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Pearl
This is a drama/ soap opera book based in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack in 1941.
475 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 18, 2021
Essentially a modernized (late 1970s) rip-off of
From Here to Eternity
with more sex and a closer look at the racism that the white establishment aimed at the Asian-American population on Oahu.
"Pearl" was a three part American television mini-series that aired on ABC network in November 1978 (16, 17 and 19 November 1978). The story takes place over six days in December 1941 (December 3 - December 8, 1941). Stirling Silliphant was the executive producer and wrote both the teleplay and the novelization of his script. It starred a large cast, notably Dennis Weaver, Tiana Alexandra (Stirling Silliphant's wife), Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, Brian Dennehy, Lesley Ann Warren, Gregg Henry, Max Gail, Richard Anderson, Marion Ross, Katherine Helmond and Adam Arkin. The mini-series was a big success for ABC.
The novel goes into some greater details than the television production, but not surprisingly it's pretty faithful to the teleplay. The biggest difference is more details regarding sex.
As prime-time soap operas go it's not too bad. The actual Japanese attack is relegated to a supporting role and the focus is on the American military personnel and their complicated love lives. From what I've read about the time period on Oahu ,before the attack, there was a fair amount of domestic drama taking place. By the late Seventies the so-called prime time soap opera genre was popular and historical soaps were pulling in viewers in large numbers. Though James Jones (From Here to Eternity) had gotten there first in 1951 that didn't stop Silliphant from mining the same material.
In the plus column Silliphant did his research (one of his trademarks) and the story is more faithful to history than the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless it's a soapy military drama. I suppose it was the predecessor of all the military television soaps and dramas that would follow (Army Wives, Emerald Point N.A.S., For Love and Honor, JAG).
This was a free book found in a bin at a local library. I will be donating my copy to a local thrift store.
"Pearl" was a three part American television mini-series that aired on ABC network in November 1978 (16, 17 and 19 November 1978). The story takes place over six days in December 1941 (December 3 - December 8, 1941). Stirling Silliphant was the executive producer and wrote both the teleplay and the novelization of his script. It starred a large cast, notably Dennis Weaver, Tiana Alexandra (Stirling Silliphant's wife), Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, Brian Dennehy, Lesley Ann Warren, Gregg Henry, Max Gail, Richard Anderson, Marion Ross, Katherine Helmond and Adam Arkin. The mini-series was a big success for ABC.
The novel goes into some greater details than the television production, but not surprisingly it's pretty faithful to the teleplay. The biggest difference is more details regarding sex.
As prime-time soap operas go it's not too bad. The actual Japanese attack is relegated to a supporting role and the focus is on the American military personnel and their complicated love lives. From what I've read about the time period on Oahu ,before the attack, there was a fair amount of domestic drama taking place. By the late Seventies the so-called prime time soap opera genre was popular and historical soaps were pulling in viewers in large numbers. Though James Jones (From Here to Eternity) had gotten there first in 1951 that didn't stop Silliphant from mining the same material.
In the plus column Silliphant did his research (one of his trademarks) and the story is more faithful to history than the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless it's a soapy military drama. I suppose it was the predecessor of all the military television soaps and dramas that would follow (Army Wives, Emerald Point N.A.S., For Love and Honor, JAG).
This was a free book found in a bin at a local library. I will be donating my copy to a local thrift store.
December 6, 2021
I've tried this novel several times in the 10 years since I bought it in the bookstore at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial on the 70th anniversary.
Today, I officially give up. On my several attempts, his characters remain unmemorable the instant one stops reading. The plotting is ... obscure. But the descriptions of sex between men and women are purely painful and good only for risible posts to Men Write Women (@menwritewomen) on Twitter.
Stirling Silliphant may have been a genius at screenplays for television (teleplays?), but as a novelist imo he is lacking.
Today, I officially give up. On my several attempts, his characters remain unmemorable the instant one stops reading. The plotting is ... obscure. But the descriptions of sex between men and women are purely painful and good only for risible posts to Men Write Women (@menwritewomen) on Twitter.
Stirling Silliphant may have been a genius at screenplays for television (teleplays?), but as a novelist imo he is lacking.
December 13, 2015
Downplays the battle of arms in favor of battles of the heart, which is more than okay with me. If pop culture has taught me anything about Pearl Harbor, it's that American military personnel were too enmeshed in soapy personal struggles to prepare for the Japanese attack. And this entertaining read is no exception.
June 10, 2020
This is an entertaining read about fictional characters living in Honolulu in the days just before and during the Japanese attack on Peral Harbor. A 1980s miniseries was based on this story. I'm not sure which came first, the script or the book. The author, Stirling Silliphant, was a prolific TV scriptwriter. I would place most of his writing in the commercial fiction category. He definitely was in the business to make money but also to entertain. The book does show he did some research on Peral Harbor and seems to be historically accurate. Peral focuses on the clash of white, mainstream American culture with the ethnic Japanese who lived on the island, who were suspected of sympathizing and working with Japan. This was not true for the most part. A lot of sex in Silliphant's books, some of it in Peral is very explicit.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews