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Marjorie Morningstar

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 3,130 ratings · 308 reviews

Novel by Herman Wouk, published in 1955, about a woman who rebels against the confining middle-class values of her industrious American-Jewish family. Her dream of being an actress ends in failure. She ultimately forfeits her illusions and marries a conventional man with whom she finds sufficient contentment as a suburban wife and mother, thus finally coming to accept her...more

Published (first published 1955)

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Jan 19, 2009 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was very surprised at this book. For one thing, Herman Wouk writing something like this, given his usual genre. The second was that I thought it might be a piece of fluff, a young girl wanting to be an actress, writing her stage name over and over in different penmanship. BUT..it was not a light novel in the least. I'm not sure if my perspective on it isn't due to my advanced age. Although I'm happily married, I've always suspected that, for the older women at any wedding, their tears flow les...more I was very surprised at this book. For one thing, Herman Wouk writing something like this, given his usual genre. The second was that I thought it might be a piece of fluff, a young girl wanting to be an actress, writing her stage name over and over in different penmanship. BUT..it was not a light novel in the least. I'm not sure if my perspective on it isn't due to my advanced age. Although I'm happily married, I've always suspected that, for the older women at any wedding, their tears flow less from happiness and more from melancholy, knowing what is coming in the young bride's life and her innocence of that fact -- and how many of her dreams will be dashed. Marjorie had the clear realization for just a second on her wedding day, aware that she was giving in, giving up, and settling. She had turned into a Shirley. The chief male character, Noel, is a self-absorbed bad boy; not only the downfall of women now but for the ages, it seems. Being blinded by love and thinking the man is a genius and cause for pursuit is another. His arrogance made me actually put the book down in disgust in parts and I really wanted to scream at Marjorie for being such an idiot and a doormat. For Noel, it's the old human (male?) frailty of not wanting what you have until it is gone, a very sad theme. What I truly wonder about this book is Noel's philosophic, at times maniacal, meanderings. It could be Wouk is just so brilliant that he is able to make Noel's arguments a bi-product of his character as he has fleshed him out; I wonder more, though, if these are personal opinions and philosophies of his own. I think it has to be the former, however, because he too clearly sees what is often difficult to see in one's own thinking and that is when the logic is grandiose and going off the rails. I've known people who could make arguments like the ones in this book (although mostly they've been stoned, admittedly) -- zealous, secret-of-the-universe arguments -- that all fall flat in the next day or two. Wouk is a superb craftsman and the arguments against Marxism, Freud, Hitler were what suprised me most and that I loved about the book. That, and the ending. I thought I saw what was coming three different times in the last 50 pages and was wrong on all counts. That alone, to me, made this read compelling and so worth the time. There is nothing light about "Marjorie Morningstar" at least from the vantage of age. I wish I had read it in a book club so that I could get a take on how readers much younger than myself as well as those my age saw it. So... please weigh in, goodreads people! In the meantime, I will be on the hunt for my next Herman Wouk book.(less)

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Jun 01, 2008 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Women and teen agers.

I re-read my 1950's copy with Natalie Wood on the cover for years, until it fell apart. I was actually prompted to read this by a "Mad" magazine spoof, "Marjorie Morningkitten". I think it was "Mad". I love this book, with its vivid descriptions of Marjorie's wardrobe and aspirations, though I do find Wouk's portrayal of a female non-virgin heinously offensive now: "Never would he look at her the same way again". What a load of hypocrisy. Lost her cherry and is now damaged goods. This isn't my n...more

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Jul 02, 2008 Arlene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: loves of good novels.

This book grabbed me at the first paragraph. The synopsis above makes it sound so bland. It isn't. Herman Wouk is a skillful and talented author. His use of just the right word and inventive metaphors made this volume a joy to read. The characters were well fleshed out and fit the setting of the novel perfectly. The plot had enough rises and falls to keep the reader's interest throughout the over 500 pages. But best of all I liked this book for its glimpse into a culture and a world that existed...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-audio-books

Marjorie Morningstar, by Herman Wouk, Narrated by Gabra Zackman, Produced by Audible Inc. Downloaded from audible.com.

This book was first published in 1955 and the story goes from 1936 through 1939 with the last entry showing us what was happening 15 years later in 1954. Marjorie Morganstern is a Jewish girl who, at the beginning of the book is about 17. Her mother has one goal for her, that she meet and marry well, of course someone Jewish. Marjorie’s goal is different. She wants to become a fa...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Beverly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This follows the life of Marjorie Moningstern as she tries to achieve her ambition to become an actress and hold onto the man she loves. Marjorie moves among the upper crust of the New York Jews. She wants for nothing. While attending Hunter College, she is a hit in the student production of The Mikado. Befriended by Marsha Zelenko, a bohemian student who opens up new vistas for Marjorie. She gets Marjorie a job at a summer camp. They go to the adult camp at South Wind where Marjorie meets Noel...more

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Jun 21, 2012 LM Yellow rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I requested this because everyone, but me seemed to have read it. Then I got the almost 600 page
monstrosity and there on the shelf it sat for a while. I felt like I was reading for years and years (actually I
was. the book starts when the character is 17 and ends when she is 23ish if I recall correctly) plus it was
hardbound so my wrists hurt. I guess I liked the story, but it was long and part of the length was due to a
particularly wordy character who I couldn't stand, namely because he didn'...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audible

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were bits here and there that bogged it down a bit. The ‘philosophizing’ would sometimes drag out a bit longer than I thought necessary. Some dialog was a bit ‘wordy’. But they were more tolerable when listening to the audio version. I probably skimmed and skipped through a lot of that when I read the hardcover book 35 or so years ago.

Gabra Zackman did an excellent job with the performance. There were times, particularly at the beginning, when the men’s voice...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Alan Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the major influences on my own writing, and probably the one book that convinced me to give fiction writing a fair shot alongside technology and business books. Wouk expertly captures the essence of the period about which he writes. One can read the story today, or any time since about the late 1960s or early 1970s, and the "purity factor" would seem dated and probably even insulting to most women. However, if taken in the context of the time period in which the story is set (15-20 years...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Driney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 23, 2011 Stephen Cook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While it's listed as fiction, I've always believed Marjorie Morningstar was autobiographical. Wally, the writer who has a crush on Marjorie, is Wouk. While much of the text may have been fictional, the final encounter between Wally and Marjorie was, IMHO, a real encounter Wouk had with the girl who was out of his reach when he was young.
Most modern reviewers look at Marjorie through the prism of feminism, and are upset because Marjorie went on to become an average housewife. They were disappoint...more

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Jun 23, 2010 S.E. White rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An excellent detailed story. What is most memorable to me is I believe the book is autobiographical. Wouk is Wally. He had a lifelong crush on a girl who was always interested in someone else, who finally learned to give up on the impossible someone else and found another someeone else.

What impresses me is Wouk's humility. He decided to write this story about his youthful crush, and has the insight to imagine her life as it was for her, and from that perspective he was only a minor character.

Wa...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century-fiction, books-from-1955

I remember one summer day when I was a young teen, a movie by this name came on afternoon TV. My mother, passing through the family room, hurriedly turned it off and forbade me to watch it. In her eyes, it was too advanced in concept (translation: sex) for a girl my age. She didn't know, of course, that I was reading Lady Chatterley's Lover or Tropic of Cancer at babysitting jobs. In the long view, none of these books did much to prepare me for womanhood, but at 13, I was just trying to learn ab...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Althea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful writing--so detailed. So far, a joy to read.

I gave it the four star rating for the writing. The story however is probably a three and a half star rating. Maybe because it's such an old story, young idealistic girl falls for a cad with a capital "C" and maybe because you get a little tired of the characters falling into the same situations over and over again. However, it is worth reading especially for the feeling you get for the 1930's era and the New York milieu.

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Aug 19, 2009 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: struggling actors, fans of the theater, anyone in love with a jerk

This is like the 1930s version of Reality Bites--good girl dabbles in a bohemian lifestyle, and finds herself torn between the artistic jackass she loves and the nice Jewish boys that bore her.

While I was repeatedly stunned by how much Wouk gets it right, even for a book set in the 1930s (sexual politics between men and women, class politics in a melting pot nation, backstage politics of the theater), I was frustrated by the lack of a clear story arc. There are definitely parts of the novel tha...more

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May 20, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Skillfully written and vastly enjoyable, with an appealing fur coat-, cigarette- and highball-soaked 30s New York setting. In addition to the flashy allure of the wannabe-thespian setting, and the long lingering on descriptions of Marjorie's clothes, it is also full of interesting philosophical discussions on topics ranging from religion and economics to art and bourgeois respectability. This would have been a 5 star for me if not for an admitedly stupid reason; I cannot quite get past the appal...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Sydelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Finally finished the book and have to admit that boring was not the word I should have used. The writer took a really long stroll through the story at times meandering and stopping along paths that could have been avoided. The story about this young lady's expectations of herself and the world she wanted were often admirable. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a young lady dealing with adult situations and for the most part handling them very well. It took her the entire book to realize...more Finally finished the book and have to admit that boring was not the word I should have used. The writer took a really long stroll through the story at times meandering and stopping along paths that could have been avoided. The story about this young lady's expectations of herself and the world she wanted were often admirable. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a young lady dealing with adult situations and for the most part handling them very well. It took her the entire book to realize that she could not love the man she wanted into her expectations.
As I have said before, the story should have been called "Falling in Love with Love" which would have quite correct. The subject played second fiddle whenever her mom, the uncle, her friend Marsha or her egomaniac, self loathing Lothario were in the story.
I was a bit sad about how she ended up because I believe at heart she was a wanderer like Noel and felt trapped by her decisions to conform to what the expectations of her were. The fire left her and she no longer dared to be the stand out. I felt she was unhappy which I didn't think she should have been seeing that she was the one who lived vicariously through Noel and chose to do so. She spent forever trying to change him, to support him, to understand him and I was happy when she had that one sane moment to tell him no.
I admired her spunk when dedicating her teens to having a career which was probably unusual in those times and for having wisdom often beyond her years. She was great with boys who she had very little interest in but good sense went out the window with the one she loved and in my opinion, didn't love her but viewed her as a conquest and at times an unattainable conquest. He liked her, yes, but did not love her.
When I read the chapter about his letter to her, I was hoping she would have had enough but she was all about chances.
I have to admit, it was a very revealing read into how we as girls think, how we are viewed by those we are involved with and supporting cast, religion and religious upbringings, goals and sticking to your guns, love and its education. Now I get to read Night Circus and catch up. (less)

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Sep 14, 2009 Maia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: another-time-another-world, 50s, mad-men

OK--I've finally finished it! This is my second reading--first time, I read it aged around 16 or 17 and from what i've been able to find on the Net, most female readers' reactions change quite drastically if they read the book a second time when they're older and married, perhaps also a mother.

Well, I'm 20 years older, married, a mother... But I see the book pretty much the same way I did then, the first time, which makes me wonder if a) I haven't changed that much or b) I was unusually astute t...more OK--I've finally finished it! This is my second reading--first time, I read it aged around 16 or 17 and from what i've been able to find on the Net, most female readers' reactions change quite drastically if they read the book a second time when they're older and married, perhaps also a mother.

Well, I'm 20 years older, married, a mother... But I see the book pretty much the same way I did then, the first time, which makes me wonder if a) I haven't changed that much or b) I was unusually astute teenager! :) Maybe both!

Marjorie Morningstar is in no way a great book, or a literary one, and yet undoubtedly it deserves a special place in 20th Century American writing. Wouk's prose is too loose, too pedestrian, too lazy, even, at odd times, and pretty often one wonders what happened to those 1950s book editors. On the other hand, his depiction of place, of that magical 1930s pre-war New York is sometimes magical and always compelling, though I do wonder why he dwelled so little on the Depression. Is it because Wouk was and is a clear conservative? is it because he cannot properly draw up an authentic picture of Roosevelt? Or is it simply a lack of literary talent? In the same vein, it's also strange how pretty much absent is the threat of Nazism and Hitler until almost the end, though, to Wouk's credit, he did a masterful job in this regard when he does finally get to it, in Marjorie's first European crossing and her meeting/relationship with Eden (and what a name!).

In many ways, M.M. is a classical mid-century young girl's coming-of-age novel, complete with rebellion,staid parents, 'foolish' (read: unrealistic) daydreams, seduction by a Rake and loss of virginity. I think to most of us who at a similar age had had similar passionate but fruitless/pointless love affairs with charming, egotistical 'geniuses' a la Noel Airman, their love affair's ending came without surprise. I did root for Marjorie's decision at that point, though, because what (some) modern women know today that probably women in those days did not is that a) love is not enough (it doesn't matter how much he loves you, it has to be the right sort of love from the right man) and that b) you can't change anyone or attempt to take over the direction in their lives. Basically, if Noel wanted to 'settle down', build a successful 9-5 career, get married and have kids, he had to do it because he wanted that for himself, not because he loved Marjorie and knew she wanted that, thus in that way he could properly have her. Also, Noel is annoying and quite a fool from almost our first introduction of him, and nearly all of his 'speeches' and 'theories' sound like Major Male BS to me today. Lastly, there's also the point of a girl's self-respect. The guy talked and talked and talked his head off to and around her, then went off and had sex with 'easier' females. Who wants that? She was well rid of him.

On the other hand, Marjorie herself, while an appealing character, had her ups and downs in the sympathetic department--and i guess this is a result of being a product of Wouk himself, a man who is clearly not A Girl's Best Friend. Wouk is basically a dire conservative and a reactionary who sees little authenticity in the fair sex and who, at least when he wrote the book, could imagine no other ending for a 'bad girl' than deformity and no other ending for a 'good girl' than a successful husband, a solid marriage, a house and kids in the suburbs. It's sort of funny and tragic simultaneously. But it's not funny that for the book's ending, when Marjorie finally marries the nice successful Jewish lawyer (with the right initials, M and S) he almost bolts because he can't stomach that she's already lost her virginity to Noel and, though he accepts her anyway, it's as a girl with a 'deformity'! Jesus...

My last point is in regards to Wally--an awful, awful character. He's young, annoying, affecting, full of hot air. I never doubted for a minute that he'd make it in the business (I've worked in Hollywood and have known countless young guys like him) but his obsession with Marjorie struck me as juvenile and the last chapter, in his voice, as the typical nerd-who-made-good. Well, so what? Just because a guy's an annoying nerd and you don't want him does not mean that, in later years when he returns as a successful adult, you now have to appreciate him differently. He's still a nerd, albeit a successful one--possibly, he's still annoying. and Wouk's Wally The Nerd himself admits to career success but a divorce...(less)

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Jul 20, 2012 Johanneke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english

Dit boek las ik na het zien van de verfilming uit 1958. In de hoop meer over de personages en hun beweegredenen te leren kennen. Dat lukte.

Vijf sterren omdat het boek me, ondanks de minuscuul kleine lettertjes, voortdurend geboeid hield. Zulke uitgesproken vervreemdende en ook weer normale, raar-communicerende personages, in die tijd (het speelt eind jaren '30) zo modern en tegelijk ouderwets. Het is ook een gewoon 'mooi' verhaal.
Alle personages zijn op hun manier tragisch, en ze worden door de...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Sandy Trand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mes-livres-favoris

Herman Wouk 's Marjorie Morningstar is able to tell a character so well through themes that it is amazing. One of the themes is Love makes people lie. I am sure that it happens in the real world. For example on page 448 it says "I don't know. Quite a while. Years, maybe. He is going to Oxford too." In this sence Marjorie is being asked by her parents and brother what is she going to do now, since Noel has fled to Europe and where is Noel in Europe. In really she dosent't know where he is in Euro...more Herman Wouk 's Marjorie Morningstar is able to tell a character so well through themes that it is amazing. One of the themes is Love makes people lie. I am sure that it happens in the real world. For example on page 448 it says "I don't know. Quite a while. Years, maybe. He is going to Oxford too." In this sence Marjorie is being asked by her parents and brother what is she going to do now, since Noel has fled to Europe and where is Noel in Europe. In really she dosent't know where he is in Europe and what he is doing in Europe. Another example is that through out the book, Marjorie dosen't tell the truth about her parents about her whereabouts during the night.In reality she is partying or dating men. But since she hops from one man to another, she is afraid of her parent's reaction. Another reason why love makes people lie is from page 449, it says "Marjorie 's purpose is going to work for her father was simple enough. she intened to save money as rapidly as possibly, take a boat to Paris and get Noel back once for all to marry her." This shows how her love for Noel Airman is so strong that it makes here lie to her father about why she is working for him, after so many offers of working for him in the past.

At first Marjorie Morningstar seems to be about rethinking roles and lifestyles traditionally woman had but towards the end finding your true self and your identity. In the beginning of the book, Marjorie is seen as a rule breaker and someone who displeases her parents. For example on pg 25 it says that as Marjorie got older and took more liberty towards her choice appearance, Marjorie wanted to dress like that modern woman. There were always fights in her household on the exposure of bosom, color of shoes, hair dos and choice of clothes. These types of arguments that were heard daily in the households created rifts between the family members. They wanted Marjorie to be that perfect daughter that they wanted. The family members once close to each other were now far apart and began to despise their daughter/relative Marjorie. Marjorie thinks that by dressing older and inappropriate for her mother’s taste she will have a shot at stardom (because she can date people who have a high status among the theater community and be casted in a high profile play because she has status) and dating older and “better” men. This moment gives the impression of a troublemaker and someone. Another example of the original impression that Marjorie Morgenstern is rule breaker and troublemaker is from page 29 it says, “ One of these days I’ll have to start on cigarettes,” said Marjorie. “I love the smell of them.” “Over my dead body,” Said Mrs. Morgenstern.” This shows how she is seen as a rule breaker and someone who displeases her parents. In the moment she is displeasing her mother by making such untraditional and radical decisions. Till this day, I still wonder what her older relatives had to say about her decisions to start on cigarettes. I wonder why for woman that era, would they want to start on cigarettes? This issue like the previous issues in the book that I have mention show the discontent over her new, radical lifestyle she has adopted. This discontent in the book causes a rift in the family ‘s relationship with each other. As you can see the average reader would find these types of issues the main vocal point of the book in the beginning of Marjorie Morgenstern.(less)

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Nov 09, 2010 Sharon Walton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sharon by: a serendipitous finding!

I LOVED this book, read when I was probably thirteen or fourteen. It was the very first "written for adults" book I ever read, & was a wonderful choice! I have only vague memories of the story...remember the ideas of "theater", "Noel" (her love interest)& "Judiaism", but nothing in any detail. It's the way I remember loving it that means the most to me. Definitely DON'T want to re-read! I'm sure it's very dated, and I want to continue to enjoy my vague memories. I'm sure my age at the ti...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Kristin Lee Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2013

I really loved this charming novel. There were some stale sections (honestly, I think there are stale sections in all of Wouk's novels). But taken as a whole it was really lovely.

Marjorie Morningstar is like every young girl: starry eyed, searching for significance. Of course, times have changed and things are different but, really, haven't we all been charmed by a man who isn't right for us? Blinded to who he really is because of our infatuation? I know I was.

In the end, Wally Wronken is somew...more

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May 15, 2012 Lword rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to the Audible version of this book and that was the only reason I finished it. I choose this book because I loved "Winds of War" and "War and Rememberance" but Marjorie Morningstar was just unpleasant. If the relationship between Marjorie and Noel is love, I am happy to say I've never been in love, and don't want to be. Although there was some redemption in the end, I found it put me in a bad mood while listening. None of the main characters were likable, and Marjorie a sap, and Noel...more

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Sep 12, 2009 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Argh. I really enjoyed the settings (Manhattan between the wars, summer camp for adults [like Moss Hart in Act One:], crossing to France in an ocean liner, all the cocktails and hats and dancing). In terms of its attitude about women, though, the period feel is much less charming. I'm usually okay with the dated tone of mid-century books but somehow the dismissive misogyny of this one really bugged. Maybe because it's written by a man from a woman's perspective? Maybe because it's too long? It's...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Beverly Schneider rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book - I love everything I have ever read by Herman Wouk, but I read this book so many years ago, I'm afraid I can't write a substantive review. I can only say I know it was a fabulous book and recommend this and every other book this author has written to you unequivocally. I would like to add that I found this book in my home when I was still practically a child - it's what got me hooked on this author. I read it and could not put it down while I was reading it. I think it's a tru...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember reading this book when I was a teenager. I loved it. I should reread it. Exodus is a reread some day also. What I remember reading most from those long ago days are Perry Mason mysteries--is he EVER going to kiss Della? But I guess I branched out some as I got older. There was a paperback book store downtown and the owner liked me and he sort of directed my reading--He recommended John Updike's Rabbit Run for one that I remember. I don't remember liking it--probably should reread it t...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Susan Segal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Herman Wouk captures the period (1930's to 1940's) quite well. It is a well-written, if overly long, story of a dreamy, gorgeous young, Jewish girl whose parents want the best for her (wehich may mean marrying a doctor and living in the suburbs). Marjorie is pursuing her dream of becoming an actress and meets the quintessential Peter Pan himself: Noel Airman, ne'er-do-well son of an important Judge Ehrman. Every man who meets Margie falls in love with her, but Margie is set on Airman - how the l...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a story about a high school girl who has stars in her eyes. She wants to change her name to the title from a nice Jewish name so that it will be more catchy for the theatre. Spoiler Alert!
Although she stars in h.s. plays she never makes it to Broadway. She falls in love with a theatre type guy Noel and ends up chasing him to Paris. Finally she understands that he isn't husband material, puts aside her dreams of stardom, and has a happy marriage to a Jewish lawyer.
She reminds me a lot of...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marjorie Morningstar is a wonderful character. I became thoroughly engaged in her life & experiences as she grew up in pre-WWII. I could not put the book down & I was hoping that she would not end up with Noah Airman, a sad ADHD, self-medicating, artistic man. They were two star-crossed lovers. I found the Mike Eden character & story were fascinating and historical. I would have liked more development with that story line. In today's world, the book seems sexist and reveals the doubl...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Elsie Heyrman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This is every girl's dream romance. I saw the movie first - about 25 times. The book is very good and is set in post-war America. It revolves around Marjorie Morganstern who is renamed Morningstar by her lover. She s looking for independence and looking for love. Of course, society's expectations are that she should be a wife and mother. She falls in love with a charming, unstable musician and it goes on from there. It is a sweet story. Not great literature, but a very satisfying read. Now I wan...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Anasylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book wasn't entirely what I was expecting;however, it was a gorgeous read. It has left me with such a melancholy feeling that I almost regret reading because now I'm all sad. I was definitely tearing up the last 30 pages or so. This book follows the life of Marjorie a young girl from a traditional New York Jewish family who has dreams of becoming an actress. While at times I felt she was shallow and naive I did grow to like her. I felt her sadness and frustration with her family,her life, a...more

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About Herman Wouk

Herman Wouk is a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.

Herman Wouk was born in New York City into a Jewish family that had emigrated from Russia. After a childhood and adolescence in the Bronx and a high school diploma from Townsend Harris High School, he earned...more Herman Wouk is a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.

Herman Wouk was born in New York City into a Jewish family that had emigrated from Russia. After a childhood and adolescence in the Bronx and a high school diploma from Townsend Harris High School, he earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1934, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and studied under philosopher Irwin Edman. Soon thereafter, he became a radio dramatist, working in David Freedman's "Joke Factory" and later with Fred Allen for five years and then, in 1941, for the United States government, writing radio spots to sell war bonds. He lived a fairly secular lifestyle in his early 20s before deciding to return to a more traditional Jewish way of life, modeled after that of his grandfather, in his mid-20s.

Wouk joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific Theater, an experience he later characterized as educational; "I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans." Wouk served as an officer aboard two destroyer minesweepers (DMS), the USS Zane and USS Southard, becoming executive officer of the latter. He started writing a novel, Aurora Dawn, during off-duty hours aboard ship. Wouk sent a copy of the opening chapters to Irwin Edman who quoted a few pages verbatim to a New York editor. The result was a publisher's contract sent to Wouk's ship, then off the coast of Okinawa. The novel was published in 1947 and became a Book of the Month Club main selection. His second novel, City Boy, proved to be a commercial disappointment at the time of its initial publication in 1948.

While writing his next novel, Wouk read each chapter as it was completed to his wife, who remarked at one point that if they didn't like this one, he'd better take up another line of work (a line he would give to the character of the editor Jeannie Fry in his 1962 novel Youngblood Hawke). The novel, The Caine Mutiny (1951), went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. A huge best-seller, drawing from his wartime experiences aboard minesweepers during World War II, The Caine Mutiny was adapted by the author into a Broadway play called The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, and was later made into a film, with Humphrey Bogart portraying Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg, captain of the fictional USS Caine. Some Navy personnel complained at the time that Wouk had taken every twitch of every commanding officer in the Navy and put them all into one character, but Captain Queeg has endured as one of the great characters in American fiction.

He married Betty Sarah Brown in 1945, with whom he had three sons: Abraham, Nathanial, and Joseph. He became a fulltime writer in 1946 to support his growing family. His first-born son, Abraham Isaac Wouk, died in a tragic accident as a child; Wouk later dedicated War and Remembrance (1978) to him with the Biblical words, "He will destroy death forever."

In 1998, Wouk received the Guardian of Zion Award.

Wouk is still alive as of May 2012 and living in California.
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“About the nicest thing God ever invented was alcohol. He's proud of it, too. The Bible's full of kind remarks about booze.” — 6 people liked it

“I think it's a bit like coming to the end of a book. The plot's in its thickest, all the characters are in a mess, but you can see that there aren't fifty pages left, and you know that the finish can't be far off. ” — 5 people liked it

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