The Covenant

A Novel

By: James A. Michener

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

Length: 58 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

James A. Michener's masterly chronicle of South Africa is an epic tale of adventurers, scoundrels, and ministers, the best and worst of two continents, who carve an empire out of a vast wilderness.

From the Java-born Van Doorn family tree springs two great branches: one nurtures lush vineyards, the other settles the interior to become the first Trekboers and Afrikaners. The Nxumalos, inhabitants of a peaceful village unchanged for centuries, unite warrior tribes into the powerful Zulu nation. And the wealthy Saltwoods are missionaries and settlers who join the masses to influence the wars and politics that ravage a nation.

Rivalries and passions spill across the land of The Covenant, a story of courage and heroism, love and loyalty, and cruelty and betrayal, as generations fight to forge a new world.

©1980 James A. Michener (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A prodigious endeavor.... Nowhere else could an American reader unfamiliar with South Africa get so full an understanding of its problems in so engaging a form." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Defense of the narrator

Any additional comments?

I felt I had to do this review after reading so many negative comments about the narrator. I read this and most of Michener's works years ago and was thrilled that they were now available on Audible. I nearly didn't get this book because of the reviews of the narrator, but because I liked the book so much I decided to take the plunge.
Indeed, at first I wasn't impressed by the narration and I even tried increasing the speed to 1.25 as someone suggested but that just sounded silly. However I stayed with it and found that after awhile I really started to get into the narrator's voice. It was kind of like having your father or an old uncle reading a book to you. He has a rich baritone and his enunciation is perfect. I know that in these days of more highly theatrical performances in audiobooks some might find this one lacking. But the vocal inflections of the different characters are there, they're just more nuanced than some other performers. The more I listened, the more I came to appreciate this narrator's excellent job in reading this book. I will not hesitate to buy other Michener books read by this narrator.

Amazing story, narrator is horrible

I am a huge fan of Michener. I read all his books as a young person and love his writing style and the historical sweep of his novels. For years I searched on Audible hopeful that the books would appear in an audio version. I could hardly contain my excitement when they began to appear. However, I think this will be the last book I download. The narrators reading style sounds like he is reading a book aloud at the library to a group on a Saturday afternoon. His voice is flat and unimaginative. The worst part is that he did absolutely no research on the correct pronunciation of common South African words. His butchering of the Afrikaans language is grating on the ears and completely destroys the narrative for me. I am so sad that this authors amazing work was put in the hands of this narrator.

Reader is not as bad as everyone says

I read a lot of reviews that excoriated the reader Larry McKeever. I listen to this entire book and I enjoyed his reading so I guess each to his own. If you refuse to listen to this book because of some reviews about for performance, then you are missing out.

This book and the storyline is majestic, amazing, beyond understanding, and he does an outstanding job at painting the picture of South Africa and its development.

Narrator ruined an excellent book!

Would you try another book from James A. Michener and/or Larry McKeever?

I've listened to a lot of books on tape, but Larry McKeever was the worst narrator I've ever heard! He was soooooo boring! I gave up listening to him because of his terrible dull, and monotone performance. So sad because I've read this book before, and it's a fantastic story!

How could the performance have been better?

Please please have someone else narrate this book!

A Must Read, but painful !

The history of South Africa done in a wonderfully entertaining manner, yet the history is so horrific - cruel suppression of non-whites, I stopped listening to the last 10 hours for several weeks before going back to it. I also started watching the movie INVICTUS just to get some relief from the horrible actions of the whites in power. The author cared about the people of South Africa.
I learned a lot about South Africa. My paternal grandmother was Dutch, and it interested me how the Dutch influence occurred in other countries, including South Africa. She passed on a love of the Bible to my Father.
The white South Africans did not understand that there is really only one race, the human race.
The white South Africans misunderstood Genesis 9:25 where Noah is quoted as saying: Cursed be Canaan. Let him become the lowest slave to his brothers.
I was disappointed the author did not correct this misunderstanding in a side commentary. Below is the correction.
The curse was because Ham's son Canaan had evidently performed some shocking act deserving of a curse. But who were Canaan's descendants? NOT BLACKS, but lighter-skinned peoples living to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. Because of their depraved practices, demonistic rites, idolatry, and child sacrifice, they came under divine judgment, and God gave to Israel the land occupied by the Canaan, Genesis 10:15-19. Not all the Canaanites were destroyed; some were put at forced labor, in fulfillment of the curse. Joshua 17:13
One of Ham's sons was Canaan, who was cursed. Ham had another son called Cush. Cush was not cursed.
From which of Noah's offspring did the blacks descend? The sons of CUSH were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca. Genesis 10:6,7.
Later Biblical references to Cush are usually equivalent to ETHIOPIA. Seba is later used when referring to another people in the eastern part of Africa and evidently close to Ethiopia.
So the Bible does NOT teach that blacks are cursed.
Another thing the old time white South Africans got wrong was they taught that the Bible said the earth was flat. WRONG. Isaiah 40:22 says There is One who is dwelling above the CIRCLE of the earth...
Job 26:7 says God is stretching out the north over the empty place, Hanging the earth upon nothing
So readers, please listen to this book for the history and story line, but where it touches on the Bible, the information contained helps understand the motivation of the South African Dutch, but it does not contain what the Bible ACTUALLY teaches.
Same with the white South Africans trying to justify their violent behavior. It is not based on true Bible knowledge.
Very glad people not so oppressed in South Africa today. Good to know what people went through.
Nelson Mandella a good Forgiver. Blacks good Forgivers. Wow!

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK,

Reader is fine.

I've listened to almost all of Michener's books read by Larry Mckeever and I think he does fine, except for an occasional misprounciation. Michener never fails to weave an interesting tale. Wish he left out some of the graphic violence.

HORRIBLE NARRATOR

Do not waste your money. He speaks like a computer. I couldn't finish.

Narrator

Any additional comments?

To fix the issue with the narrator just set the playback speed to 1.25x. Then he sounds just fine - no issues at all.

Michener = great! Narrator = LESS than mediocre

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone who has no respect for narration!

What other book might you compare The Covenant to and why?

Michener's books are great - The Source, Centennial, Hawaii, Chesapeake, Caravans, The Drifters, The Covenant are among my favourite books and have been re-read multiple times.

What didn’t you like about Larry McKeever’s performance?

I would not classify McKeever's efforts as a "performance"! Listening to him massacre a book like the "The Covenant" ranks as torture and as a literary crime. Could you not have found someone less robotic to narrate beloved books? It seems as though you chose someone you KNEW would disgust fans of Michener's classics!

Any additional comments?

Have Michener's books re-done by a narrator with respect for what he is reading!

Robotic Reading Performance

How could the performance have been better?

The reader sounded like a robot which ruined the entire experience. I love James Michener's books but it was unbearable listening.