Rating: 
Summary: a great "get away from life" book
Review: Herman Wouk has written a novel about everyone's dream... getting away to the tropics and leaving the world behind. Norman Paperman, the main character, does just this when he buys a hotel in Amerigo. Being a Parrothead, I had to read this book to see what all the hubbub was about. I was not disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: You had to be there.
Review: On target at capturing the nuances of life in the islands. What some may not know is that Wouk wrote the novel while he was living in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was not well received there by locals as his characters may have resembled some. Later he moved. It is a cult classic there among many who live or lived (self) there for awhile.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly, a disappointment.
Review: As a Parrothead (Jimmy Buffett fan) I was anxious to read one of JB's favorite books which is the basis for his "Don't Stop the Carnival" musical (with Wouk writing the stageplay). Unfortunately the story is predictable and shallow. The novel reads more like a long short story with a lack of depth and a difficulty in identifying with the characters. I loved some of Wouk's later novels so much I was let down. I did enjoy the island descriptions which transported me to this imaginary island. Wouk's skills are visable but the story is weak. Could he have written this when he was in grade school?
Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: Required reading if you intend to start up a business (especially a resort) in the Caribbean, eh Chaz?
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for Parrotheads!!
Review: I sought after this book , upon hearing that Jimmy Buffett was writing the music for a broadway produced play, based on the book.The characters are well written and humorous throughout the novel.The descriptions of the island made me want to get on a plane and find a tropical hotel. GREAT BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Escapism
Review: A classic tale describing "a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Wouk spins a yarn that is both humorous and tragic. Don't Stop the Carnival is one of the few books I have read more than once. Aditionally, this is a must read for Parrotheads.
Rating:
Summary: A comedy of errors in Carribean time, mon!
Review: After traveling the Carribean, you
realize those folks march to a different
beat. Time is not very important in the
land of sun and azure seas unless you are a transported New Yorker trying to
buy and run a broken down hotel on a small tourist resort island. A must
read if you have ever dreamed of
shucking it all and moving to the islands
to live "happily ever after!"
Rating:
Summary: "Don't Stop The Carnival" - Comedy With A Message
Review: I read this book as a teenager when it first came out in 1965, and then picked up a copy of it a while ago and reread it. Amazing what a few decades can do to one's perspective. How many mid-life crises have many of us gone through in which we dreamed of leaving big city stress to find the perfect, ideal life in some remote, exotic place? (This book, if you will, turns up the lights at closing time and lets you see what people really look like!) So, Carnival's Norman Paperman goes though his mid-life fantasy on a Caribbean island, and, predictably, things are not as perfect or as ideal as expected. That's why this book holds up so well after 40 years: it's entertaining and has a message. At nearly 400 pages, it moves amazingly fast, thanks to Herman Wouk's skill as a writer. Definitely worth the time, especially if you harbor any of the main character's desires for the perfect escape.
Rating:
Summary: Classic From 1965 Still Best of the Beach Books
Review: You'll be humming "Carn-nee-val is very sweet, Please don't stop de Car-nee-Val" as you eagerly read this most enjoyable Herman Wouk novel. The amusing tale of New York public relations man Norman Paperman centers on a universal dream---quitting the rat race, escaping to the sunny Caribbean to loll about in the sunshine amidst scantily-clad beauties, and be the King of one's own alcohol-induced domain. Norman is swept into the realization of his mid-life crisis when exuberant Lester Atlas presents him with a fait accompli---money to become an island innkeeper, supervising one of the most charming money-makers on the fictional island of Amerigo. Norman soon discovers being an innkeeper is fraught with peril, but his misadventures will leave you laughing and longing for a quick trip to sunny Paradise. Many characters propel this book, each charmingly depicted as only a great storyteller like Wouk can. From the reclusive Iris Tramm, to the all-forgiving Henny Paperman and her nubile daughter Hazel, to the outrageous Hippolyte, and most especially the native Kinjans who give this novel a charm most realistic yet alarming, the reader is swept into life on an island paradise that is at once heaven and hell. Can Norman forget his successful New York career and make the transition to a change in latitude and attitude? Will phrases like "We be jammin', mon" erase the bitter cold of a New York winter and the thousand indignities a pr man must suffer? Will his penchant for extra-marital affairs be his undoing? Will a long-ago girlfriend's dark secret shock him? Put on the suntan oil and read while you bake for an experience everyone should have at least once. By the way, the book is not complete until you also listen to the CD from the musical that Jimmy Buffett and Herman Wouk collaborated on. It may not have been the toast of Broadway but it is the perfect accompaniment to a reading of this book.
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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.
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