Rating: 
Summary: Slanted Ride...
Review: I had to keep in mind that this book was copywritten in 1965.The book had a strong, offensive undertone to it - the constant reference to a person was clearly written. Everyone was simply a person but for those characters that were termed "negro." There was a banker, a realtor, a lawyer. That was all the reader needed to know. Then there was a negro banker, a negro realtor, a negro lawyer. The constant reminding of which characters were and weren't was tiresome. Some of the social commentary and the exaggerations of island dialects were also deplorable. The story followed interesting developments and turns. I spent a short time in the USVI and made friends who have homes in these islands and found much that familiar in this book. So while it is true that island time is different than mainland, that attitudes are different and can be frustrating when you are fresh from a hurry-up-rush-rush-rush environment... it is still a strange book to read and seems to have a definite and antiquated feel to it. I did take time to look up singing star Maxine Sullivan and order a "greatest hits" CD of her tunes circa 1937. And I am always impressed by Edna St. Vincent Millay whose poetry is quoted within the book... Worth a read, but keep your perspective firmly in the present.
Rating: 
Summary: Excerpt - A Poor Sell!
Review: If the first 23 pages of this book gives any indication as to the rest of it, I would never buy this book. Aside from being boring, it reads like a typical racist and ethnocentric account of a so called "third world" country -from a white man's view. Why can these accounts never be balanced? From reading the excerpt, you get the idea that the Caribbean is nothing but sand and surf, beautiful, but filled with ignorant, lazy natives who need the benefit of the white man and his ways. If this what Herman Wouk really thinks of the Caribbean and his people, he really doesn't know a thing about us!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Stop The Carnival
Review: Herman Wouk's tale of a New Yorker turned Caribbean Inn Keeper has special meaning to me. I was born in NYC and I took a job in the USVI in 1999. Although this story is set almost 50 years ago, not much has changed on the island of St. Thomas! I wish I had read this book BEFORE I moved to "paradise"...
Rating:
Summary: Wouk in the West Indies: painfully funny..
Review: "Don't Stop the Carnival", a rare comedy by the always talented Herman Wouk, chronicles the travails of a middle-aged Jewish man who wants to start his life afresh as the owner of a hotel on a (ficticious) sleepy West Indies island. Everything seems to go wrong, but eventually through ingenuity and luck (and the "carnival spirit") all turns out well in the end. Wouk observes the island lifestyle, warts and all, with great accuracy. A very enjoyable read: comedy and pathos are well-blended. However the book has its quirks. Firstly, it is rather dated. You can tell when he refers to JFK airport as Idlewild airport. Also, Herman Wouk takes great effort to tell the reader that the leading character is Jewish ... and is seemingly paranoid about it. While perhaps this is somewhat characteristic of Jewish Americans back then, I suspect this is more of a personal trait of the author being expressed into this character (..Herman Wouk is a noted author on Judaism and Zionism). I found it to be a bit over the top, but not really bothersome. Bottom line: a well-observed comic novel. And as always, Herman Wouk writes the most readable prose.
Rating:
Summary: It's absolutely true!
Review: Herman Woulk's creation of the island of Amerigo captures the essence of island life very vividly. Mr. Paperman's experiences are sometimes tragically funny, and the characters that surround him are odd and frustrating and completely bizarre at times. As a resident of the Virgin Islands, I can say that Herman Woulk has painted a very clear picture of what it is to live here, just as perfectly as "A Year in Provence" portrays the people of that region. This book is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end, but if it makes you itch to pack your bags, read it again! This is like a handbook of what to expect when you arrive, and although some scenes may be very funny, imagine them happening to you!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Account of Living in the Tropics
Review: Jimmy Buffett's CD attracted me to this book. The book is highly entertaining the entire way through-there are no slow parts to be found. Mr. Wouk paints a picture of life on a Carribean island that is funny, amusing and engaging, all the while being completely believable. From the ever-present difficulties at the Club to the host of interesting characters Norman Paperman meets along the way, the story is great. For anyone who has travelled to similar islands or even less developed countries, this story is, in a strange way, very believable. This is certainly required reading for the Beach. But even if you're just looking for a great novel to transplant you to another world-this is a perfect choice. Anyone who reads this book will find himself, at least once, wishing he were the one running the Gull Reef Club.
Rating:
Summary: The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful!
Review: My review title (Buffett lyrics) would make you understand why Norman Paperman went and did what many people would like to do. Leave it all for life in St. Somewhere!!! The book was very funny and one you could not put down easily. I hope the play makes it to Broadway with a different ending. A must for Jimmy Buffet fans.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book has everything. It is full of the hot, crazy island plot that you can only imagine. It is a wonderful story that is very entertaining and really a vividly written book with good character development. It will keep you entertained as well as make you think of buying that Gull Reef Club and try your hand at the islands.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Stop the Carnival
Review: I love this book. This book has a great story on the surface. Also, there are a lot of underlying messages that will be picked up on a closer read. This book shows us that we could live out our "ID" if we wanted. What's to stop us? I also believe that this book hits the nail on the head as far as descibing islanders. Islanders do not act the same as people who live on the mainland. Mr. Wouk paints a picture so well that I felt I was there at the hotel watching what was going on. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This book was not only entertaining, it teaches many lessons about life that can't be found in most of today's novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for an adventure that just can't afford to drop his or her whole life like Norman did.
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