Move over Lucy VanPelt..

While I admire Wouk for his thorough and honest portrait of historical events and his gift for story telling, I suspect he does not have a high regard for women and this troubles me. The female characters in this story all seem to emulate the worst of feminine attributes. Of the five women in this story--Pug's wife Rhoda, daughter Madeline, daughter-in-law Janice, future daughter-in-law Natalie and the English WAAF Pamela Tudsbury--only Madeline seems to have her act together. And she's a career girl! She is intelligent, independent, in command of her emotions and her priorities. (She even dates a Communist!) She did not inherit these characteristics from her mom, Rhoda, who is often hysterical, self-absorbed, tends to drink too much and is hypercritical of everyone. Just when I think she can't complain, she does. Poor Pug. Natalie Jastrow is a real piece of work. She is spoiled, arrogant, attention-seeking to the point of being reckless, and also given to histrionics. Like Rhoda, she fusses and complains about the state of her hair, her clothes, the food, the servants...She seems to be selective with regard to her Jewish heritage. She boldly orders a "bacon sandwich" in a cafe to the surprise of Pug and Briny and explains that "most Jews" don't heed traditional dietary laws. However, when her father dies suddenly and she goes into mourning, she insists on wearing black to Warren's wedding and postponing her own engagement for a year, all in accordance with Jewish custom and ceremonial law. Just as Briny is about to enter submarine school, she hops on a plane to Italy! I think Briny is too good for her. As for Janice, she is sort of a one dimensional character. The only child of a powerful Florida legislator, she decides to marry Warren Henry literally days before (the pilot) is sent overseas. Pamela Tudsbury is needy and given to whining. Only a day or two after her fiancee is declared MIA, she's hitting on Pug! I'm left wondering: Wouk must have had some really bad experience with women. I hope it gets better. I'm on chapter 33: Pug's in London and the Nazis are bombing the heck out of the Brits.