Review by oceanwriter - The Caine Mutiny

oceanwriter 's review for:

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

4.5

adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

After reading The Winds of War duology by Herman Wouk over a year ago, I was curious to read more by him. Although his writing is slow to build, it does not disappoint.

Willie Kieth joins the Navy after college. He’s still very much a boy, unsure of his future, stringing along his girlfriend, May Wynn, unable to reconcile their differences in backgrounds. He struggles through his training, but is committed. Eventually, he lands an assignment on the USS Caine.

Under Lieutenant Commander De Vriess, the Caine is in need of order. Enter Captain Queeg. Though he is by the book and whips the men into shape, it becomes apparent that there is more to Queeg’s scrupulosity. When a typhoon hits, Lieutenant Steve Maryk, Lieutenant Tom Keefer, and Willie Kieth remove Queeg from command. The Caine is saved, but the mutiny ends in a court-martial.

For a while, I was just waiting for the book to be over because I didn’t care much for Willie, and it was so slow to build. But once I got to the strawberries… I was so curious to see how everything was going to play out. Then, when I saw that Humphrey Bogart played Queeg in the film, I could so easily envision the character. As tempted as I was to jump into the film before I finished the book, I held off, and I look forward to watching it now that I’m finished.

Content Warnings