Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction 1948
This is a collection of related fiction stories about the Pacific Theater of World War II. It stretches in time from about 1942 to 1944. It follows the adventures of the narrator of the stories, a Navy officer. To quote from a defunct web page from MiraCosta College, "Nineteen interwoven stories about World War II in the South Pacific are told by a serviceman who, from 1941-1943, island hopped from Tulagi to Tarawa to Bougainville and places in between. He tells of Joe Cable, for example, who falls madly in love with Liat, a Tonkinese woman of color. Nellie Forbush, a young nurse from the American South, has to deal with her feelings for a French planter, Emile De Becque, who has fathered many children with various island women. Luther Billis, covered with many tattoos and jewelry, works his way around the islands finding and providing what is wanted and needed—including shrunken heads. And Tony Fry, who seems to be everywhere, tries to make Christmas a memorable day by flying from island to island, scrounging out whiskey from what appears to be the whole South Pacific. These adventures all take place as Seebees, Navy, and Marines prepare for a massive assault on the island of Kuralei, a step away from Guadalcanal. The novel touches on war, love, race, gender, friendship, values, and understanding."
Some of the stories were pretty good, especially "A Boar's Tooth" about pig tusk bracelets and the ceremonial sacrifice of several pigs by the local people. The next to the last story, "The Landing on Kuralei", puts the reader into the thick of the assault on the fictional island of Kuralei.
Generally speaking, I am not a one who enjoys reading war stories (or even short stories). This is not to say that I don't appreciate the sacrifices made to protect the world from overbearing bullies like Hitler and Hirohito. Like I said before some of the stories were good, some OK. There is quite a bit of racism in the book that makes one realize how much things have changed since then.
If you like war memoirs, you'll probably enjoy this collection of stories.
Review by Kata Chimes In.
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