Volume I - The historical novel Caribbean (1989), written by James A. Michener, depicts the history of the Caribbean region from the time of the classical Mayans... The Caribes (caríbales) -- agressive cannibals and savage warriors against their "pacific" rivals: the Arahuacos (Arawaks) and the Guanahatabeyes original tribes from Cuba and the Islands... It mixes fact and fiction as Michener notes in the foreword. For example, the story about the island of All Saints is purely fictional, though the book's map shows it as an island in the location of Saint Lucia'.'
'The Caribbean islands, which have seen pirates, bloody slave revolts and the Cuban revolution, are chronicled in this blend of fiction and history. "While the pace is sometimes achingly slow, the dialogue stilted and the characterization skimpy, Michener laces the whole with fiery Caribbean drama'.' |...| 'In this acclaimed classic novel, James A. Michener sweeps readers off to the Caribbean, bringing to life the eternal allure and tumultuous history of this glittering string of islands. From the 1310 conquest of the Arawaks by cannibals to the decline of the Mayan empire, from Columbus’s arrival to buccaneer Henry Morgan’s notorious reign, from the bloody slave revolt on Haiti to the rise of Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Caribbean packs seven hundred dramatic years into a tale teeming with revolution and romance, authentic characters and thunderous destinies. Through absorbing, magnificent prose, Michener captures the essence of the islands in all of their awe-inspiring scope and wonder'.'
[Praise for Caribbean] “Michener is a master.”—Boston Herald
“A grand epic . . . [James A. Michener] sympathizes with the struggles of the region’s most oppressed, and succeeds in presenting the Caribbean in its rich diversity.”—The Plain Dealer.
“Remarkable and praiseworthy . . . utterly engaging.”—The Washington Post Book World.
“Even American tourists familiar with some of the serene islands will find themselves enlightened. . . . In Caribbean, there appears to be a strong aura of truth behind the storytelling.”—The New York Times.