The Covenant by James A. Michener

Overview and Review of The Covenant by James A. Michener

Category: Books

Genre: Fiction

Author: James A. Michener

Page Count: 1235 pages.

A long saga of families of different descent.

• Nxumulo’s from the Zulu clan (blacks), who are inhabitants of a peaceful village unchanged for centuries until Dutch settlers intertwined with them.
• Tha Java-born Van Doorn’s who were separated into two clans. The Trianorn Van Doorn and the Boer (Voortrekkers) Van Doorn.
• Saltwoods of Salisbury, England… who were wealthy spice merchants, missionaries, and settlers of South Africa… and later a Saltwood from America.

This is about how South Africa came to be where different people fought for the land.

The Dutch settlers who came to be the Boers led by the Van Doorns fought against the English when they were oppressed, fought against the Xhosa’s (black tribe), and later the whole black colony.

First part talks pretty much about slavery. The Boers always believed that they were brought by God in covenant to keep the place away from other people (English, Blacks and Coloureds) and defend it no matter what like the Israelites. They believe their society should be in order, and that certain people, like whites were to rule and others like the blacks were to serve and be slaves forever. Things gradually change… views…. from farming to mining to sports to diamonds and more.

Opinion: I have sided from one family to another most of the time because as new generations their ways and beliefs does not change while the world does…. and some are not applicable to the present life they have. The Dutch here were pretty much racists and even thought those Hottentots and Bushmen (they killed ALL the bushmen) were not humans. Tsk…. Tsk.. My heart ached for the unjust ways of treating the blacks and coloureds in the end…. *sigh*