Helpful Score: 1
As a Navy veteran...I enjoyed this book and appreciated its authenticity and its thoroughly delightful plot...having known some skippers that nearly fit the author's description. A friend of mine recently wrote to Mr. Wouk with some insightful comments and questions and received coments from the author.
Helpful Score: 1
"The Caine Mutiny" is among the great World War II novels. The characters are diverse and well developed, the storyline riveting and you come away with a new understanding of life in the armed forces, the stress of war, and the culture of the men who "go down to the sea in ships". I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Fascinating work. Not at all the dry war novel I expected. The construction is perhaps different from anything I've encountered. Never before have I felt such a sense of being manipulated by an author...the reader's perception is shaded gently in different directions throughout the book. What seems right in one chapter may seem horribly wrong in the next, but the shift is seamless. Brilliantly written.
Helpful Score: 1
Way back in 1970, shortly before I joined the U.S. Air Force, I belonged to a mail order book club. As part of the offers from the club, I obtained a set of three WWII novels: THE NAKED AND THE DEAD, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, and THE CAINE MUTINY. These were matching volumes with red covers.
I delayed reading these for several years mainly because I was in the military for four years and then college, etc. etc. I did finally read both NAKED AND THE DEAD and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY but put off reading CAINE MUTINY until now. Both of the other novels were really great stories of WWII but I think I delayed in reading Caine because I had seen the superb movie version of the novel starring Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg and knew the plot based on it.
In any event, I'm glad I finally got around to reading the book, an excellent novel of the Navy during WWII. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1952 and in my opinion, very well-deserved. From Wikipedia: The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the moral and ethical decisions made at sea by ship captains and other officers. The mutiny of the title is legalistic, not violent, and takes place during Typhoon Cobra, in December 1944. The court-martial that results provides the dramatic climax to the plot. The plot revolves around Willie Keith, a Princeton graduate who joins the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. He is assigned to an out-dated, rusty ship called the Caine that is supposed to be used as a mine sweeper. A new Captain named Queeg is assigned to the ship who turns out to be a hard task master and somewhat psychotic. This eventually leads to the so-called mutiny when the second in command, Maryk, relieves Queeg from duty during a typhoon that is threatening the ship. And then a resulting court martial of Maryk. Was he justified in taking over command?
This novel was engrossing as it describes the working within the Navy during the war. The character development is great and it left me wanting more. I'm sure I'll be reading more of Wouk's novels, especially his War novels: THE WINDS OF WAR and WAR AND REMEMBRANCE. Very high recommendation for Caine!
I delayed reading these for several years mainly because I was in the military for four years and then college, etc. etc. I did finally read both NAKED AND THE DEAD and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY but put off reading CAINE MUTINY until now. Both of the other novels were really great stories of WWII but I think I delayed in reading Caine because I had seen the superb movie version of the novel starring Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg and knew the plot based on it.
In any event, I'm glad I finally got around to reading the book, an excellent novel of the Navy during WWII. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1952 and in my opinion, very well-deserved. From Wikipedia: The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the moral and ethical decisions made at sea by ship captains and other officers. The mutiny of the title is legalistic, not violent, and takes place during Typhoon Cobra, in December 1944. The court-martial that results provides the dramatic climax to the plot. The plot revolves around Willie Keith, a Princeton graduate who joins the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. He is assigned to an out-dated, rusty ship called the Caine that is supposed to be used as a mine sweeper. A new Captain named Queeg is assigned to the ship who turns out to be a hard task master and somewhat psychotic. This eventually leads to the so-called mutiny when the second in command, Maryk, relieves Queeg from duty during a typhoon that is threatening the ship. And then a resulting court martial of Maryk. Was he justified in taking over command?
This novel was engrossing as it describes the working within the Navy during the war. The character development is great and it left me wanting more. I'm sure I'll be reading more of Wouk's novels, especially his War novels: THE WINDS OF WAR and WAR AND REMEMBRANCE. Very high recommendation for Caine!
Great book. According to my Dad who served in the Navy in WW2 (in the Pacific)this book does a great job of describing life at sea during the war.
An excellent study of men under stress.
WWII Caine Mutiny is historical fiction by Herman Wouk. Main character Willie Keith is upset about being on the Caine because the Captain DeVries has little discipline aboard ship. When Captain DeVries is replaced by Captain Queeg Willie is delighted because he sees Captain Queeg as more strict with the men and the way the ship looks. It does not take long for the honeymoon period to be over and Queeg starts showing paranoid behavior that is upsetting the crew. Steve Maryk keep a journal of Queeg's unusual outbursts and demands. The key and the strawberry incidents come to mind as being particularly over the top. Mr. Wouk won the Pulitzer Prize for Caine Mutiny. The court martial at the end of the book is exceptional. Mr. Wouk spend much valuable time on character development. The only drawback is that the reader would wish that Mr. Wouk would not spend so much time on details as this makes the story move more slowly.
ABSOLUTELY one of the best books I've read in a long time. Wouk allows the reader to experience life in the Navy and is able to get into the dynamics of male relationships in such a way that the reader feels like they are living through them. A Gem of a book, true pleasure!
This isn't my choice of book; I read it for my book group. I'm glad I did; the character development was true and the climax was captivating.
Great read. Very interesting. If you like Wouk, you'll love this.
