Oceania Books

This book is a good survey, but if you are going to want to find the birds and are serious about it you will need a better guide than this. This however is a good reference to get you started.

As usual with the series, this book does a very good job at introducing the "essential" birdwatching sites of a huge region.
Much of it is, for better or worse, devoted to describing the two biggest and most visited countries, Australia and New Zealand. Coverage of these is good, but since there are also single country guides to them you could also use those.
Where this book really becomes invaluable is its coverage of the often little-known archipelagos of Oceania: Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. Few of these countries are often visited by birders, yet even the remotest ones, like Pitcairn, are described. Since other guides to nature reserves of these island nations are basically non-existant, descriptions and maps of remote islands and forested regions are of interest to anyone with an interest in the fauna of the Pacific.
But of course, twitchers are well served too - with lists of endemics, key sites to see each one, suggested itineraries and the like.
A worthy investment for your trip!

My father served in the Southwest Pacific also. He very rarely spoke about what he experienced there. All I knew was he was in New Guinea and the Philippines. After going through his separation papers and old photos after he died, I learned he was in the 41st Division in the same places and at the same time as the author of this book. It was well written and described what the men of my father's and the author's generation had to go through. A true soldier's story from the "Greatest Generation".

This book is a brief, but solid memoir of a soldier who fought in New Guinea and the Phillipines written nearly fifty years after the end of the war. The battle descriptions are first rate and his prose is very readable. The author is honest in admitting when his memory of events is imperfect but the years have not dimmed much. The author comes across as a likeable guy who is rightfully proud of his contribution to the "Good War".

one gem of a book. Compulsory reading for anyone interested in visiting Australia or living there! Don't look like a stunned mullet, read the Guide!

As an Aussie, I can vouch that this book is spot on. It is well written, a humerous but accurate description of Australians. You won't want to put it down. It is so good that it was used as a study text for immigrants learning English in Australia!
The only down side is that it isn't longer.

The author is a great writer. She's done a masterfull job of telling the true story. Apparantly much 'bounty' myths were often newspaper gosip & misinformation to appease powerful forces.

Very well researched audiobook with excellent narrative. Many historical points rarely mentioned by other historians of the event with a very good all round history of the events themselves. Narrative also never ceases to bore, a very important aspect of any audiobook.

Popular histories sometimes (not always, but often enough to notice) suffer from one of two things: a deliberate paring away of detail--be it description or incident--to make for easier reading or a slimmer volume, or a concerted refusal to acknowledge or explore information that does not gird the author's thesis. Caroline Alexander's The Bounty has neither condition: it is as exhaustive an examination of a single moment of history as anything I've ever read.

Which is not to say that the reading is not compelling. Alexander goes to some pains to strip away the romantic veneer covering over the facts of the mutiny and those culpable in its execution. Nor does she provide complete exoneration to Captain Bligh, who is revealed as an able, conscientious and decent man, whose few failings were amplified by a flawed crew and lack of support (mainly in the absence of marines on board The Bounty) from the Admiralty. Oddly, but appropriately for such a scholarly work, Alexander pieces together much of what is known about lead mutineer Fletcher Christian from the extant evidence, which in most cases is second hand.

The exhaustive nature of the book does tend to drag in places. The build up to court martial introduces the tiresome (no more here though than she was doubtlessly so in life) Fanny Hayward, along with detailed explanation of the members of the court martial. Interesting and ultimately useful in sorting out the fractured loyalties that defined these men and their subsequent actions, it does get to be slow reading.

But more than a story of one mutiny in the Pacific, it is a tale of a changing world, where the virgin paradise of Tahiti is imbued with the failings of the British Empire, where Nelson's final words, "thank God I have done my duty," are not the anthem of a subsequent age but an epitaph for a waning one. An epic worth reading.

Alexander gives a gripping, colorfully written true story of the mutiny on the ship Bounty in the late 18th century. Bligh's journals, along with the mutineers, combine to help tell the tale. It is a part of history I have been drawn to since I can remember. Hollywood brought it into our optic nerves. But the movie tended to romanticize how it portrayed the mutineers; almost apologetic.

The bibliography and source reference is massive. There are times where the author does not help us in understanding dialect and the meaning behind actions.

Alexander decides to begin with a summary, and the hunt for the fugitive mutineers (by the ship Pandora). We are then introduced to the Bounty (long delays leaving England's harbor) and the journey to bring back breadfruit (initiated by botanist Sir Joseph Banks). She gives us a brief background and early life of Bligh, the shipmates and the ship itself. Bligh proved to be intelligent and a good leader. Fletcher Christian (the lead mutineer) also had a promising career ahead.

There are perhaps dozens of reasons for the mutiny; the accounts vary. But the officers decline in leadership and the corruption at Tahiti are strong ones.

The final mutineers defense and sentence at the court martial draws the reader in, especially the writings of seventeen year old mutineer Peter Heywood. We find ourselves sympathizing with him. I find that even these young men had a superior intellect compared to today, and were considered "responsible" at a much earlier age. The escaped mutineers adopted an island, later to be discovered by a U.S. ship:

What they find on the island is more a garden of Eden. The descendants are Christian in faith, they are hard working, prosperous, and loving. Over time, the myths and falsities of the lives of the men of the Bounty are slowly being worked out.

"What caused the mutiny on the Bounty? The seduction at Tahiti, Bligh's harsh tongue----perhaps. But more compellingly a night of drinking and a proud man's pride, a low moment on one gray dawn, a momentary and fatal slip in a gentleman's code of discipline----and then the rush of consequences to be lived out for a lifetime."

Wish you well
Scott

Ms. Alexander's work is carefully researched and beautifully written. She also has clear biases on events and people but I'd prefer to have had her own opinions more boldly written. Nevertheless, this is a "must" history for Bounty fans.

Bligh--a man of tremendous strengths--had at least one glaring weakness. He was a man with a red hot temper. Granted--like many people given to "blowing their tops"--he got over it quickly but, unfortunately for him, some people targeted by his flare-ups had difficulty forgetting his insults. Perhaps amazingly, his crew--largely composed of very young, no doubt immature men--went through great trials before they finally broke. Even then, the majority of men remained faithful to their fallen leader, to the point of sailing with him into almost certain death.

Somewhere here we are missing some of the most important psychological aspects of the story. I try to place myself in the role of "loyal" crewman and wonder what I would have chosen on the day of the mutiny. Would I have elected almost certain death in a leaky skiff over probable survival in the Bounty? I don't really know but it would have been one Hell of a decision. Still, the majority of crewmen remained loyal and tried to pile into a rowboat with 7 inches of freeboard!

At the same time, despite Bligh's navigational skills and despite his courage, his must be regarded as a failure in leadership. I'm not sure where this failure occurred but it probably happened on Otaheite. He should have--in retrospect--been less lenient with his "men". Most of these were very young people, many only teenagers, some of whom were permitted to live amongst the Polynesians. It must have been a heady brew. They received respect that they'd never experienced in England. They obtained women, even wives, and were tatooed in displays of tribal honor. It was simply too attractive to many of these boys. Twenty-three year old Fletcher Christian should have known better but--suffering from alcohol and the pressure of obligations he no doubt felt to his Polynesian brethren--he cracked like a spoiled egg. Nowadays, psychologists would probably diagnose clinical depression and I have little doubt that Christian had "been in Hell for weeks", just as he described.

I'm not sympathetic with the mutineers. Captains--men of flesh and blood--weren't perfect and the Admiralty recognized this fact. The crew were supposed to be loyal and beyond provocation. Period. The mutinous members of the crew paid for the sins one way or another--just as they deserved. It is unfortunate that some loyal crewmen paid their price, too.

Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

This is the kind of writing/reflecting many people do while travelling and is not a "how to" type of travel guide. I've recommended this book to several thoughtful people, given it to many thoughtful teens as they begin to self-discover, and re-read the book twice. VERY nice writing, good thoughts, great ideas about humans.

The first sentence sounded promising:"In Alice Springs - a grid of scorching streets where men in long white socks were forever getting in and out of Land Cruisers - I met a Russian who was mapping the sacred sites of the Aboriginals." And indeed what follows in the next thirty or so chapters is a very readable and insightful travelogue of a British (author? archaelogist? historian?) "going bush" with Arkady Volchok, trying to learn about the mythical Aboriginal songlines. Not understandably, then, the author throws in bits and pieces of the protagonist's notebooks, which all more or less anthropological citations and thoughts from very different sources. The concept reminded me a bit of the motif in "The English Patient", where Almasy carries a copy of Herodotus' The Histories with him, adding his own notes and observations. Fortunately, in Ondaatje's novel, this remains a motif which does not disrupt the plot itself. With "The Songlines", however, I found myself flicking impatiently through the interjection-pages in order to get back to the story.

In Alice Springs the narrator called Bruce meets Arkady Volchok, an Australian citizen who is mapping the sacred sites of the Aboriginals. Arkady is fascinated by them, by their grit and tenacity and their ways of dealing with white people. Arkady speaks a couple of their languages and he is often astounded by their intellectual vigour, their memory and their capacity to survive.
It was during his time as a schoolteacher in Walbiri that Arkadi learned of the labyrinth of invisible pathways which meander all over Australia and are known to Europeans as Songlines - a way for Aboriginals to sing out the name of everything that crosses their path during their wanderings: birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes and so sing the world in existence.
When a route is suggested for a new Alice to Darwin railway line, Arkady's job is to identify the traditional landowners, to drive them over their old hunting grounds and to get them to reveal which rock or soak or ghost-gum is the work of a Dreamtime hero. Bruce is happy to join Arkady and to spend some time "out bush".
The reader of this novel learns a lot about Australia and the Aboriginals. The plot and the characters however are a bit thin. One finds it hard to sympathise with the Aboriginal figures appearing in the story. What they have to say and the way they express themselves amounts to practically nothing. It seems as though they need the white people to tell their stories and traditions.

The Songlines really captured my attention. Human ecology, cultural anthropology, human evolution, cultural imperialism, Songlines, Native Australians ("aborigines"), travels... this is a book with information about a people and a place. I enjoyed the flow and pace of the story, and I hope I learned the reality of Native Australian culture.

However, Bruce Chatwin chose to use this book to publish assorted observations, quotes, and reflections from other travels. For me (me), they affected the flow of his storytelling, my ability to focus on the theme - Australia, not nomads - and the ending. Perhaps this is a style thing, and I don't know if Chatwin applies this style in his other books.

Didn't work for me. I wanted a conclusion to his original story.

As i never wanted to go to Australia, i have to say that after reading this book i have not changed my mind, but it is not a point. It is not a book about traveling in Australia. It is more a book about walking, for example. As i like walking, i have found in this book so many great examples of what the walking is about, it is not just moving from one point on the Earth to another, it is also philosophy. And so on...this book is highly recommended for those who knows what the word "travel" means. In present time many people travel, but just a few ones deserve to be called "traveller". Bruce Chatwin is among them.

I read The Sex Lives of Cannibals, JMT's first book about Kiribati, years ago on a Palm Handheld. This second book, which I read from a conventional paperback is as good as the first.

I enjoyed both stories immensely. It is books such as these, which recount personal immersion into local cultures, that give us what television and tourist-travel books cannot.

I think that many a reader has learned more about these remote parts of Oceana from Mr. Troost than from any other source.

This is my favorite book by Maarten Troost. Perhaps this is because our family lived in both Vanuatu and Fiji (only a couple years before Maarten and his family), and so I can relate to almost every one of his adventures.

Although other reviewers did not like this book as well as his first, I feel that some of the humorous episodes are even better written than in the first book. In fact, his description of the effects of Kava is the best I have ever seen.

Highly recommended!

Maarten Troost is a wonderfully talented author. He writes so colorfully, interestingly and humorously. It was a real treat to read this book. I also read his other book, "The Sex Lives of Cannibals," and I loved that book, too!

J. Maarten Troost is the best author! I love his work. He writes how I think. Witty, intellectually sarcastic and insightful!

Troost comes across as a likeable guy, but his second travel book isn't quite as entertaining as his first. "Getting Stoned" suffers from too much exposition about the history of politics and culture in Vanuatu and Fiji. Important stuff, yes, but not what I want from Troost. He is at his best when he is in the middle of absurdly funny situations, such as when he drives a borrowed vehicle off the side of the road in the middle of nowhere or battles a giant centipede. I want more narrative from him and less exposition. Still, this book is pretty good; it's worth the read. I want to give it an extra half star.

I had expected more out of this book than I got. I suppose it was a bit off putting to be reading about a wealthy guy's travel when I couldn't afford most of what he did. I did appreciate some insights about places even though I'd have to visit them on a lower budget.

I'm off to NZ in a few weeks and was excited by the other reviews of this book. It sounded like a magical tour through a magical land. And while the stories were somewhat compelling, I found myself constantly waiting for something deeper, more profound, more passionate. The descriptions and especially the emotions in the writing were very superficial. Eventually I got tired of reading about all the wine and food and put the book down. Each day is it's own 2-4 page chapter which leaves the book with an unsettled feeling. Yes, I appreciated getting to know a little about a lot of things. But all in all, I thought the book was flat.

I wish my armchair grew wings and flew me to New Zealand, with the book's author as an engaging, enchanting guide! I followed his journey across that country and was transported into landscapes and homes he so vividly described.

This is a wonderful travel narrative: entertaining, informative, fun. As I eagerly turned pages, I felt I was taking a "virtual trip" to NZ (both North and South islands), and one that provided me a sense of familiarity when I made an actual trip there in March 2008. Dr. Elder shares his quirky observations about the people, "straying from the flock" alternative lodgings like homestays and farmstays, the country's history, the local food and wine, and some key destinations on both islands. His highlights of places to see -- like Auckland, Queenstown, Rotorua -- and activities unique to each guided me in planning my own itinerary. The only aspect of the book that proved somewhat "dated" was the reported cost of everything. Clearly, when Dr. Elder made his trip, the exchange rate was much more favorable to the US$ than it is has become in the last year or so. (For example, when he paid NZ$100 for something, it cost him less than US$50. That would translate into about US$80 in today's market.)
In summary, for anyone contemplating a trip to NZ, or just curious about this faraway land, I recommend this book as an essential part of your research and planning.

I bought this book because it was the first novel I have ever seen about New Zealand. Basically every other book has been a travel guide, some of which are useful, but none of which are a narrative of a person's experience in New Zealand. Alexander Elder is a frequent traveler to New Zealand and he relates his story of traveling from the south tip to the northernmost tip of the country over the course of eight weeks (with a few days in Fiji and Australia). He meets new people and visits old friends along the way.
I really enjoyed this book, my only issues were that I couldn't completely relate to his way of traveling. He travels in a style where laying down several hundred dollars to get a guided trip a few times in a week is no issue. I tend to be on a much more restricted budget. He also has a bit of a different attitude than myself, more strict about superb service and attention than I probably would be, but it's his story not my own :)
He does give a good impression of the hospitality that is present in most New Zealanders as well as the beauty of the land itself. I often felt like I was right along side of him during his trip.
This is a good read for anyone interested in New Zealand, especially being a tourist there. He also provides a link to his website where he posted the photos (non-professional) that he took during the course of this trip, a nice little addition to enhance the story.

I can't say enough about the honesty in this book. This book does not sugar coat, living in Paradise. When we decided to move to Hawaii, we bought the book, and read it cover to cover. It gave an excellent summation of cost of living, cultural factors, and the thing that helped us the most to cope when we did move here, was that we were warned in the book about the large centipedes and roaches that fly (both are up to 6" long, and spiders as big as your fist....it's true!! Once you get past that, life is good here, and well worth the move. If you're seriously considering moving to Hawaii, this is a must read book.

Wow - My mother purchased this book for my husband and I when we were in Hawaii getting married earlier this year. It is a fantastic book that focuses not only on the good, but also the negatives of moving to such a beautiful place.

I agree with one of the other writers who left a comment - if only every place had a guide book like this!

This is a really thorough compilation of information. Ms Polancy has done her homework. Like others, I found the book to be a bit negative, though, almost like the author was trying to convince her readers to look elsewhere for a place to live. The general ambiance of the book seemed to be well characterized by one reviewer, who said, "Hawaii's still lovely, but is fast becoming a crowded place for very rich people, leaving the rest of us to reconsider our options."

This reviewer, like Ms Polancy, speaks mainly about Maui and possibly Oahu. There is another option, where Aloha is still very much alive, people are friendly, employment opps abound and the whole Island is not on its way to being paved. It is covered in another book, "Affordable Paradise," that projects pretty much the opposite attitude from Polancy's book. Reviewers have said that they were disappointed in that it is mainly about the Big Island of Hawaii. Well, it's about "affordable" Hawaii, and that's the only part of Hawaii that still is affordable. Anyway, to read both books will give you a well-balanced view of the reality of living in Hawaii. The author of "Affordable Paradise" also devoted a whole chapter on reasons why not to move to Hawaii, pointing out that Hawaii is clearly not everyone's Paradise. We've seen enough recent transplants turn tail and return to the mainland to know that it's true.

Polancy's book includes lots of charts, statistics and other data you won't find in "Affordable Paradise."

If you add "Affordable Paradise" to your Hawaii collection, be sure to get the Third Edition. It has a lot more info and the real estate prices are fairly current.

It's cute how the new comer wants to know how only they will be affected or inconvenienced when they move to Hawaii, and not how they will affect, Inconvenience
or why most of the people of Hawaii feel or treat them the way they do!

Why not investigate why the Hawaiians and local people of Hawaii no-longer invite or welcome new-comers to Hawaii with open arms and lei?

Could it be because there are already too many that have came here that changed and impacted Hawaii's Aloha life style (that once did exist) for the worst?

In the early plantation days when the Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Puerto Rican and Portuguese came during these hard-times, they worked along-side, blended in-with and learned from the Hawaiian people, their culture and beliefs and were accepted and treated as equals without being a threat of change or being taken advantage of.

Later and present people coming to Hawaii are educated, financially well-off and flexing their U.S. rights, most being arrogant and taking advantage of the situations, resources and the now easy-times for the rich here, making the Hawaiians and local people second class citizens in their own home State.

Most new comers have no respect for the Islands Aloha and life-style and start making changes to Hawaii (by voting or complaints)

Hawaii is probably a wonderful place that I hope to visit someday like other destinations. I remember somebody I went to college with who told me that she planned to teach English in Hawaii and her husband would work in the construction trades. Once they got there, they learned that their jobs weren't enough. They started a business on the side which took up their evenings and weekends. They don't regret moving for a moment. She never finished her college training to teach and never got her bachelor's degree. As beautiful as paradise is, it is still far away from the mainland. I know people who want to pack up and move there from New Jersey but the reality is that even Hawaiians have moved to the mainland for work and more opportunities. I'm not dissing Hawaii for all it's beauty. It's paradise on earth but I don't think people think things through with such a move. For starters, you have to have money to live there or a job that pays well to afford the high cost of living. Do research in moving there, don't expect that it'll be easy. It won't. Don't think your problems won't follow you there because they will. Most important, you must take classes to be able to find work in any field. Retirement is another story but if you move anywhere, you have to do research. The book describes people who have made the move there. It's like an "aaliyah" that Jewish Americans do when they immigrate to Israel with their families. DOn't expect it to be easy, nothing in life is ever easy. Visting the islands is one thing, moving is quite another drastic step.
As far as negative, the author puts a realistic view of moving to paradise. People uproot and move thinking it would be easy. I knew a postal worker who transferred there from New Jersey only to share an apartment with four other roommates. I'm sure Hawaii is truly paradise but maybe for those who have money to afford to live so far away.
This book gave me a better understanding of the struggles even for those who have white collar jobs for less money. The cost of living in Hawaii is higher than most places. I live in New Jersey and it's just as expensive but you have the choice and opportunity to find products cheaper elsewhere.

The author interviewed over 140 residents for her book. She does not leave out crime, violence, homelessness, poverty, etc. out of this book. You won't find that information in any guide book about Hawaii. Those books are designed for tourists. This book is designed for residents or prospective residents of the islands. I think the author tries to show a realistic point of view rather than an idealistic point of view. Yes, some of us would love to pack up and move and leave our troubles behind.

But the author points out that things are not always easy on the islands.

give a review on something I havn't read, whoever made an idea like that, I give a review after I've read the book.

Witi Ihimaera, Whale Rider (Harcourt, 1987)

This relatively obscure little book exploded after being adapted into an award-winning film. The book still hasn't gotten as popular as the movie, though, and that's something of a crime against nature. I have not yet seen the movie-- I wanted to read the book first (and will likely see the movie next week)-- but I know how the whole book-to-movie thing usually goes. And it's usually a crime against nature when the book doesn't get popular even after the movie's a big hit, so I'm playing the odds on that one.

As for the book itself, it's quite a good little tale, full of a young adult kind of magic realism that's likely to make the reader, if he hasn't already, consider the link between magic realism, the literary cliché du jour, and folktales. Ihimaera gives us the Whale Rider creation myth while telling us the story of a Maori chieftain who refuses to see that his granddaughter Kuha is developing into the new chieftain before his eyes because of his traditional beliefs that a male must take the position. (Despite, we find out, the fact that women have held the position in the past. Hard-headed old sod, eh?) We spend much of our time just learning about the characters, with Ihimaera throwing in some interesting perspectives at times; for example, narrator Rawiri, Kuha's uncle, leaves New Zealand for two years to run a coffee plantation in Papua New Guinea (and this allows for some rather odd humor, as well as a blistering excoriation of modern racism in the region), and we find out about Kuha's development only through letters and phone calls for a while. Yet it is rare that Ihimaera takes his focus off Kuha for more than a paragraph or two at a time.

A lovely tale, well worth your time, whether you've seen the movie or not. *** ½

I love this movie, so I decided to read the book. As with any book on which a brilliant and well-executed film is based, it's a challenge for the reader to fall in love with the original story. The film was very faithful, and so it wasn't difficult to love this novel as well. But there are some deficiencies. First of all, the characters seem more real and dimensional in the film than the book. This is especially true of the heroine, who seems a mystical and distant child in the book, but comes off more real through Keisha Castle-Hughes' portrayal. Second, the film is much more realistic, only slightly testing the boundaries of reality and disbelief. The book is much more fantastic, though it contains more insight into the tribe's culture. And yet, the book is utterly powerful, honestly moving, and incredibly beautiful. It's a brilliant modern folk tale of a Maori tribe threatened by the modern world to hold onto its traditions. The chief (Koro) rejects his great-granddaughter Kahu who has broken the male line of succession. Koro tries desperately to maintain his tribe, reinforce the old traditions, and keep their connection with their totem animal, the whale on which their ancestor traveled to their lands. Meanwhile, Kahu desperately seeks her great-grandfather's love, not to mention acceptance. It slowly becomes obvious that Kahu--despite her gender and great-grandfather's rejection--is deeply connected to the whales and the sea (which is actually a taboo for a female to engage in), and is the salvation of her tribe. Obviously, fate and destiny care not for gender and traditions, as this girl is apparently destined for great things. It's an incredible story of family, destiny, strength, girl power, expectations, traditions, and culture. Grade: A

Like most people, I bought the book after watching the film... in fact it took me ages to find the book because here in Spain it was called "the legend of the whales". Anyway, I thought the film was very moving and since when I'm obsessed with a movie I buy also the book, I did.

The first thing that surprised me was that the girl is not called Pai, but Kahu, and second, that it was told from the uncle's perspective rather than the girl. I though it wouldn't be good because on the film the uncle is a rather minor character... and in fact, it isn't.

I found the story dull and had to make myself keep reading. The only good thing I can say is that at least it explained a lot of the myth of Paikea, which in the movie wasn't explained that much. Other than that, there wasn't anything to keep me hokked to the book.

Niki Caro is a great scriptwriter because she made a fantastic film from this rather forgettable book.

This is an excellent coming of age story for a young girl, or boy! Readers will find delightful lore and learn something of New Zealand. The movie wasn't a disappointment, though I'm glad I read the book first.
Chrissy K. McVay
author of 'Souls of the North Wind'

stay away from this edition, from this publisher. spelling errors thruout book are unacceptable. plus, print quality is so poor that parts of words are simply obliterated. to the publisher: what is the point of so many speling erors? oops, spelling errors.

I loved the movie and wanted to read the book. It answered my questions.

My first Michener novel.

I was listening to an NPR show talking about the unexpected hit that the current (2008) Broadway revival of South Pacific has been. In the show they started talking about this book, the inspiration for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. I was just finishing a book and this sparked my interest. I also heard it won a Pulitzer Prize, so I went out and picked it up.

I had never read anything by the fabled James Michener before, but this (his first book) seems a far cry from the bricks of historical fiction that would later make his name. Instead, Tales of the South Pacific is an interconnected series of short stories detailing the lives of the Naval men and women serving in the South Pacific. It covers the inactive period between the battle of Coral Sea (1942) though the landing on Kuralei (1944).

Though the main characters are in the Navy, the stories that make up the book are almost entirely land based and are about the day to day life on the islands rather than details of battle. James Michener has a real storyteller's knack for pacing and characterization. His dialog however felt very stiff and awkward. His characters actions and reactions seemed believable enough, but reading his characters speech reminded me of watching a movie from the early forties.

A couple of times he or his narrators would wax philosophic and it would come off pretty clumsy. On the other hand he was very good when he would show rather than tell about the long days of boredom or the difficulty of understanding a different culture. The best parts of the book were the bits dealing with soldiers from little Midwest towns that were in awe of the beauty of a place they'd never even heard of before the war, or showing the soldiers trying to deal with the natives they shared the islands with.

I was very put off by the racist attitude presented in the book, not by the characters but by the narrator. I understand that this is the forties and these attitudes were prevalent and would have accepted it, but the two most famous stories in this book (Our Heroine and Fo' Dolla') are about accepting other cultures. Elsewhere in the book however black soldiers or natives were portrayed in very stereo-typed or derogatory ways. I guess it seemed like Mr. Michener wasn't following his own advice.

Also, I realize that this was written just after the war, but I kept wishing that he would have been a little more descriptive of the various planes that were such an important of the stories. He would mention PBYs or F6Fs and not tell you what those were.

You are probably thinking that most of the negatives I've mentioned are unfair or due to the time the book was written. I'd suggest you check out The Caine Mutiny which was written around the same time and has none of these problems.

In the end, the book was interesting and I did enjoy it, but for me it wasn't a classic.

James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" is one
of those unforgettable books that take you into the heart of
a time and place and make you really feel it.

Written during the early dark days of the Pacific War against
the Empire of Japan (1942), it follows the adventures of
a U.S. Navy liaison man as he island-hops around American bases
besieged by the twin perils of jungle rot and marauding
enemy planes. Interesting characters abound, playing out their
roles in the great drama of war and history.

It's a winner.

The book is a good read, I quite like the format of a collection of 18 loosely related stories, each independent in its own right, but some characters reappear. This format allows one to read more leisurely and skip some if one wishes.

The writing is pretty good, with lively conversations, vivid description of the Pacific islands, and sometime humorous delivery. Literarilly I can only find two blemishes: 1. the excessive use of exclamation marks; 2. the use of military acronyms without explanations. But overall the writing is crisp, it is hard to believe it was written more than 60 years ago, it really feels very contemporary (except for the following aspect, see below). It is also hard to believe this was the author's first novel, it is quite sophisticated.

But what marred the book is the prevalent prejudice throughout the book. The other races (other than white), especially the native Pacific Island, are stupid, lazy, devious and indolent under Mr. Michener's pen. Even considering the time and circumstances, these things are not easy for one to gloss over. For this reason I cannot give it more than 3 stars.