The Caine Mutiny

By: Herman Wouk

Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau

Length: 26 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Having inspired a classic film and Broadway play, The Caine Mutiny is Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life—and mutiny—on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater. It was immediately embraced upon its original publication as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of the Second World War. In the intervening half century, this gripping story has become a perennial favorite, selling millions throughout the world, and claiming the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

©1952 Herman Wouk (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A God Damn Good Book

I DIDN'T ASK FOR AN ALIBI
You may want to get this book PDQ. It is 26 and half hours of really good listening. I don't stay with a book this long if it is not good, and I enjoyed every minute of listening. The story was interesting in the beginning, but really picks up once the new captain steps aboard the ship.

SEX TAKES SUCH A SMALL PART OF THE DAY.
The beginning and the end is kind of a love story. A love story that is not that romantic. I still have mixed feeling about the couple and came away feeling that they were not going to live happily ever after. The main character is a rich Mommy's boy who thinks he is better then his curvaceous, sexy girlfriend. She is not from money and must hold a job. He gets irritated with her putting on make-up, her way of talking and her lack of education. He admits that he mostly lusts her. It is a complicated relationship and even though I don't like the main character, I believe Wouk has a lot of great insight on how some relationships work or don't work. I believe he accurately portrays the true feelings that Mommy's boy is going through. IT MAKES THE REST OF THE DAY WORTH LIVING.

YOU CAN'T ASSUME A GOD DAMN THING IN THE NAVY, NOT A GOD DAMN THING.
The meat of the story is life in the navy and working under a paranoid, incompetent captain. Most of us have probably been in that position at one time in our life. In the Navy, where the captain is a God and to question him could mean your career is a tense situation beyond understanding. When your life is put in jeopardy and the life of the crew and your second in charge, what do you do? It made for interesting reading and just like the love story, there are no Pollyanna answers. Wouk's writing puts you on that ship. You feel the frustration.

WHEN IN DANGER OR IN DOUBT, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT.
There are some twists in the story and some heroes turn out to be big cowards. It is also haunting how one incident in a person's life may end up defining them. How one incident may stay with you and haunt you for the rest of your life and how you really don't know how you will handle a situation until you face it. This is not an all's well that ends well, type book, as most classics are not. Wouk tells it as it is and that is not always pretty. Wouk will make you think.

As a whole the narrator is good. I did get confused sometimes between, Keefer, Keith and Merrick. The narrator does not do many voices and these three main characters who do a lot of enter acting have the same voice.

THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY ON THAT...AND AS I SAID...

What is the right approach to poor leadership?

This is a fascinating war story with several layers that are not initially apparent. The story starts off focussed on the main character and his entry into, and activities in, the US Navy during WWII. But with the introduction of new characters and changing circumstances, things get much more and interesting and complicated.

It struck me as primarily a tale of bad leadership and subordinates' reactions to it and how young men mature in tough circumstances and possibly gain resulting wisdom. It takes a stand on what the right approach to weak leadership ought be. I found the suggested answer pretty much impossible to argue with. I also found it disturbing when I recalled how I’ve handled such situations through the years.

It’s a long book, but rewarding and worth the time. It’s very well narrated and I highly recommend it.

Once you get into it, you don't want it to finish

I've read other books from Herman Wouk so I know I love how he writes. I really liked this book and I was sad that it ended as I enjoyed it very much. However, I must say that the beginning was a little slow and a little bit hard for me to relate since I have zero knowledge on navy terms, ships, minesweepers or army in general. So it was a happy surprise for me that after the rough beginning I found myself so interested in the plot and the life in the navy during WW2. The narration was perfect, hitting the right tones.

In summary, I recommend it warmly; just give time for the characters to charm you.

Terrific story and narrator performance!

This was one of the most enjoyable audiobooks I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to.
The reader, Kevin Pariseau, voice each character distinctly and expertly!
Total Enjoyment!

a coming of age story ... sort of

this is an excellent work, well worth the time spent listening.

i was raised on old movies, so the caine mutiny, staring humphrey bogart, was on my list of movies to watch. it was a fine movie, but i have become used to the idea that books outshine movies when it comes to things like depth, texture, and character.

this is no exception.

the movie was fine for what it wanted to do (taking the middle out of wouk's novel and making a fine point) but the novel shoots for something more.

whether it hits that something more is something time and other reviewers will have more to say about.

me?

i don't know.

but, mr. woulk seemed to want me to have just that impression.

Another Wouk classic

The Caine Mutiny is a fascinating story with world war II as a backdrop. A complex story about the stress of command during wartime and dealing with moral and ethical situations that are not easily resolvable. I still imagine Humphrey Bogart as Capt Queeg, rolling the steel balls between his fingers in the movie, which is quite good by the way.

The love story between our protagonist, Willie Keith, and his beau May Wynn, is not as interesting or as compelling as the story on board the ship. As a former Navy man, I got tired of hearing about the forecastle instead of the fo'c'sle. Minor point, I suppose. Watching young Willie grow into a competent officer and good leader adds greatly to the story. Language is a bit rough, perhaps not for young ones.

Trouble on the Caine.

Where does The Caine Mutiny rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a great human drama. Top of my five favorite audiobooks.

What did you like best about this story?

It was like a documentary. It was both serious and funny at the same time.

Which scene was your favorite?

Pretty much all of them.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I saw the movie version first. I was really surprised the book version was better.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes what they say is true, the book version is better than the movie version.

Outstanding on all counts!

The Caine Mutiny is an outstanding book, and the reading performance was the best I have heard. If you have not read this, get it now. It is superb!

Much better than the movie!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Epic story of how the Navy was during WWII.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Caine Mutiny?

The typhoon scene was gripping. Having been on a destroyer in a typhoon in the Western Pacific, I know exactly how intense riding the waves on a "small boy".

What three words best describe Kevin Pariseau’s performance?

Stilted, mispronounced, and fair. Every time Mr. Pariseau mispronounced forecastle (in spite of how it is spelled, it's spoken as: fowk-sul), davit, or any of a number of nautical terms, I cringed. Most of his characterizations sounded so similar, it was impossible to tell one from the other.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

My First Book

Although "The Caine Mutiny" wasn't literally my first book, I remember it as being the first "grown up" book I read on my own with no prodding from teachers or other adults. So for me it has the added attraction of nostalgia. The audio version has been a real treat for me. I've listened to it a couple of times and I think it stands up very well. Its plot is riveting, the characters are well-drawn and develop in believable and satisfying ways. Willie Keith, the hero of the tale, is a classic coming-of-age character: the callow youth who gains wisdom through adversity. Queeg is a wonderful villain (or maybe someone else is the villain?) Greenwald is the unexpected savior (or is he?) who metaphorically slays the dragon. A sea story as exciting as a Patrick O'Brian book combined with a terrific courtroom drama, and all with a serious purpose. Wouk is a "conservative" author in the classic sense of that word - he favors the ancient platitudes as guides to human behavior. Perhaps that makes the book read more like something from the Victorian era, and indeed I think there is a bit of Trollope's influence discernible in this fine novel. "The Winds of War" and its sequel are the main tale Wouk had to tell, and this is comparatively a miniature, but it is a superbly realized work.