From Publishers Weekly
Paine's first novel, his follow-up to the acclaimed story collection Scar Vegas, takes us on a rollicking ride through the Arabian desert during the Gulf War. Our guides are two AWOL marines: Cody Carmichael, a California stoner, and Tommy Trang, a zealous patriot who's half-Vietnamese, half-American and cagey about his past. The teenagers are stationed in Saudi Arabia on the eve of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. While they're hunting for pearls off the coast of Kuwait, Trang and Carmichael save the life of 16-year-old Princess Lulu, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family, who tried to drown herself because she's engaged to a debauched, middle-aged Saudi prince. Lulu and Trang inconveniently develop the hots for each other. After Iraq invades, Trang decides to rescue Lulu from the occupying army, setting in motion a series of reliably entertaining escapades that include an attempt to turn the ragtag Kuwaiti resistance fighters into a Bill of Rights-loving liberation army. Carmichael narrates the novel in his fluid surfer patois, which Paine deftly uses to comic effect ("Princess Lulu was like torching a blue-eyed gaze into Trang that would make your hair crinkle. Last time I had seen a look like that was when the king of Saudi Arabia's hawk was eyeballing me like he wanted to eat my infidel liver"). Paine shows his usual affection for all kinds of political underdogs, but the novel lacks the moral complexity of his best stories. Tommy Trang is an idealized, flag-waving modern folk hero who stands up for Muslim women and will "save this crazy Arab world" with his trigger-happy instincts, which always serve the cause of justice. Various Arabs are predictably lampooned for intolerance or decadence. Paine's naifs are less Huck and Jim than Bill and Ted on an excellent, Hollywood-ready adventure, but his sense of humor is irresistible.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Two unlikely marinesDsurfer boy Cody and Amerasian TommyDgo AWOL during the Gulf War in an attempt to rescue Tommy's heartthrob, Kuwaiti princess Lulu. This madcap first novel comes from the celebrated short story writer who gave us Scar Vegas. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Cody Carmichael and Tommy Trang are U.S. Marines hanging in the Persian Gulf right before Saddam rolls into Kuwait. Carmichael is a surfer, and his buddy Trang is this, like, warrior dude who follows intense "rules for military greatness" but who still likes to party. While doing some unauthorized pearl diving, they rescue this gorgeous Arab chick who turns out to be an honest-to-god princess! They're totally stoked! Desert Shield turns into Desert Storm, and these jarheads go off on totally picaresque adventures that culminate in an AWOL trip behind enemy lines to rescue Princess Lulu again! They've got good hearts, even though they've got short attention spans and cause a lot of unintentional mayhem--but that's America, dude! Paine's book is so cool it makes me want to slap him five. He digs into all these big issues, like how weird it is to train hand-to-hand killers when you use machines to fight, and what are we doing allied with one repressive society against another anyway? Plus, it's a gamble to tell the whole thing in surferese, but he like totally pulls it off! Keir Graff
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Book Description
He's California surfer Cody "Cowboy" Carmichael, and his life is forever changed when he meets Private Tommy Trang at boot camp. Trang is not your typical American patriot--his mother was a Saigon prostitute, his father a dead U.S. marine, and Trang's heart soon belongs to a sixteen-year-old Kuwaiti princess trapped behind the lines when the Iraqis invade her country. Together, the two marines are ready to wave the American flag all the way to Baghdad, or at least into occupied Kuwait, to rescue Princess Lulu. During the exciting, moving, and often hilarious account of these two AWOL marines sneaking through the Iraqi lines, the mellow Carmichael gets to know the heart of Pvt. Tommy Trang, and discovers a new brand of patriotism that is gripping, contagious, and as deep as life itself.
A powerful first novel by an award-winning writer, The Pearl of Kuwait is Romeo and Juliet meets Lawrence of Arabia. Tom Paine has created an enthralling, joyful, and original story with the classic ingredients of love and war.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"California surfer Cody "Cowboy" Carmichael's life is forever changed when he meets Private Tommy Trang at boot camp. Trang is not your typical American patriot: he's a bastard child of the Vietnam War, the son of an unknown U.S. marine. Sent to fight in the Gulf War, Trang soon loses his heart to a sixteen-year-old Kuwait princess trapped behind the lines when the Iraqis invade her country. Together, the two young marines are ready to wave the American flag all the way to Baghdad, or at least into occupied Kuwait, to rescue Princess Lulu." During this exciting, moving, and often hilarious account of these two AWOL privates sneaking across Iraqi lines, the mellow Carmichael gets to know the heart of Tommy Trang and discovers a new brand of patriotism that is gripping, contagious, and as deep as life itself.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Paine's first novel, his follow-up to the acclaimed story collection Scar Vegas, takes us on a rollicking ride through the Arabian desert during the Gulf War. Our guides are two AWOL marines: Cody Carmichael, a California stoner, and Tommy Trang, a zealous patriot who's half-Vietnamese, half-American and cagey about his past. The teenagers are stationed in Saudi Arabia on the eve of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. While they're hunting for pearls off the coast of Kuwait, Trang and Carmichael save the life of 16-year-old Princess Lulu, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family, who tried to drown herself because she's engaged to a debauched, middle-aged Saudi prince. Lulu and Trang inconveniently develop the hots for each other. After Iraq invades, Trang decides to rescue Lulu from the occupying army, setting in motion a series of reliably entertaining escapades that include an attempt to turn the ragtag Kuwaiti resistance fighters into a Bill of Rights-loving liberation army. Carmichael narrates the novel in his fluid surfer patois, which Paine deftly uses to comic effect ("Princess Lulu was like torching a blue-eyed gaze into Trang that would make your hair crinkle. Last time I had seen a look like that was when the king of Saudi Arabia's hawk was eyeballing me like he wanted to eat my infidel liver"). Paine shows his usual affection for all kinds of political underdogs, but the novel lacks the moral complexity of his best stories. Tommy Trang is an idealized, flag-waving modern folk hero who stands up for Muslim women and will "save this crazy Arab world" with his trigger-happy instincts, which always serve the cause of justice. Various Arabs are predictably lampooned for intolerance or decadence. Paine's naifs are less Huck and Jim than Bill and Ted on an excellent, Hollywood-ready adventure, but his sense of humor is irresistible. (Mar.) Forecast: Paine's Scar Vegas was a favorite with critics, and this well-timed novel should get major review coverage. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Two unlikely marinesDsurfer boy Cody and Amerasian TommyDgo AWOL during the Gulf War in an attempt to rescue Tommy's heartthrob, Kuwaiti princess Lulu. This madcap first novel comes from the celebrated short story writer who gave us Scar Vegas. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews