In this classic novel, James A. Michener brings his grand epic tradition
to bear on the four-hundred-year saga of America's Eastern Shore, from
its Native American roots to the modern age. In the early 1600s, young
Edmund Steed is desperate to escape religious persecution in England.
After joining Captain John Smith on a harrowing journey across the
Atlantic, Steed makes a life for himself in the New World, establishing
a remarkable dynasty that parallels the emergence of America. Through
the extraordinary tale of one man's dream, Michener tells intertwining
stories of family and national heritage, introducing us along the way to
Quakers, pirates, planters, slaves, abolitionists, and notorious
politicians, all making their way through American history in the common
pursuit of freedom.
Praise for Chesapeake
"Another of James Michener's great mines of narrative, character and
lore."--The Wall Street Journal
"[A] marvelous panorama of history seen in the lives of symbolic
people of the ages . . . an emotionally and intellectually appealing
book."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Michener's most ambitious work of fiction in theme and scope."--The
Philadelphia Inquirer
"Magnificently written . . . one of those rare novels that are
enthusiastically passed from friend to friend."--Associated Press
