The Pearl of Kuwait

Wow, this book was great! The Los Angeles Times called it "a straight-ahead adventure tale in the vein of HUCKLEBERRY FINN" and they were so right. Trying to remember back to High School English and the terms for Mark Twain-style novels...pastoral, perhaps? Whatever it is, this book is a gem. I don't normally read novels about the Marine Corps, but this is SO much more than just the USMC in the 1st Gulf War (OOORAH!!). It's a lovely, slightly mythical narration of the adventures (or mis-adventures) of two unexpectedly AWOL marines. There's a Kuwaiti princess to rescue, a mythical pearl, camel racing, beduoins...it's a great travel yarn that has the war as an often distant backdrop. Made me think about patriotism, etc without ever really getting preachy. The narrative style is very innocent and genuine. Private Carmichael (formerly a stoner-surfer from CA) tells his story faithfully and openly. Very wonderful. I'm so glad I picked it up. I'd love to see this novel in an English class...lots of meaty things to sink ones teeth into. Also, I'm sure there's a lot of meanings behind the rock and roll lyrics that Carmichael thinks of throughout the story. Great fun!!

The book promises a rollicking adventure of story after story; it delivers with the whipcrack of hilarity reserved for a Tarantino movie. The prose is based on attitude, not on literary style, and the surfer style speech is not so different from A Clockwork Orange in that you KNOW you are in a different world. Don't fault the story premise for a style of writing you may not be used to, and in fact, find annoying at times: the same way Chaucer wrote - he couldn't help it! Rarely do I read a book and laugh out loud, but this one was a pleasure in that it was light and funny and had sexy Arab babes, daring adventures, macho stupidity, confusing culture clashes like KFC meets Felafel Bell but it is funnier than Hell. The characters reminded me of T.C. Boyle's book Water Music, another underrated adventure story, in that they don't move, they bounce from place to place, like Kerouac on Ecstasy.

Tom Paine's first novel is a picaresque tale of adventure set in the first Gulf War. Tommy Trang and Cody Carmichael are two Marine corps privates AWOL on a mission: to rescue a Kuwaiti princess (hence the title), assassinate Saddam, or die trying. The novel can be read on many levels: an adventure story, a romance, an inquiry into Arab culture, and an exploration of the warrior mentality that makes our armed forces tick. His humor reminds me of both Tom Wolfe and Tom Robbins. Many was the time I had to stop reading I was laughing so hard. There are a few scenes, such as the camel race in chapter two, that are destined to be classics. But this book is more than just a comedy; it has some moving insights into the conditions faced not only by our American soldiers, but also the plight of the Iraqi soldiers forced to fight for Saddam. The novel puts a human face on war, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand the dynamics of our current situation in the Arab world.

Try reading this book with the TV news in the background and your head will spin. Tom Paine has grounded his story so deep in the sand of the Middle East that we are happy to take this wild ride with our Marine guide Cody "Cowboy " Carmichael and his buddy and muse Tommy Trang. This is a book for when my buddies ask if I've read anything good lately I can say, "Have I got a book for you." It's every boy's fantasy of war: guns, guts, glory, and girls. And you can read without guilt because it's so much more. Like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the adventures are merely the engine for digging out deeper truths. Paine's two Marines Cody and Trang are unable to do anything by the book but carry the Bill of Rights in one pocket and a heart in the other. They believe the two things can change the world along with an occasional act of heroism. It's a recipe for life and for a great story.

what an insightfuland delightful and kind of funny/sad look at the idealism of America and our soldiers. At the same time an incredible peek into Arabic culture, its relationship with the west, its oppression of women and the adsudity of its newfound oil wealth. Any reader will not be able to put this book down after 10 pages. Part romance, part adventure, all remarkably written by a master "chaneller" of character.