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goobdiddy's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting look at World War II in the Pacific, told via loosely connected stories from the perspective of many different characters. Until I was almost done with the book, I had no idea that this was the inspiration for the South Pacific musical! This is a gritty look at war, so it seems very incongruous that they could have used it as the basis for a fluffy musical.
It's very much a product of its time, published just a couple years after the war ended. The overt racism of some of the characters is a bit jarring for the 21st century perspective, but it's more of an observation of the 1940s, rather than advocating the attitude.
Recommended for people interested in the Pacific theater of WWII, should be skipped by people who don't want to read racist language.
It's very much a product of its time, published just a couple years after the war ended. The overt racism of some of the characters is a bit jarring for the 21st century perspective, but it's more of an observation of the 1940s, rather than advocating the attitude.
Recommended for people interested in the Pacific theater of WWII, should be skipped by people who don't want to read racist language.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Pulitzer Award Winner 1948
So glad I DNF'd this and came back to it at a better time. This is better read as a book of short stories, as characters are occasionally reintroduced without acknowledgement of their previous introduction, and the chapters do not necessarily connect without narrative pause. However, it is an interesting picture of life in the South Pacific during World War II. This is so different from Michener's later, patterned novels, but one enduring characteristic is his portraiture of a place through stories told from various viewpoints and over time.
*Previous Review* I've enjoyed what I've read so far, but this book is just too dense and long for me at the moment, and I have too many other books chomping at the bit. I'll be back to it, but hopefully with an edition not quite as compact next time around.
So glad I DNF'd this and came back to it at a better time. This is better read as a book of short stories, as characters are occasionally reintroduced without acknowledgement of their previous introduction, and the chapters do not necessarily connect without narrative pause. However, it is an interesting picture of life in the South Pacific during World War II. This is so different from Michener's later, patterned novels, but one enduring characteristic is his portraiture of a place through stories told from various viewpoints and over time.
*Previous Review* I've enjoyed what I've read so far, but this book is just too dense and long for me at the moment, and I have too many other books chomping at the bit. I'll be back to it, but hopefully with an edition not quite as compact next time around.
brynncmoynihan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
spauffwrites's review against another edition
3.0
Not at all like the musical South Pacific, but interesting in parts. I liked the stories about the people more than the descriptions of the battles and strategy, and the stories that featured characters I was familiar with -- the chapter featuring Lt. Cable was one of my favorites. The ending also really got to me. A very slow read, but that could have more to do with Michener's style - it's not my cup of tea.
kari13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
snutedute's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Racist and sexist af
megelsewhere's review against another edition
5.0
Please don't judge this by its musical (I almost did- expected something frothier and was very nicely surprised). It's a collection of vaguely connected short stories arranged around the planning of a major US offensive in the second world war, and it makes my top five. Each story manages to be interesting and thoughtful and hopeful and observant of all the small things that make people do what they do.
I haven't managed to get through anything else by Michener yet, though. It's possible (and if true, well worth it) that he gave this his everything.
I haven't managed to get through anything else by Michener yet, though. It's possible (and if true, well worth it) that he gave this his everything.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
5.0
"Tales of the South Pacific" was the first published work of James Michener, who may well be the greatest story teller of the 20th Century. The novel is actually a collection of short stories, linked together by a set of characters serving on a small island in the South Pacific during World War II. I loved this book, mostly because it is what may be the anti-thesis of the war novel. This book does not read like the first 20 minutes of the movie "Saving Private Ryan". It recognizes, as many veterans can attest, that often service in wartime is not as much characterized by violence and heroism as it is by boredom and ennui.
In this novel Michener explores a wide array of characters - female nurses and clerks, naval officers and crewmen, Marines on their way to great conflicts like Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and natives such as the French and Vietnamese workers on the local plantations, missionaries and also the descendents of the characters from "Mutiny on the Bounty". The interactions are fascinating, and it is interesting how much of the legwork of the victory in the Pacific was accomplished, not by the force of arms, but by diplomacy, ingenuity and just plain determination. This is not the kind of novel that one would expect to be written on the war in the Pacific, and that is the beauty of it. After reading it, I really felt like I understand more what the veterans of the WWII Pacific theater veterans went through during the war.
While the novel is mostly about day to day interactions, it does discuss some stories of valor and sacrifice. One particular vingnette sticks out in my mind, in which a naval aviator tells one of the sailors on the small islands why the sailor's service on the island is invaluable to the war effort, because if the small garrison were not on the island then the Japanese would take over the island, and if that happened, then what would the aviators do when they needed to stop at the island to refuel or repair? And at the end of the book there is the story of a new runway being built by a team of crusty old SeaBees who had the opportunity to display the kind of courage seen often in the Marines hitting the beach.
I would highly recommend "Tales of the South Pacific" to anyone who is interested in WWII in the Pacific Theater, or anyone who loves a good story.
In this novel Michener explores a wide array of characters - female nurses and clerks, naval officers and crewmen, Marines on their way to great conflicts like Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and natives such as the French and Vietnamese workers on the local plantations, missionaries and also the descendents of the characters from "Mutiny on the Bounty". The interactions are fascinating, and it is interesting how much of the legwork of the victory in the Pacific was accomplished, not by the force of arms, but by diplomacy, ingenuity and just plain determination. This is not the kind of novel that one would expect to be written on the war in the Pacific, and that is the beauty of it. After reading it, I really felt like I understand more what the veterans of the WWII Pacific theater veterans went through during the war.
While the novel is mostly about day to day interactions, it does discuss some stories of valor and sacrifice. One particular vingnette sticks out in my mind, in which a naval aviator tells one of the sailors on the small islands why the sailor's service on the island is invaluable to the war effort, because if the small garrison were not on the island then the Japanese would take over the island, and if that happened, then what would the aviators do when they needed to stop at the island to refuel or repair? And at the end of the book there is the story of a new runway being built by a team of crusty old SeaBees who had the opportunity to display the kind of courage seen often in the Marines hitting the beach.
I would highly recommend "Tales of the South Pacific" to anyone who is interested in WWII in the Pacific Theater, or anyone who loves a good story.
tamaralgage1's review against another edition
3.0
It is worth reading to see what was worth a Pulitzer Prize 2 yrs after the end of WW II. Compared to just about anything else, I did not really like the book. The dialogue dragged. Initially I thought I was reading short story for each chapter. Then several chapters later a character arrives from earlier in the book. The stories seem to be very disjointed. In the end I was just confused and just wanted the book to end.