book. So you can imagine my disappointment at finding a book that had so much potential that went absolutely no where. What a basis for a story. A small group of adventurous, proud Englishmen; the harsh and lonely Canadian wilderness; and gold fever. Unfortunately the gold was never a topic. The Canadian wilderness with its extreme weather, beautiful landscapes, and abundant wildlife, was only passively mentioned in very small detail. And as for the characters- the only ones you really liked died, with very little discussion ( this did not bother me because I know reality has to play into a book of this sort). And the one character you truly begin to despise lives long enough to cause one of the worst endings to novel I have ever read. One mans pride- excuse me, stupidity- killed the most admirable characters in the novel, then went home as soon as he accomplished the task. I have never been so frustrated in my life with a book.
Rating: 
Summary: journey
Review: I can't imagine what Books On Tape had in mind when they chose their reader for James Michener's books. I don't expect every performer to be as skilled and entertaining as Frank Muller, but Larry McKeever is absolutely the worst I've come across. His narration lacks life, intonation, and everything needed to hold the reader's attention. The fact that he was chosen as a narrator is outrageous.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, gripping tale.
Review: I couldn't put this story down. Like most Michener works, there is some patience required while character development occurs - but the subject matter was treated with such a neat angle. THis is a gripping tale and I found it difficult to put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, though an unengaging protagonist
Review: I had read Michener's "Hawaii" and found that enjoyable though somewhat drawn out. I had trouble starting "Chesapeake" and "Centennial," two books with apparently slow introductions that I shelved for later perusal. Journey was the best of all the Michenor books I've explored, with an engaging adventure story and great wilderness background. The tale is set in the period of the Yukon Gold Rush from 1897 to 1899 and follows the endeavors of five men; four Englishmen and their Irish servant, to reach the gold fields of Canada through a British-only route. The leader of the group, Lord Luton, is bound and determined not to venture through the United States due to his priggish snobbery and stubbornness, a misguided decision which proves to be painfully costly. The descriptions of Canadian life, its wonders and dangers are vivid and enthalling. The pitfalls of the expedition had me turning the pages rather enthusiastically, and some of the characters were quite likeable. However, I had some real problems with the protagonist of the story, Lord Luton. I disliked him so intensely that it served as a detriment to the book. Michener did a splendid job depicting this thoroughly unlikeable man in the context of the English lord with cherished rules and customs (no matter how ridiculous) but I still found him so insufferable that I found myself hoping the character would be removed from the story, and the tale would focus upon the remaining survivors. Certainly he had some good qualities such as bravery, a good work ethic, and concern for his fellow travelers, but the negative aspects of his character overwhelmed the positive. I despised the way he (and the book) referred to the Irish servant, Fogerty, the best of the bunch, as "his gilly." Throughout the tale Luton apparently learned nothing about the foolishness of his decisions and actions, nor does he reform any of his mannerisms into more reasonable modes of behavior. The sacrifices made on the journey are ever more poignant because the person responsible for them never even finds remorse for his actions.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, though an unengaging protagonist
Review: I had read Michener's "Hawaii" and found that enjoyable though somewhat drawn out. I had trouble starting "Chesapeake" and "Centennial," two books with apparently slow introductions that I shelved for later perusal. Journey was the best of all the Michenor books I've explored, with an engaging adventure story and great wilderness background. The tale is set in the period of the Yukon Gold Rush from 1897 to 1899 and follows the endeavors of five men; four Englishmen and their Irish servant, to reach the gold fields of Canada through a British-only route. The leader of the group, Lord Luton, is bound and determined not to venture through the United States due to his priggish snobbery and stubbornness, a misguided decision which proves to be painfully costly. The descriptions of Canadian life, its wonders and dangers are vivid and enthalling. The pitfalls of the expedition had me turning the pages rather enthusiastically, and some of the characters were quite likeable. However, I had some real problems with the protagonist of the story, Lord Luton. I disliked him so intensely that it served as a detriment to the book. Michener did a splendid job depicting this thoroughly unlikeable man in the context of the English lord with cherished rules and customs (no matter how ridiculous) but I still found him so insufferable that I found myself hoping the character would be removed from the story, and the tale would focus upon the remaining survivors. Certainly he had some good qualities such as bravery, a good work ethic, and concern for his fellow travelers, but the negative aspects of his character overwhelmed the positive. I despised the way he (and the book) referred to the Irish servant, Fogerty, the best of the bunch, as "his gilly." Throughout the tale Luton apparently learned nothing about the foolishness of his decisions and actions, nor does he reform any of his mannerisms into more reasonable modes of behavior. The sacrifices made on the journey are ever more poignant because the person responsible for them never even finds remorse for his actions.
Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Read
Review: I have read many of Michener's books and when he was alive he was a very famous and beloved author. He made his name writing the epic 1000 page regional story that could weave centuries of history to create a masterpiece about one region or group of people. Here he breaks the mold and writes a short book just around 250 pages long and it is esentially one story, not the weave that we were accustomed to receiving from him. When I bought the book I was at first a little suprised that it did break the formula but having said that the book is not bad and I was held by the story. Quick light read and fairly entertaining. Three or four stars. Solid job but not the epic. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: It is worth it.
Review: I have read several James A. Michener books. For a book that is very short for Michener's usual fair, this is very good. Why? For this one, Michener sticks to one plot. No, you don't have his usual descriptive settings or his lengthy battle of some animal trying to survive. This book just tells the story. A very good story. The plot involves five men from Britain who go to Canada to get to the gold rush in 1897. There real mission is to get there by traveling only on British territory. No one has ever done that. As any one knows, traveling in Canada over mountains is not that easy. These five men will soon discover that the idea of adventure for the sake of honor may be a high price to pay. One of the reviews I saw for this book listed on Amazon, didn't like the idea of killing off some of the characters. One wrote that this book was depressing because of that. James A. Michener doesn't write anything without history backing him up. Killing off some of the characters proves how hard this journey really was. And, I am sure that some men did see this as an adventure not a suicidal journey. Some men just don't see the big picture. If you have never read a James A. Michener book, this could be a good one to start with. But, you have not read anything until you've read a Michener epic. Try Texas, Hawaii or Caribbean.
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