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zwsimon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ipb1's review against another edition
5.0
An absolute masterpiece. A narrative of such deceptive simplicity it almost blinds you to the Shakespearian scope of his characterisation. I can't help but think it would make a fantastic movie.
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An in-depth look at the life of a young officer who joins the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army in WWII. The writing drew me in (once I got used to the dated style) and I needed to keep reading to see what was happening with these characters.
The book begins with the naive officer’s training, takes him through tedious duty in the Pacific under two reviled captains, describes the terrifying experience of being in a typhoon and under a kamikaze attack, and ends with the decommissioning of the rattletrap ship that amazingly made it through the war. Throughout there’s a side story of a forbidden romance with a girl back home.
By today’s standards, the racism and misogyny are unacceptable - at the time this was written, the WASP* outlook was prominent. Interestingly, the Jewish author wrote some pretty insulting bits about Jews, clearly reflecting his experience. *WASP = White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
The characters are fully developed and the Navy jargon and lifestyle are explained without sounding condescending to the layman. Despite knowing nothing of the Navy and the Pacific Theater in WWII, I always knew what was going on and what it meant.
I loved the book up through the court-martial. After that, the plot went in a different, more realistic, direction than I’d expected. It disappointed me but that wasn’t a fault of the book. The author was prolific; now I need to decide if I want to read his two 800-page WWII novels that followed twenty years later.
The book begins with the naive officer’s training, takes him through tedious duty in the Pacific under two reviled captains, describes the terrifying experience of being in a typhoon and under a kamikaze attack, and ends with the decommissioning of the rattletrap ship that amazingly made it through the war. Throughout there’s a side story of a forbidden romance with a girl back home.
By today’s standards, the racism and misogyny are unacceptable - at the time this was written, the WASP* outlook was prominent. Interestingly, the Jewish author wrote some pretty insulting bits about Jews, clearly reflecting his experience. *WASP = White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
The characters are fully developed and the Navy jargon and lifestyle are explained without sounding condescending to the layman. Despite knowing nothing of the Navy and the Pacific Theater in WWII, I always knew what was going on and what it meant.
I loved the book up through the court-martial. After that, the plot went in a different, more realistic, direction than I’d expected. It disappointed me but that wasn’t a fault of the book. The author was prolific; now I need to decide if I want to read his two 800-page WWII novels that followed twenty years later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cascadienne's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book. I even think it's a better coming-of-age story than The Catcher in the Rye. But I don't find myself wanting to gush about it to fellow readers. The procedural, day-in/day-out of wartime life at sea set up a good framework against which the characters stood in relief and in which the extraordinary situations highlighted the best and worst characteristics of all involved. Willis's arc is fantastic, and the ending was perfect. But overall, I don't think this is going to be one of my top reads this year.
dmcohen78's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
paulataua's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been meaning to get around to reading this book that give birth to the classic movie of the same name for so long. I have to admit that it has all the feel of a classic novel and the central theme was one that has relevance today, but I felt it just took so long to get there. I was surprised by the amount of time was spent on Willie Keith’s early life and his relationship with the working-class May. I was also surprised that we didn’t even board the Caine until almost half way through. Good it might be, but stellar it is not, at least not for me .
docfaustus's review against another edition
5.0
Really need to re-read this one more often. Notice something new every time I do.
karen_barrington's review against another edition
5.0
I'm actually not sure where to start... I loved it. I was engrossed. I found it easy to get wrapped up in each and every one of the characters.
*Spoilers within:
The interesting thing was, as I was reading I was constantly quizzing my Navy friend about terms but also on what he would have done under the circumstances. I was surprised that even in a hypothetical conversation about a book he was hard pressed to commit a response. I guess it's the difference between a civilian reading and an officer reading the book. I was emotional and all over the place with my opinions; first, I was rock solid sure Queeg should have been removed from duty, then I floundered during the leave, then I was convinced again during the trial and finally I felt shame at Greenwald's final speech and only to come to the same opinion of my Navy friend, "The CO is the CO is the CO". So in that regard I suppose the reader's journey is the same as Willie Keith's.
*Spoilers within:
The interesting thing was, as I was reading I was constantly quizzing my Navy friend about terms but also on what he would have done under the circumstances. I was surprised that even in a hypothetical conversation about a book he was hard pressed to commit a response. I guess it's the difference between a civilian reading and an officer reading the book. I was emotional and all over the place with my opinions; first, I was rock solid sure Queeg should have been removed from duty, then I floundered during the leave, then I was convinced again during the trial and finally I felt shame at Greenwald's final speech and only to come to the same opinion of my Navy friend, "The CO is the CO is the CO". So in that regard I suppose the reader's journey is the same as Willie Keith's.
themaggiemch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. The story was fine while reading it, but reflecting back, not much happened for a 700 page book. It reminded me a lot of "The Cruel Sea" because both books take place on a Navy ship in WWII, but I think I liked "The Cruel Sea" better.
To give a short summary of the book, Willie Keith is stationed on a rinky-dink minesweeper ship with a captain who is kinda a jerk. Eventually him and his friends mutiny and then they have to go to court, where the entire story up to this point gets retold again. That's basically it. Like I said... it was fine, but definitely not one I'd read again.
To give a short summary of the book, Willie Keith is stationed on a rinky-dink minesweeper ship with a captain who is kinda a jerk. Eventually him and his friends mutiny and then they have to go to court, where the entire story up to this point gets retold again. That's basically it. Like I said... it was fine, but definitely not one I'd read again.
mollykduncan's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adored The Henry Family series ([b:The Winds of War|21484|The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1)|Herman Wouk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442187661l/21484._SY75_.jpg|1936731] and [b:War and Remembrance|42986|War and Remembrance (The Henry Family, #2)|Herman Wouk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422331351l/42986._SY75_.jpg|376293]), so I was eager to read this. After all, this is the book for which he won a Pulitzer, so it must be even better, right? And a novel about a mutiny on a navy ship, that has to be an amazing story, right? But I'm still leaving the Henry books near the top of my favorites list, while this book, although a really good story, is somewhat further down.
Maybe this is just Wouk's style, but this book is loooong. I like long books, but if you go into this one expecting to read about a mutiny, you should settle in for a looooong exposition. And then the mutiny. And then what seems like an entirely different book about the court martial, complete with a new character who basically becomes the protagonist for about a fifth of the book, and then disappears altogether. And then a hundred pages or so of making you rethink all the opinions you've formed about everyone and everything, and tying up some other loose ends. It's good, but it's not a very modern idea of pacing.
But I think this is the kind of book that sticks in your head for a long time afterward, because it's so complex and real, and that's my favorite kind of story. So really my only criticism is that I went in thinking this might be even better than one (two) of my brand new favorites, and instead it was only really really good.
Maybe this is just Wouk's style, but this book is loooong. I like long books, but if you go into this one expecting to read about a mutiny, you should settle in for a looooong exposition. And then the mutiny. And then what seems like an entirely different book about the court martial, complete with a new character who basically becomes the protagonist for about a fifth of the book, and then disappears altogether. And then a hundred pages or so of making you rethink all the opinions you've formed about everyone and everything, and tying up some other loose ends. It's good, but it's not a very modern idea of pacing.
But I think this is the kind of book that sticks in your head for a long time afterward, because it's so complex and real, and that's my favorite kind of story. So really my only criticism is that I went in thinking this might be even better than one (two) of my brand new favorites, and instead it was only really really good.