The Caine Mutiny

By Herman Wouk,

Book cover of The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II

Book description


Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a perennial favorite of readers young and old, Herman Wouk's masterful World War II drama set aboard a U.S. Navy warship in the Pacific is "a novel of brilliant virtuosity" (Times Literary Supplement).

Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life--and mutiny--on a…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Caine Mutiny as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I had often wondered how it felt to be a part of a big war on its periphery. This book gave me the answer: what happens is piecemeal disintegration of humanity, sparing no one.

I discovered that the book was a page-turner, but that, of course, should’ve been expected from a top novelist; what I had not expected–I realized I knew people in positions of authority who were exactly like the infamous Captain Queeq. 

From Constantine's list on epic naval battles of the 20th century.

It’s hard to believe that this realistic portrayal of life in the U.S. Navy during World War II was written by the same author who wrote the vainglorious Winds of War! Still, I have to include The Caine Mutiny on this list because it realistically depicts the everyday tedium endured by crews aboard fourth-class navy ships during the long, drawn-out Pacific war. Wouk served on such a ship, and that inspired this story about mediocrity, cowardice, and mendacity. Like the other books on this list, The Caine Mutiny is ultimately a character study. It focuses on the officers of…

From William's list on that show World War II as it was.

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