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Summary: Mixed messages in this escapist tale.
Review: I read this book while on vacation in Aruba. I enjoyed the escapist theme and the amusing mis-adventures of the overworked New Yorker quitting it all to live in the caribbean. The narrative was compelling and the chracters very entertaining -- a real "page turner." I was put off by what I perceived as some racial stereotypes and pretty strong anti-gay sentiment. For example, when an attractive former film star's affair w the black governor of the island is finally revealed it shocks the hero into quitting the island and the affair is labeled "the ugly little secret." The anti-gay language is strong and persistent. The book was written in the mid '60s, and I know little of Mr. Wouk and his attitudes, so I don't want to wrongly accuse him. I would be grateful for e.mails advising me whether I am mis-reading these themes, or if there is some documented prejudices on his part. Thank you.
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Summary: "Heaven Can Turn Into Hell"
Review: ...to quote the Buffett Musical that popularized the story with many Parrot Heads. A terrific tale that keeps your attention from cover to cover, I read it while in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and it made me reconsider the urge to relocate and become a permanent beach bum! Wouk's characterization of U.S. culture meeting that of the West Indies was poignant and makes the reader take another look at life in general...
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Summary: Especially for Jimmy Buffet fans.
Review: Totally entertaining for those who listen to and love Jimmy's CD of the same title. A great book to "lose" yourself in.
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Summary: There's more to this book than meets the eye
Review: Herman Wouk lived in St Thomas back in the 50's and it is generally believed that Don't Stop the Carnival was based (in part) on real people who were living on the island at that time. In fact when the novel was published he became a persona non grata in some circles. New arrivals to the Caribbean are always advised to read this book, which provides a most insightful look into how things worked down there - and still do. A very funny yet ultimately sad story, this is a story that is hard to put down.
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Summary: A Plodding Comedy of Errors
Review: I, too, read Mr. Buffett's stage adaptation before seeking out this novel, and have to say I was somewhat dissapointed. The strength of the play had been its rapid pace: the main character, Norman Paperman, spent much of his time spinning in place as things collapsed around him, and the audience was kept on ther toes as situations developed and concluded themselves in rapidity. This very pace is lacking in the novel, however. The story is a simple one: a man from New York buys a tropical resort and desperately tries to keep it under control as one disaster after another occurs around him. But the tale of Mr. Paperman does not warrant the near four hundred pages alloted to it. The story tends to plod along between disasters, which happen so often that the reader soon becomes desensitized to them. At about two hundred pages, my patience for the character's activities bottomed out, and it was all I could do to finish the novel. The saving grace here is the characters themselves, who, in the odd scene where they're allowed to actually develop without the intrusion of a flood, water shortage, or car accident, are colorful and entertaining, with dialogue that is often far more clever than the story itself.That story is one wrought with inconsistencies, and plagued by trivialities. It jumps through some sections too quickly, yet goes into puzzling detail at others. The story seems, at points, more like an anecdote than a novel, with bits left in that don't advance the plot, but seem to exist for completeness of a historical account. I found myself wondering at times whether some events here did happen, and if not, why did Mr Wauk bother to create them? To top things off, the end is astonishingly abrupt, and seems in a way to offset the very meaning of the rest of the novel. The story screams for a final chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book is a must for anyone visiting the Caribbean! Norman Paperman decides to leave New York to start running a small hotel in the Caribbean. The ideal turns to strife when the layed-back attitude of the Caribbean starts to cause him problems; his bartender runs away, the cistern runs out of water (and then collapses after a heavy rainfall), the chamber maids run away, his builder leaves him half-way through construction of some new rooms, but Norman manages to overcome all these hurdles and more! The book highlights the attitudes and dificulties of living and working in the tropics; just because you are used to things working in civilisation, doesn't mean they will work the same way here!
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Summary: A MUST READ
Review: I was so inspired by Jimmy to read and I did. I absolutely loved it. It told about a man who did what everyone wants to do, live on a beutiful tropical island. But what don't think about is that how much of a nightmare it can become. If you read this book, be sure to get the CD by Jimmy Buffet to listen to while reading.
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Summary: A Great Story
Review: Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival" is a great joyride from the first page to it's unexpected ending. I would suggest it to any serious reader in the mood for a good tale...
Rating:
Summary: Don't Stop The Carnival
Review: I had to hear Jimmy Buffet's take on this book before I was pursuaded to buy it.The first word that comes to mind is,CUTE.Mr.Paperman had to be a moron,so thank god it is a story.So,so good,typical of Mr.Wouk,vivid and poiniant.He takes you on a journey to fairy land,sets you up then,pop,reality check.One of thoes authors who grabs you and will not let you put the book down until you are finished reading it.Excelent read.
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Summary: Don't Stop the Carnival
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read and I like to consider myself somewhat well-read. Herman Wouk has developed characters that truly come to life. You will not be able to put this book down. You will be compelled to keep reading wondering to yourself "What else could possibly go wrong?". Despite the moral of the story, you'll want to run right out and purchase a Carribean hotel. When you're done reading, listen to Don't Stop the Carnival by Jimmy Buffett. The CD doesn't make any sense until you read this book.
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