Philippe Weisbecker

I had certain expectations prior to reading Tales of the South Pacific. I have read my share of war novels. I just couldn’t get excited about reading another one. Then there was Michener. I had read one of his novels many years ago, far enough in the past I couldn’t remember much, but I remembered not enjoying it. Finally, there was the musical and the movie. I generally like musicals, but not that one. So I put Tales of the South Pacific off for quite a while even though it was sitting there on my shelf.

Eventually I decided it was time. What I discovered was the best WWII novel that I think I have read to date. It is not a true novel, but a group of interrelated stories that progress sequentially in time and events with the war in the Pacific. Some characters appear in only one of the stories, Both others in multiple stories. Likewise, plot lines carry across stories, with a few running through many stories. The narrator in all the stories is “the Commander”, a character styled after the position and role Michener played in WWII.

What I enjoyed the most, though, is that the stories touch on many aspects of a war effort but that you rarely ever hear mentioned. There are the Seabees and their role in creating the facilities, in a very short time, required by the Navy and its personnel. There is the Supply function, necessary to keep such a huge organization functioning on a normal day but that becomes critical when preparing for and initiating an attack. My favorite story focused on turning an island controlled by the Japanese into a U.S. airbase in 15 days. Then there is the human element: the waiting, and more waiting, and what you do to keep yourself entertained between waiting and waiting.

I enjoy short stories and typically really enjoy interconnected short stories, so Tales of the South Pacific was a perfect fit. Together the stories provided a detailed and in-depth picture of what it takes to conduct a war and the impact a war effort has on the people residing in the war zone. I thoroughly enjoyed it.… (mehr)