Rascals in Paradise

By James A. Michener and A. Grove Day

Book Overview

In a thrilling collection of nonfiction adventure stories, James A. Michener returns to the most dazzling place on Earth: the islands that inspired Tales of the South Pacific. Co-written with A. Grove Day, Rascals in Paradise offers portraits of ten scandalous men and women, some infamous and some overlooked, including Sam Comstock, a mutinous sailor whose delusions of grandeur became a nightmare; Will Mariner, a golden-haired youth who used his charm to win over his captors; and William Bligh, the notorious HMS Bounty captain who may not have been the monster history remembers him as. From lifelong buccaneers to lapsed noblemen, in Michener and Day's capable hands these rogues become the stuff of legend.

Praise for Rascals in Paradise

"The best book about those far-scattered islands that has appeared in a long time . . . a portfolio of rare and ruthless personalities that is calculated to make the curliest hair stand straight on end."--The New York Times

" Combines] research and scholarship (A. Grove Day was a professor at the University of Hawaii) with a gift for spinning a yarn and depicting character (Michener, journalist and novelist, needs no introduction)."--Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812986865
• ISBN13: 9780812986860
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Great collection

This is a wonderful collection of short stories that are bound to please. a cant miss!!!

Wild collection of amazing true stories

Michener and his partner, South Pacific expert A. Grove Day, tell a wild variety of stories from the horror of the Globe Mutinity to the incredible adventures of Coxinga, pirate of the South Pacific. If you want to know the true story of Captain Bligh, the man of mutinies, you'll find there's much more to the story than in the movies. The theme here is that for centuries civilized man has dreamed of island life with beautiful willing women and few rules or responsibilities. This book shows the folly and tragedy of many and the luck and fortune of some who made it work. I have read most of these stories multiple times and find this a book that remains interesting. As always, Michener is well researched and quite compelling.

A Great Island Read

Great book about the dreamers of the South Pacific. It is a collection of short stories of important and not so important dreamers who have wanted to make a name for themselves in the South Pacific. Stories range from brutal mutiny to the early history of the Hawaiian Islands.

One of Michener's best, but unknown books.

I read this book several times and would recommend it to any one interested in the history of the South Pacific. I have read most of his books, and found it to be one of his best. I enjoyed Tales of the South Pacific, but his non-fiction work was very informative.