Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener

Title: Tales of the South Pacific

Author: James Michener

First Published: 1948

No. of Pages: 384

Synopsis (from B&N): "Enter the exotic world of the South Pacific, meet the men and women caught up in the drama of a big war. The young Marine who falls madly in love with a beautiful Tonkinese girl. Nurse Nellie and her French planter, Emile De Becque. The soldiers, sailors, and nurses playing at war and waiting for love in a tropic paradise."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction

Comments and Critique: No matter how many books I read that have been made into movies, I never stop being surprised at how different they can be. Even in those cases where the basic story if the same, the book always has so much more – more characters, more plot, more depth. I know this, and yet every time I’m surprised.

This book is, of course, the basis for the Broadway show and movie, “South Pacific.” I have loved that movie ever since I was a kid – I’m a sucker for musicals. Of course, as I got older, I understood more of the story as it related to WWII, but that didn’t diminish my admiration. And as much as I loved the movie, I like the book even more.

One thing that I liked about the movie compared to the book is that they didn’t cut out large parts. More often, the movie condensed several characters into one and had that one carry out the actions of all of them. The book is more of a series of interconnected vignettes rather than one seamless story. Under that model, the author couldn’t develop the characters as much, unless he wanted a much longer product that what resulted. I will say that Nellie the Nurse comes across as much more airheaded in the movie than you get the feel she is from the book, but I think that probably has to do with the fact that the movie overall has a Pollyannaish quality that isn’t found in the book. The book gives a much more realistic view of what life for the American forces was like out there, including the boredom, the fooling around when women were available (and occasionally when they weren’t), and the sickness. (One of the lines from the movie that always makes me snicker is when Lt. Joe Cable says something about having “that darned malaria” in a golly-gee kind of way).

The other major difference between book and movie is that the book was mostly about the fighting, while the movie focused more on the romances. I guess that's to be expected, because how many people want to see a musical about the military side of war? This difference results in different characters taking prominence in the book, as compared to the movie. I found it fascinating, not to mention that the descriptions of the natural beauty in the Pacific were enough to make me want to jump on a plane.

Would You Recommend This Book to Others: Yes, especially if you like the movie.

Challenges: Book Awards II Challenge; Pulitzer Project