CentennialCentennial
Score Classic
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
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American WestGood 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
- Readers86 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
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. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic
More by James Michener
The Source
Hawaii
Alaska
TexasIf you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Time
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
CosmosExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Centennial worth reading?
Yes. It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became a famous TV miniseries. It ranks #425 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 79.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Centennial 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.
How long does it take to read Centennial?
About 28 hours (1105 pages), or about 8 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Centennial?
If you liked it, try The Source by James Michener, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry or Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown.