return-to-paradise

by James A. Michener

Used book in good condition, due to its age it could contain normal signs of use

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Travel, Literature, Historical, Classics

Paperback

First published April 23, 1951

About the author

James Albert Michener is best known for his sweeping multi-generation historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. His first novel, Tales of the South Pacific , which inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Toward the end of his life, he created the Journey Prize, awarded annually for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer; founded an MFA program now, named the Michener Center for Writers, at the University of Texas at Austin; and made substantial contributions to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, best known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings and a room containing Michener's own typewriter, books, and various memorabilia.

Michener's entry in Who's Who in America says he was born on Feb. 3, 1907. But he said in his 1992 memoirs that the circumstances of his birth remained cloudy and he did not know just when he was born or who his parents were.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Michener's short stories! I know this book is old and God forbid he would even TRY to write something like this now...
He writes what is happening then. Right or wrong it is what it is and we can be thankful how far we have come in our relationships with others. Sadly, there is still along ways to go.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of essays and stories, originating out of a trip Michener and his wife took to various South Pacific locations during 1950, is the first book he wrote that is (partially) readable. It is mostly the essays, however, that are worth reading; the fiction is pretty terrible. Of the stories Michener composed for this collection, only the one set in New Zealand ("Until They Sail") is competently composed; the rest are quite amateurish in regards to characterization, pacing, and plot shape (amongst other things). The essays, of course, are mainly only of historical interest now; they give a glimpse of an American centrist liberal's (you read me right) views of the locations, people, and politics of the region (and the world) of 65 years ago, and I found them quite entertaining. Michener reflects the basic sort of contradictions that still afflict many liberals today: he is quick to blame "Communism" for everything bad, but insists that improvements could be made if only labor had more rights(!); part of what bothers him about Australia and New Zealand is the "socialist" character of the governments (and he does accurately portray some of the problems state-socialism provided to its citizens), but still insists that things like free health care and a reduced work-week are what make these places great places to settle down in. But his most egregious contradiction concerns the blatant racism he encounters. While he admits that American has problems (this was written before the Civil Rights struggle became mainstream), he is justifiably angry at the treatment non-whites receive at the hands of people of European descent. Yet he is still capable of (apparently seriously) making statments to the effect (in his essay on Rabaul) that the charm of the place owes much to the fact that "Anglo Saxon whites" hold supremacy over native islanders! (He shows a similar conflict regarding masculinity and the "modern" wife.) For most readers I don't think this book offers much of interest or value; for scholars of culture and discourse, it can be quite interesting.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before going to Tahiti in 2015, I prepped for the trip by watching all three of the “Munity on the Bounty” movies (the earliest from 1935!) like I was studying for the SAT’s! And after abruptly landing back in the “real world”, I grabbed every book I could get my hands on that was set in these beautiful Islands – if only to recapture for just a moment a teeny bit of the magic found in that amazing archipelago.

Return to Paradise is the follow-up to Tales of the South Pacific, the inspiration behind the acclaimed 1958 musical South Pacific (which my long-suffering husband took me to see at a local theater a few years ago – sadly, it’s pretty cheesy), so I recommend starting with Tales first, before jumping into Return.

The two books go hand-in-hand and are great read together. While Tales introduces us to the mystical island of Bali Hai (based off the real, and largely undeveloped to this day, Tahitian isle of Mo’orea), as you gather from the title, Return brings us back to the paradisaical islands of the South Pacific (not to be confused with Hawai’i, which is in the North Pacific).

Both books are organized in a series of vignette-like short stories, which could each be read on their own, but as a whole come together to make a whole novel. In Return, you’ll be swept away in 19 different tales taking you on adventures to places like Fiji, New Zealand, New Guinea, and more. Michener’s perspective has a solid authenticity, which is no surprise, as these short stories are rooted in the time he spent at many of these islands of the Pacific Theater (as its known) during World War II. And you definitely get these sense that Michener is not only “Returning” his audience to the South Pacific, but that by writing the stories, he’s longing to go back himself.

All of the stories are fascinating, but those that linger in the remote South Pacific islands are the most evocative. Michener’s style, I find is a bit of an “older style” that might seem a bit dry to the modern reader, however, if you want to relive your time in the islands, or evoke a “Calgon – Take Me Away” moment, then I highly recommend giving Return, and especially its predecessor Tales a shot.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" was his crispest, most original work. If you yearn for a follow-up to it, this is it. But "Return to Paradise," while picking up the themes of the fictional stories in "South Pacific" is a unique Michener work in that it combines essays on New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Espiritu Santo, New Guinea and Rabaul. Nonetheless, it will be housed in the "fiction" section of your library.

Portions of the book are prescient about future political troubles, particularly in Fiji between natives and Indian descendants. His essay on Rabaul even ominously discusses the threat of volcanic activity, which would destroy the town in 1994.

Michener spent a year in 1949 researching this book, traveling with his wife through the area that he served during World War II.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the thing: cultural morays, values and perceptions were very different 50 years ago when this book was written. I had to get over my righteous indignation when it came to these different attitudes. After all, when we know better, we do better.
Aside from that (which will disturb people) the stories themselves, including the characters are intriguing and fun. The exotic settings and background history are also satisfying.

[Maureen Shillington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michener's writing takes you there! Visit the South Pacific! Go!

[Tami R. Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michner takes us back to the South Pacific and captured my heart and soul.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Michener is superb as always.. brings the deceptively languid isles of the Pacific to life with full colour and clarity...

[Chris Gleck]

This book was published in 1950 and my paperback version doesn't have a date, which is interesting. James Michener wrote Adventures in Paradise prior to this one, which was written when he was posted to the South Pacific during WWII in a noncombat position because they mistakenly thought he was an admiral's son! He wanted to return to that part of the world to observe it in postwar conditions but didn't want to repeat the same material he used in the first book and came up with a hybrid format. The book contains an essay describing each of nine different islands followed by a short story set on each of the islands. Some of the stories take place during the war and others after the war. I learned a lot about a part of the world I know nothing about (South Pacific is about it), but of course this information is now 70+ years old! Anyway, I found it to be an interesting format and Michener is always readable. I believe I purchased this at a used book store (in the 70's?), but am passing this onto Charlie for the essay about Australia.

[Simon Weinberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is almost 70 years old now and gives a fascinating insight into life in the South Pacific islands in 1951. The format of non-fiction material followed by a story is a good one although I find the last few chapters dragging; the stories are often about girls and love and the obvious sexism and racism that was around in 1951 is let's say, quite educational. Good writing and interesting reading, however!

[Charley Rains · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man... I both appreciated and hated this book! I learned so much about how the colonists destroyed the beautiful Pacific islands, the native animals and the native populations! How could I not hate the horrible destruction!
The book was written in the 1950s where absolutely no one cared.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting very dated

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Michener once again takes us to the South Pacific. This unusual collection comprises short essays about various Pacific islands with each one then followed by a fictional story set in the same locale.

Michener's essays are OK, if a bit rambling. They offer some decent anthropological insights into the politics and sociology of these melting pots of humanity, especially as they were in the mid 20th-century. Michener assesses the natural beauty of these far-flung places as well as the perils of the landscape, including the ever-present ocean and the fecund jungle. He gives assessments of the character and personality of the various islands and their indigenous and immigrant people groups. He reflects on the effects of colonization, both pro and con. But although the essays provide context, the stories are actually the stronger material in this book.

The stories range in quality of course, but at their best they strikingly capture the disconnect between our civilized selves and our more primal emotions and desires. And Michener does not always come out in favor of civilization; in fact at times it is clear that he sees so-called "civilized" behavior as masking the greater evils. In the Pacific islands Michener seems to have discovered a metaphor for the struggle between a controlled and controlling rationality and a vibrant and deep connection with emotions and desires. And while it is clear that the latter approach has its own perils, Michener appears to admire the clarity and directness of it.

The best stories here include "The Mynah Birds," about star-crossed lovers in Fiji, "The Story" in which a writer is accosted by an island drifter who has the perfect idea for a novel, "Until They Sail" which describes the cost New Zealand women paid for having so many of their men fight in WWII and "The Jungle," the story of an American couple on a boat between Australia and Guadalcanal whose marriage is struggling. Michener sometimes relies on characters that feel a bit clichéd, but his ability to evoke time and place is terrific and he knows the South Pacific very well. If you want to take a trip to another time and place, you could do a lot worse than this collection of essays and stories.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel of sorts to Tales of the South Pacifc, Return to Paradise takes a different formal track than that of the earlier volume. Here, in a collection of independent short stories, Michener precedes each tale with an essay that ranges in subject matter from geo-political argument to virtual travel brochure. The result is an overall effort that does not equal that of Tales of the South Pacific but whose individual stories sometimes rise above anything he has written before.

Most of the essays are not only readable but provide essential background information for the fictional short stories. All but two, that is. The essays on New Zealand and Australia are unbearable abominations. Yet the stories that follow, which rely upon those essays for their crispness and assumptions, are two of the best in the book, especially "Until They Sail," the story of four New Zealand sisters who strike up romances with American troops during World War II.

Still, it is the stories of the tropical South Pacific I most like. The stories about Tahiti and Polynesia, the Marquesas, Guadalcanal, the Solomons, Fiji. "Povenaaa's Daughter" and "The Mynah Birds" will last with me for quite some time. One final note worth remarking, each and every story ends with a sharp, shocking twist. You quickly come to expect them, and, for that reason, they lose their punch, although never their shock.

These two works of Michener, Tales of the South Pacific and Return to Paradise, for me, are his best works. They show the writer at his freshest, before he became a living corporation for producing bestsellers (not that the later works do not have merit--Michener was a master storyteller at every stage of his career). But it is the stories of the South Seas and America's presence in the Pacific during and right after World War II that I most appreciate. Readers will always be able to revisit the books and stories on the South Pacific and get something new out of them. I'm not sure the same can be said for the enormous epics that followed.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine reading a James Michener book with only two titles on the “also by this author” attribution page! Written in the late 1940s, these short stories are tales and recollections from Michener’s post-WWII revisit to the south Pacific islands. From his perspective, much has changed since the war on most islands. From our perspective, this is a historical snapshot of a south Pacific adjusting to cultural changes brought about by WWII. It depicts a transitional time before the south Pacific became a popular—and populated—vacation spot for Americans and Europeans.

Many of the stories recall WWII events, as revisiting islands such as Guadalcanal bring up memories for Michener. One of my favorites of these is the story of a fictional family in New Zealand during the war. As many New Zealand men were lost in battles in the Pacific and Europe, New Zealand was suddenly vulnerable to Japanese attack. British and Americans eventually provided defense, and the clash of between these cultures is portrayed through the romantic encounters of the sisters in the family while the men are away at war. As usual, Michener’s characters are products of their cultures, but not without their own personal oddities.

In addition to Michener’s usual historically based yarns and personal recollections, he deeply ponders sociological situations as people from different races occupy various islands. For example, he cites the rise of east Indian population and the decimation of natives on Fiji between 1891 and 1936 with some alarm. A quick fact check proved that these figures stabilized before 1980, but his statistics show us reason for his concern.

Throughout, this book is written with Michener’s brilliance for describing lush scenery, quirky characters, clashing cultures, and everyday actions that make men and women heroes or heels. Definitely a must-read for Michener or “Tales of the South Pacific” fans.

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the phenomenal success of his first novel "Tales of the South Pacific", James Mitchener returns to the Pacific islands to write his next great Geographical novel, "Return to Paradise". Written after spending a year with his wife in the various islands of the South Pacific in the late 1940s, Michener writes this fascinating novel as a prototype to the kind of geographical novels that Michener would devote most of the rest of his life writing; novels like "Chesapeake", "Texas", "Poland" and "Centennial".

"Return to Paradise" is actually a combination travelogue-short story collection set in the various islands of the South Pacific. Michener will take one chapter describing a given island, such as Tahiti, Fiji, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, New Zealand or Australia, and then devotes the next chapter to a short story set in that island. In this way, Michener paints a very vivid picture of each island, it's geography, the people who inhabit it and the foreigners who have come to claim it. Michener's short stories illustrate in a wonderful way the Polynesians who inhabited the islands along with the various ethnic groups who have migrated there, from the Chinese of Tahiti to the Vietnamese of Santo Spiritu to the Indians of Fiji and of course the British of Australia and New Zealand. Michener also discusses the various foreign beachcombers and adventurers who have come to make these beautiful islands their own paradise. It is really a fascinating story.

The only thing that I did not like about "Return to Paradise" is the travelogue-short story back and forth that characterizes the novel. While this format is informative, it is hard to really get into the book when each chapter radically changes its focus. Michener's later books are much better and grabbing the reader's attention and keeping it throughout.

Still, I would highly recommend this novel, especially to those who love a good story of the South Seas!

[Adam Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than Tales of the South Pacific. I don't know if I was just paying more attention this time around or what, but it seems like Michener's voice had matured a bit (although he was already a master of his voice in the first one). Perhaps his perspective had somehow matured. I don't know. Anyway, a great read. The overall attraction to Michener's tales is this idea, even if it remains idealistic rather than an actual reality, of an unspoiled paradise. I say it's idealistic because his narrative bears out that human interaction and the tide of human events WILL tarnish this paradise, but the IDEA remains that there is a paradise that survives whatever humans do to it or in it, and Michener maintains the beauty even when there is human ugliness overlaying it. I was especially swept up in his descriptions of Maori women dances with their poi balls. I had seen a presentation of such dances at the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii but had forgotten how hypnotizing and wonderful it is. Michener's description is almost as beautiful experience as seeing it done live.

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michener's architecture for this book is unusual: alternating essays and short stories. As always he is no slave to structure: the last essay is followed not by a short story, but by his closing thoughts on the South Pacific. In this his third book, you can see the emergence of the writer to come; the first essay will be expanded into the first chapters of "Hawaii".

Some of the issues he raises have played out over the years (the book came out 60 years ago), but I confess I am ignorant of the details. Obviously Australia and New Zealand are still Commonwealth countries. But Tonkin and the other French colonies must have been transformed by the wide-ranging conflagration started in Vietnam.

[Paul Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt kind of guilty enjoying this book, because it is sooo politically incorrect by today's standards. Keeping in mind when it was written, though, helps. It took me about 1/3 of the way in to get into the rhythm of the book - travel-log, story, travel-log, story, etc. If you like Michener (and I do!), then you'll probably like this book.

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been thinking about the islands lately, so this was a perfect read for that reason alone.

[Bookguide · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me far too long to read this book, with interruptions, partly because it’s not as well written as some of his books I’ve read previously, partly because a bad back is disturbing my sleeping badly and I kept dozing off. In the time I took to read it, the aged paperback fell in half to boot. It does give some valuable background information about the region, but I suspect much of it was gleaned from conversations in hotel bars. That is the delight of Michener’s style: bringing dry facts to life, picking out the interesting bits and repackaging it as an essay or short story. I have to say, the stories were not always successful, but I read it to the end because, if nothing else, you always learn something from a Michener book.

The stories are not as interesting or exciting as I had expected, but there are so many snippets of information, that the factual parts more than make up for it. Given Michener wrote the book after a trip with his wife around 1950, revisiting places he had seen earlier during WWII, it gives a truly fascinating insight to what the colonial types were thinking in that period. Michener himself predicted that Asians of some description would overrun the entire South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. He was wary of the Japanese, the Indonesians and the Chinese, both mainland China and the entrepreneurial Chinese immigrants who had been indentured workers on plantations.

Even though Michener himself seemed to think indigenous peoples should be treated better, he wasn’t able to free himself of racist attitudes. He thought it would be quite delightful to live in the South Pacific, as long as he could “earn some income, have screening, some kind of lighting system and some native boys willing to work for a decent wage”, though he did specifically condemn the brutal attitude of some white settlers. Yet the language he used is of its time, ‘natives’ instead of indigenous peoples, even referring to them as savages and some of his characters talk about coons or use ‘the n-word’. The most extraordinary sentence in the entire book emerges from the mouth of Dame Sheila, an anthropologist on New Guinea, who claimed “The way Hitler, whether we like it or not, is most people’s idea of what a political leader should be”! Personally I prefer my political leaders with a social conscience, empathy and no visions of superior races or genocidal tendencies.

Another of Michener’s mental blocks was his fear of Communism and rejection of unionisation. He was completely bemused by the social security systems and socialised healthcare in Australia and New Zealand. There were many ideas that I find completely normal growing up that Michener found preposterous: that people should only work 40 hours a week, less with tea breaks and lunch breaks, have set holidays, that shops, banks, hairdressers etc. also had set opening hours and were shut at weekends. Admittedly, British shops have always opened on Saturdays, but evening opening and Sunday opening have only been permitted here in the Netherlands for a few years. In fact, it’s American-style deregulation that has eroded employment rights in Europe in the last 10-15 years; Michener would have felt perfectly happy with the current 24/7, 0-hours contract society. I’m not sure we would see eye to eye. I was as bemused by his attitude as he was by socialised healthcare and workers’ rights.

[Richard Marney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to his classic “Tales of the South Pacific”, the book is inspired by (and loosely covers) the author’s one year return several years after his time in the region during WWII. The book consists of his unique telling of the history of the smaller (Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc) and larger islands (NZ and Australia), and short stories creating scenes of local color through the lives and loves of imaginary locals and visitors. At times, one can smell the vanilla, feel the sea breezes, and see the pristine beauty of a romantic world. This is the world tourists see. Today, the locals confront a less idyllic reality of economic dualism and declining opportunity, with the specter of climate change-driven sea level rise looming always higher.

The last chapter is prophetic. Seven decades ago, he argues that the Pacific (Asia) would dominate America’s future and by extension that of the world more broadly. Depending on us this roadway of the South Pacific linking the regions could be one of cooperation or conflict, he wrote. We will see. 😊

[Mary Rude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this follow-up to "Tales of the South Pacific" even more than that first book. While Michener's first collection of stories seemed a little disjointed, and sometimes too bleak for me (so much so that I was astounded that Oscars & Hammerstein could turn it into such a bouncy Broadway musical), this collection had cohesive themes running through, and felt like it was imbued with a real love for the islands of the Pacific. Which Michener comes right out and says in the final chapter of his book. He acknowledges that when he travelled back to the Pacific with his wife several years after the war, he was better able to appreciate the nature and quiet life of the region, and I think that really did shine through the stories. His historical/geographical chapters describing the islands were also fascinating, and I really learned a lot.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like wartime dramas, then check out Until They Sail in this collection of short stories. It's packed with love, heartbreak, and tragedy for four sisters in New Zealand during WWII.

Movie adaptation:

Until They Sail (1957)



This bittersweet movie and the short story it's based on compliment each other nicely. You get a little extra details on the page and on the screen you get to see some relationships develop more, such as the romance between the two characters that Jean Simmons and Paul Newman play. I love their scenes together in the movie.

[Kay Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book! I feel that I should write a review for this only because I was mislead by other reviews. This is like Michener's other books but instead of one long narrative from the beginning to the end. We have the history of many islands and short stories about each of them. I think he wrote it this way because one in his novel Hawaii He talks some of the Polynesian history and in this he tries to focus more on the life on so many little islands. It is also one of his earlier works so I think he was still trying to grasp his style. It was nice to see the story about not just the people of the area but how the tourists are treated and what he saw and observed and not just studied.

[Lennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an interesting format that I found quite refreshing. A non-fictional essay written based on the account of the author's visit to a certain place followed by a fictional short story set in that same place. At times the essays and stories could drag, but some were very entertaining and enjoyable to read. The Mynah Birds, The Good Life, The Jungle, Rabaul, and What I Learned were my favorite pieces of the puzzle. One of the fascinating things was how along ago these stories were written meaning that they speak to events that now occurred almost 100 years ago (such as the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger). Overall I would recommend reading it especially for the change in perspective due to time and location.

[Tiffaroonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but dated. A snapshot in time that gives a view to historical viewpoints of white supremacy over South Pacific Islanders. It’s almost a wistful tribute to colonialism and murder of native peoples.

You get the sense Michner felt badly for the natives.
He humorously outlines scandalous behavior even by todays standards: white men raping native teenage girls, slavery, pillaging the natural resources, inhumane living conditions for natives but palatial estates for whites, etc. If anything, this fictional book works as a marker to document 1940’s society viewpoints.

Michner was appreciative that others went before him and established colonial rule so he could enjoy his travels in luxury and not have to be incriminated.

[Jacqui H. Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is part historical travel documentary and part fictional short story.
I believe in this book and in TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC Michener was cutting his teeth on what would become his later style of writing in his enormous epic novels.

I always learn a lot when I read a Michener book... history, geography, the human spirit.
Interesting background of locations in the Pacific and a colorful short story attached to each location in this book.

He's been a lifelong favorite author of mine since I read HAWAII at the age of 13 right after it was first published.
I wish he would've lived longer and written more...

[Carol Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book format is different than any I have read before. Mr. Michener would wrote a chapter about the different islands in the South Pacific giving the details that he knew about the island. Then he would follow it with a fiction story based on that island. I found it a little hard in the audio format to keep track of what was being read. The person reading the audiobook did not indicate when chapters changed, so it was hard to know if what I was listening to was his factual chapter or the fiction one. This problem would be eliminated in a different format.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an earlier printing, back when I was a kid, of this Bantam paperback edition, which belonged to my father and which I gave away years ago. This book was written as a follow up to Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific", after he and his wife returned to some of the areas he had seen in the military in World War II. So it is part travelogue commenting on various aspects of the places they visited - cultural, political, etc. - and part fictional stories set in those locations.