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Summary: Loved this book!
Review: I loved this book! It is a very humorous story about a Jewish New Yorker who finds himself running a Caribbean hotel with no experience and no idea of the financial commitment he has made with his partner. Naturally, he meets a cast of eccentric characters on the island (fictionally named Amerigo) and craziness ensues. Although some of the references are dated, it's a great read and real page-turner.
I highly recommend this book for all Caribbean lovers!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible book, I'm packing my bags now
Review: I read through a lot of the other reviews posted here before deciding to post my own. For most of the readers who enjoyed Wouk's portrayal of island time and the incredible-but-realistic workings of Murphy's Law, I must nod in agreement. I found myself moving up and down with Norman, aggravating as he could be, but enjoying his triumphs and laughing at his downfalls. In the end, regardless of lessons learned, the characters still seemed somewhat static. Even Norman, for all his experiences that should have led to growth, seemed to have learned nothing. By moving back to New York, he stayed in place. That's the book's biggest weakness in my opinion. The rest of it was awesome! I saw a lot of reviews by folks who had a certain expectation of the book based on Jimmy Buffett's "recommendation". To readers coming from this perspective, please bear in mind that Wouk wrote this book a long time before Buffett even picked up a guitar. It is dated, because it should be. It's an old book. I mean, geez, how many people complain because Twain's "Following the Equator" is "dated"? Keep this in mind as you set expectations. Then appreciate the timelessness of the idea even as you enjoy the portrayal of 1959 American expatriate life. All of the things that were happening in the 50s flavor this tale, political, social, and racial. Things were different then, and to judge by modern standards is an injustice to the writer and his work. Bottom line, I hated for this book to end. For the hours it took me to read it, I was transported to tropical fantasyland...Margaritaville, if you would. I've lived in the tropics, and this book put me right back there. When it ended, I was dumped harshly back into the grey California winter.
Rating:
Summary: Margaritaville Is Real
Review: Outstanding book for any Jimmy Buffet fan or simply a fan of the carribean. Wouk uses his own brand of humor to keep your interest level up through out this book. One of the BEST fictional reads available!
Rating:
Summary: Picture Jack Lemmon as Norman Paperman
Review: Great Fun!!! I read this book at the suggestion of Jimmy Buffet. I too would pick this as one of only 10 books if stranded on a desert island.(Along with anything that Carl Hiaasen has ever written!) Very readable. As with any good writer, Wouk has a way of transporting the reader to the Island of "Amerigo" and to the Resort known as the "Gull Reef Club". I loved "Atlas" as well as "Iris". And of course mine host, the Jack Lemmonish "Norman Paperman". I found the book's ending fitting. I can't believe that more people haven't read this book! I can't wait to buy Jimmy Buffett's Soundtrack to this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Unlike many, I found this book not quite living up to expectations. It's ongoing comments about coloreds and whites mingling date the material (ok, it was written a while back) and the ending is a bit strange based on the character development and what you assume their interpersonal relationships are left me not feeling satisfied when I turned the last page. Additionally, I found much of the book predictable. Something bad happens, it gets fixed - Something bad happens, it gets fixed. Over and over until you feel like you could skip a few chapters and not be any worse off. Rather than building on each mishap, they simply repeat. Additionally, the ending simply drops characters. Whatever happened to the pregnant housemaid? Why simply... well I don't want to ruin it for you if you haven't read it. Let's just say the book finds a simple (though trite) solution for getting characters out of the book. And that left me disappointed.
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Summary: My Favorite Author
Review: For a book that had its first printing about 40 years ago, DON'T STOP THE CARNIVAL remains both fresh and plausible. The premise of a harried New Yorker dropping out of life in the Big Apple to take up inn-keeping on a tiny Caribbean island is virtually a universal fantasy in Manhattan, where everyone seems to want to do exactly that--if they're not heading up to the Berkshires instead. As hilarious as the adventures here are, they never actually cross that fine line into the implausible, quite a balance when writing fiction. DON'T STOP THE CARNIVAL is a change of pace for Mr. Wouk, who usually writes more serious books. He probably is best known for MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, but his versatility is evident in works ranging from THE CAINE MUTINY to THIS IS MY GOD, as well as the important Holocaust work, THE WINDS OF WAR and its sequel, WAR AND REMEMBRANCE. It is this versatility, combined with his elegant prose, that makes him my favorite author. For years now, it's been rumored that Herman Wouk and Jimmy Buffet are working together on a Broadway musical based on DON'T STOP THE CARNIVAL. Personally, I can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Don't stop the Carnival is a vacation without the travel. Although some of the language is dated, the story is great and the characters seem so real. It really allows the reader to escape their current place and take a trip with Norman to the tropics. Fans of fiction and fun should enjoy this wonderful novel.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for Caribbean life
Review: Despite the fact that this book was set in 1960's Caribbean, its elements are essentially true and startlingly current. I live and work in and around the Caribbean and have read this book at least twice over the years. Have also read it in parts as it suits me or as it suits my mood. It is almost required reading for any expatriate who is lured to the laid back nature of the Caribbean during a vacation trip and who ventures to think that (s)he might like to carve out a piece of it for peaceful retirement and "do some survival business" at the same time. Have often mused that travel planners and agents should offer a copy to those would-be paradise seekers. It's timeless Caribbean with all of its subtleties and raucousness! Don't think anyone has done a better job since...except perhaps Margaret Atwood's Bodily Harm.
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Summary: Escape for a while.....
Review: This was certainly what the doctor ordered since I just returned from 10 days sailing and diving in the BVI and the sweetness of the tropics was just something I wanted to hold on to and not dissipate upon returning to the Rockies. Having spent years exploring the Caribbean, particularly the US Virgins, I could not help but laugh at the seemingly improbable but totally believable events and characters that one may easily find there, from escapist ex-patriots to the disappearing Mr. Church-type men to the completely annoying and in this case, deadly custom of stopping cars in the middle of the road to chat up a friend.
I became completely enthralled with this book and had trouble putting it down. During the 5 days in which I read it, I became bedridden with a nasty virus and actually welcomed my time in bed eager to find out what next would happen to Mr. Paperman.
Well-written and quick-reading, I highly recommend this to anyone who has experienced life in our neighboring tropics! But do keep in mind, it was written in the 60's and has some dated language. But it is a truly enjoyable read!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious study of human behavior....
Review: Granted, this book may be condescending and dated, but it deals with a dream that is timeless...doesn't everyone want to "escape" to an island in the Caribbean while only envisioning sun and fun? Well, as Herman Wouk so eloquently points out, paradise sometimes comes with a price. Although the events in this book take place decades ago, the same situations could just as easily occur today. This book made me both laugh and cry. I sometimes feel like I am "Norma" Paperman myself after living down here for almost five years!! In reality, Herman Wouk only stayed here for eight years, but I think I am here for the long term. Only time will tell.
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