Nevil Shute Books

I've read it many, many times. The characters are very believable (you will feel as though you have met people like them), and the suspense buildup is managed brilliantly. The ending, though poignant, is superb.

About as good a war tale as you can get -- the plot is fast-paced, always developing. No wasted words. This book proves that good war tales can be told without lasping into profanity and gore -- neither of which are used by Shute.

As with other Shute books, it is written from the viewpoint of a detached observer to the main tale -- a technique he has used rather well in other books.

Read _Most Secret_ once and I guarantee you will never look upon fishing boats or Worcester Sauce in quite the same way.

It is great to have so many of the Nevil Shute titles (maybe all of them) available via these quality reprints. This is my second order of a reprint of a Shute book and I am very pleased. I had a problem with my first order (a wrinkled page not discovered until much later) and the publisher took care of it - good for them! There are many Shute fans out there and even though original copies of his titles are much desired, it is nice to be able to obtain them easily through this publisher.

Any Nevil Shute book is a worthy read. And re-read. And re-re-read.

STEPHEN MORRIS (inc. PILOTAGE) is both a compelling work of fiction and a very fine and thinly disguished memoir/history of the early days of British aviation immediately after the First World War. It is so good, in fact, that one wonders why he chose not to publish it: it did not appear until after his death. In its graceful and arresting writing, it anticipates his later aviation-theme novels, and in its glimpse of the proto-British aircraft industry, it calls to mind his autobiography SLIDE RULE. Shute, of course, made his living as a professional aeronautical engineer and stress calculator (as Nevil S. Norway), working for de Havilland on early biplane transport development, then the Vickers concern during the great days of British airship development, and then as a founder of the Airspeed company, a firm noted for the production of small, very high quality executive aircraft and trainers. As a novel, STEPHEN MORRIS and PILOTAGE (the two works are linked) anticipate those great novels of Saint-Exupery, SOUTHERN MAIL and NIGHT FLIGHT. As well, they call to mind Ernest Gann's best fiction, particularly his book BLAZE OF NOON. Shute understands the world of the airman (he was an accomplished light aircraft pilot), and, given his participation in the industry at the time, naturally understands the course of the field as well. This, too, echoes Saint-Ex and Gann. I would recommend that readers read all of these works to gain their own perspective on Shute, Saint-Ex, and Gann, as novelist-airmen and (in the case of Shute) as a designer and entrepreneur as well. In sum, STEPHEN MORRIS and PILOTAGE need to be read far more widely than they have been, and considered as major contributions to the early popular understanding of flight.

It has been a long time since I read this book and watched the movie and I will never forget the incredible journey imposed upon these innocent people. A story that in time fades but never goes away. I loved every minute of it---even the very sad parts. I will probably watch it over again sometime in the future.

OK, the first 100 pages were great. It was a very gripping story. But when the tension ended, the plot ended. Who cares if Jean wanted to make shoes? Who cares how many stops her plane made, going all over Australia? Who cares what the people looked like, and what they did? If I wanted a book called "People and Places in Australia," I would have checked it out. Meanwhile, back in the outback, there's no plot left. I can't make myself finish it.

Its a wonderful story, a good read! Book was a re-print tho and a few of the pages were out of order...but it did not detract from the story at all.

This book is one of my favorites. I have a old well used copy on my book shelf that I bought years ago. The first time I read this book I borrowed it from the local library and the name was "The Legacy". This was probably 30 yrs ago. I think I have probably read this book at least once a year since then. I don't think I have done that with any other book.

If you only read the back of the book, you will believe it is much grimmer than it is. Only part of this book is about the war. Ther rest is about taking risks to acheive an equitable relationship. It is, in many ways, a very feminist romance novel. At no point do we feel like anyone needs anyone else.

Also, if you have a geek for small businesses, you should check it out.

If you loved this book, you might also investigate Nevil Shute's "Trustee from the Toolroom".

When is a love story not a romance novel? When is a book about Japanese POWs not a book about war? When it's A Town Like Alice. I've been a fan since seeing the Masterpiece Theater version about 20 years ago (after which I had to immediately run out and buy the book. There are lots of reviews posted here, so we don't need another rehash of the plot. Suffice it to say, if you are NOT a romantic, if you are NOT a fan of romance novels, this is a book for you. The context of WWII and Jean Paget's experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese ring with accuracy. Her prosaic life in London, her eventual return to Malaysia and journey to Australia don't stretch credulity. The romance between Jean and Joe, and even her shy Scottish attorney's feelings for Jean, are beautifully developed. It's just a wonderful read, and Neville Shute never wrote a better book (although he wrote many, many worse ones). There are two excellent filmed versions of a Town Like Alice. The Masterpiece Theater version stars Bryan Brown as Joe Harmon and Helen Morse as Jean Paget, with Gordon Jackson as Noel Strachen--a completely new and romantic turn for the actor I will always think of as Hudson-The-Butler. An earlier version with Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna is also very watchable. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Just read it. And then go out and rent the movies. Both of them. You have your orders, what are you waiting for??

I wish some studio would pick it up. They could pick some wimpish star and turn him into a modern-day Ulysses. Pick any tropical location for filming.

Nevil Shute's main characters resemble John Steinbeck's main characters - simple, straight forward folk with the desire to do what's right not in a heroic way but in a quiet way. But unlike Steinbeck's characters who struggle in the midst of chaos and injustice, Shute's characters struggle through small problems we all might face. The terrain is not epic but quiet and thoughtful. He writes a novel here that would never be a bestseller today. There are no large, out-sized egos to fight. There are no worldwide plots of conspiracy. Instead there is a death and a little girl to honor. I recommend it for the quiet, life affirming moments we all need but too often rush by.

If you are a model engineer or into building small engines, this will probably become your favorite book as it is mine. I bought this copy just so I could loan it to others to read. It has no sex, no violence--just a good, inspiring story line about how the efforts of one man working in obscurity turn out to have influenced many more people than he thought. The hero builds small engines and writes articles on them for an English model engineering magazine. As trustee for his late brother's daughter, he sets out to recover her inheritence, which was lost at sea in the Pacific. Travelling on virtually no budget he meets some interesting characters along the way with the common bond that they are impressed with his tiny engines or know of him through his articles and admire him greatly. The author is actually a real-life engineer who is best known for his rather dark book of post-nuclear disaster, "On the Beach," but this is a much more uplifting tale that is equally well written.

The fascination of Nevil Shute's stories have always been difficult to explain. His hero is everything that we already are. No piece of him is especially surprising, yet he keeps us reading. Every revelation of character makes us turn a say, "Yeah...I know somebody like that." or "I feel that way too."

In _Trustee from the Toolroom_, the simple actions of Keith Stewart to fulfill his promise to family reveal more about our experience as ordinary humans than most other fiction thrust on us today. Keith does what we envy in others or take pride in ourselves: he remains honest. Yes, it is slow and utterly normal. But isn't it refreshing to read something that makes waking up every ordinary day and living honestly a hero's journey? After all else is scraped away, we are just like Keith Stewart.

While maintaining this normality in character, Nevil Shute captivates us with the heroic in this, his last novel.

This is a wonderful book. A simple story about an unassuming man who has turned his avocation of fabricating small machines into a modest occupation that makes his everyday existence a pleasure for himself and his equally unassuming and good-hearted wife. He decides to embark upon a quest to reclaim his niece's lost inheritance--a treasure chest of diamonds hidden by himself and her father on the wrecked ship in which both her wealthy upper-class parents were killed. He does not want the diamonds for himself but the education and future of his niece which he will not be otherwise able to supply on his own rather meager income. So the hero starts out on a trip half way around the world with not enough money and no legitimate assurance that he will even make it back alive, much less win the prize. He knows it is a long shot. But, with the encouragement of his wife who will hold down the fort at home, he embarks upon this high-seas, dangerous journey simply because he thinks it's the right thing to do. He wouldn't feel right if he didn't try. That he might fail is not the important thing. This very rational, prudent man who has lived what many would consider a rather dull life of habit and order will now put all his trust in the enexpected and taste a life of risk and adventure. Very inspiring.

I like Shute, and I am a frequent visitor to Queensland, but this novel and its characters seemed dated and unsatisfying. It was a 1952 "thought experiment" about a future for Queen Elizabeth and Australia that would bring us up to the present. There is a political agenda; this is less a "yarn" than what Shute is known for.

This book was written in 1952, just after Queen Elizabeth took the throne, and is an odd look at what Nevil thought would happen to the British Commonwealth, and specifically to the concept of Royalty, under the influence of post-WWII economic and political pressures, over a period of 30 years from the time of the book's writing. As is typical for Nevil, the book has no bad guys, no sharp dramatic tension, but rather some fine character portraits, a properly told love story, and some very exacting insights into social and political structures.

The book is actually told in two separate pieces. One is a framing story of an elderly Church of England pastor newly assigned to a rather remote area of the Australian outback and his efforts to minister to a flock that is literally spread over an area larger than many states. Nevil's description of the area and people in this area both during the dry season and 'in the wet' is startlingly full of life, a fine portrait that does much to illustrate some of Nevil's social commentary, which creeps in almost from the side, rarely directly presented. But from this everyday world, we move to a totally different one as our priest, suffering from malaria induced fevers and hallucinations, is forced by circumstance to minister to an old, dying drunkard, Stevie. In trying to learn about Stevie's past, we enter the world of the future, as Stevie's half-incoherent words combine with the priest's inner hallucinations to form the story of David Anderson, an Australian pilot chosen to fly the personal aircraft of the Queen.

This vision of the future shows an England of near total socialism, sadly depopulated by emigration to other Commonwealth countries, poorly ruled and near bankrupt, questioning the value of supporting the royal family. Opposing this are the pictures of Canada and Australia as vibrant, growing economies, and where one of the key differences in government is the idea of individuals being able to earn more than the basic one vote, available to everyone, by education, military service, public service, travel, and by special dispensation (i.e. 'The Queen's Favor). Supposedly this form of enfranchisement has led to better, more efficient government - whether it really would is an obvious topic for debate.

What is intriguing about this is just where Nevil got events right and where his vision diverged from what really happened. Little things like his prediction that Christmas Island would be turned over to Australian governance in 1961 (actual was 1958) and his portrait of a middle-aged Queen Elizabeth (startlingly accurate) and major things like his prediction of England's economic sharp decline and turn towards socialism show just how in tune with the times Nevil was. At the same time, his predictions on technology were sadly off the mark, the 'security' procedures surrounding the Queen are almost laughably inadequate when seen from today's viewpoint, and he took the problems of England too far, not foreseeing its eventual recovery from losing its empire.

Lying atop all of this is a finely told love story between David and Rosemary, a secretary to the Queen. Nevil's characterization is always very strong, and his ability to show a slowly developing attraction is highly realistic and satisfying. And just under the surface is some commentary on issues of race, as David is one-quarter abo, and commonly goes by his nickname of 'Nigger'. Nevil is clearly pointing out the invalidity of judging people by race, and by extension he makes the point that all 'class' distinctions are artificial and, in the long run, detrimental. In presenting this point, he shows some of the treatment of the 'servant' class in ways that may offend some modern sensibilities, but his portrayal is very accurate for the times.

The last portion of the book gets into a metaphysics where all religions have a validity and circles back to the book's starting point, providing much food for thought well beyond the parameters of his envisioned future.

Each of the above items adds to the total of this very strong book, a book that has been sadly neglected and out of print for a long time. It is very encouraging to see most of Nevil's works being brought back into print in the last couple of years, as almost all of his works are deserving of a read, this one especially so.

Nevil Shute was a sturdily competent author. His plots are as well constructed as his planes probably were. Solid, orthodox in design and execution, no unnecessary frills - the embodiment of the stiff upper lip of the Englishman. This is no exception as it artfully tells a future tale of an England riven by an envy-based Socialism (that its author had recently escaped from)that is rapidly destroying those few institutions remaining. It has a solid emotional connection to present-day 'utopian' Australia (as wonderfully observed from the point of view of one who lived there as, say, Orwell's 'Burmese Days').

Hmmm...author wishes to tell of past or future and make politicised point therefrom. Problem - how to do this without breaking the emotional connection to the narrative of the present? Solution - make a character have a 'dream' of some kind.

I rolled my eyes - this device was becoming hackneyed (cf.'An Old Captivity', 'The Rainbow & The Rose' etc.) and one might have expected Shute to be a little more inventive with his literary devices. Nevertheless, it works and functions adequately as a means of establishing and maintaining a fluid connection between the two.

Well done, sir!

As a dying man drifts towards death in the Australian Outback (it takes place in the rainy season, thus, "In the Wet."), he tells an odd tale to a Church of England clergyman, of a pilot in 1980's Britain (the novel, written in 1952, is set in 1952) The story: David Anderson, a quarter-Aboriginal Australian pilot, is selected to fly for Queen Elizabeth, in a world where a sizable portion of the British people has emigrated, primarily to Canada and Australia. The remaining British have become "red",....

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the novel is the "multiple vote", which, when it was mentioned at the last SF convention I attended, immediately provoked a half-hour debate. Democracy has been modified, leading to the possibility of earning additional votes in elections...

OK, so Shute didn't forsee the rise of republicanism in Australia and the Parti Quebecois in Canada. And television is mentioned exactly once, there's no satellite transmissions, and a lot of other similar difficulties. All the same, Shute provides an interesting political novel/love story for us.

I withhold a fifth star on this one because I don't find the character of David Anderson believable. This guy's supposed to be a quarter-Abo born in a ditch who came up through the ranks. He talks like an Oxford grad, and knows a fair number of polysyllables. Not only this, the quarter-Abo, discussing how the Queen should allocate her time if all was fair, discusses the proportion based on the overall population of the Commonwealth, and based on the white (!) population. Shute should have avoided these obvious howlers.

Nevil Shute has the most emotionally compelling writing styles I've ever encountered. "In the Wet" is a odd and lovely example of this. Without ever being maudling, in a quiet, understated way Shute weaves a beautiful combination of feeling and character.

"In the Wet" takes place in the Australian Outback. One can feel the heat, the dust, then the rain and the mud, as well as vividly seeing and being part of the scenery. The story is that of a Church of England parson well past his prime running a church in a very remote and widespread area. He's a practical man, acknowledging that "wrong isn't always wrong" in the Outback. He encounters a dying man who takes him on a trip through reincarnation, telling the tale of the life the man will live his next time around.

As science fiction the book is severely outdated, yet--I've found this works well with the bomb classics like Shute's "On the Beach"--if you read it more as alternate history rather than a look to the future (the 'future' is the 1970s in this case) you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful writing, well-rounded characters, and the solidly crafted plot.

Nevil Shute is possibly my favorite writer, and this is definitely my favorite of his books. It quietly gets inside you and gradually begins to inform your thoughts and actions. Unassuming, simply told, and marvelous, on one level it's just an entertaining story that's difficult to put down. On other levels, it resonates deeply into matters of the heart and spirit. The characters are people I love, and the story is one that I return to again and again.

I love Shute's technical competence and honesty. Every word about aircraft, business, sailing, war, or other technical subjects, in any of his books, you just know is exactly true. That quiet unassuming truth pervades the characters and stories as well. They are so real, so ordinary, and so great. All his books have a delightful substance about them. After this one, please read Trustee from the Toolroom, The Pied Piper, The Legacy, and No Highway.

"On the Beach" is probably Shute's most famous book, but "Round the Bend" gets my vote for the best and most moving story he ever wrote. At the center of his tale is a Third-World aircraft technician who, through his simple teachings and exemplary behavior, seems to those who know him to be developing into at least another Mahatma Gandhi or maybe Jesus Christ. The story is told against the seemingly mundane background of two friends trying to establish a small international airline, a subject that Shute knew well. The mix of mechanics and mysticism is especially effective.

The main character makes no claims of divinity and there is nothing in his teachings that would upset the advocates of any of the world's great religions. There's no preaching: Just a well told story of a good man doing good in his day-to-day life and the tremendous effect that can have on other people in different parts of the world. It has been decades since I first read this book, and it still is one of my all-time favorites.

A very interesting and different book. It reads very much as a man telling a story about a chapter in his life. Very straight forward and readable. No long descriptions of scenery, or extensive dialog. This is a tale of two men. One is in love with airplanes and starts his own service, after WWII, in the Middle East. He is the primary character and the story teller. The other, a boyhood acquaintaince and later an employee, increasing becomes involved with religion and philosophy. It is a captivating tale but not one of action or suspense. Based on my experience with this book, I have acquired two more of Shute's work.

I'm not entirely sure that there is a "typical" Shute book, but this one is both typical and atypical. It is typical in that it is mostly about post-WWII era aircraft operations, and rather more intense on the aircraft angle than most of his other books. Also, like several of his other books, it pokes about at the meaning of morality.

On the atypical side, "Round the Bend" is somewhat alegorical and "preachy" in the same sense as "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Robert Pirsig read "Round the Bend" before he wrote "Zen".

Folks comfortable with Shute's writing will find that "Round the Bend" has his trademark writing style -- spartan, yet with a delicious amount of descriptive detail, intense, yet without an identifiable climax. As usual, he's not given to plot twists, but rather focuses on the development of human character and the way it plays out under unusual circumstances.

Tom Cutter, tired after World War II and the loss of his wife (he blames himself for her suicide), comes to the Persian Gulf to begin a small-scale aviation business. He throws himself into the business and makes a success of it. The business really takes off after he hires childhood friend Connie Shaklin as chief engineer, and soon after, Connie's sister Nadezna, as his secretary. But Cutter soon notices--Shaklin is giving semi-religious talks as he works, which are attracting attention and support not only from his co-workers, but from the Arab population, as they previously did in Cambodia, and when Shaklin is forced to go to Indonesia, again, he attracts attention and support, somewhat to the confusion of Cutter, who nevertheless is unfailing in his support of Shaklin, who seems to be beginning a religion that crosses religious boundaries.

Shute's most thought provoking of novels, as a new prophet arises in the form of an aviation engineer who adamantly denies he is a prophet, somewhat to the confusion of his friend and his sister.

Even the small characters (a gunrunner who, in seeing Shaklin and his work, is reminded of the small town and church in the Midwest where he grew up, for example) are finely drawn. And Shute often gets rather subtle--Cutter, whose first name is Thomas, three times denies Shaklin's divinity in a talk with the British officer, Captain Morrison.

Beautiful and gentle work by a master storyteller. You will look for villians in vain in this book. His best.

I read On the Beach and Town Like Alice decades ago. Loved them but never bothered to look for more of his work. What a pity! I happened upon this old hardback copy recently in a thrift store, and what a find! From the first few pages I was captured by his descriptions and by his characters. He sometimes got a bit repetitious, but I soon became so enamored by his story that I really didn't care. I also liked the down to earth writing; the kind that is readable without being simple, the kind that doesn't distract from the plot but rather carries it along. Its an old fashion love story, about connecting with people and a land. Wonderfully done.

What a storyteller! Shute didn't live too long. I'm so glad he found time to write these human adventures along with all the other things he did. I did not realize until I read this book how bad things were in Great Britain after WWII. Makes me want to go to Australia (in the early 1950's). One of Shute's strengths is character description and development. I'm so glad I found my own copy of this book at Amazon! It was getting difficult to locate copies at the library. Why was this great story never filmed? This has to be as good as the author's A Town Like Alice and No Highway.

I found this book on the shelf at my local libary. By the cover, it had nothing to recommend it--beat up, dull blue, writing on the binding flaking off. The only reason I checked it out was because it was by Nevil Shute, one of my favorite authors. It sat on my pile of "to read" for six weeks before I picked it up in a moment of boredom & started reading. My boredom was gone immediately and I spent the rest of the day in post WWII Australia with the two main characters--Jennifer, a young woman who is visiting Australia compliments of a small legacy left to her by her grandmother, and Carl Zlinter, a Czechoslovakian emmigrant planning to make a life in Australia after he has completed his required labor contract. Wow, what a great book! The plot twists kept me off balance, the characters were interesting & the type of people you'd like to have living next door to you, there was enough action to keep you interested but not detract from the story, there was a bit of a mystery and the end was what you'd hoped for the entire time without expecting it to happen because of another exciting plot twist. I would give this book six stars out of five. I plan to visit my library soon to look for some more surprises like this one!

Jennifer Morton moves to London, temporarily, to take care of her ailing grandmother, who, before her death, speaks of times, now gone, when life was so much better in England, as though she recognizes the dissolving of a great culture, which her granddaughter will never know.
In her last day of life, she passes on the Jennifer a timely gift of money, received from her distant niece in Australia, and with it expresses her wish for Jennifer to go soon, to seek a better and new life in the opportunities offered in "The Far Country." Living up to her grandmother's words, she follows her adventuresome spirit and sails to the other side of the world for this new discovery.
Warmly received by her niece at the sheep station, she experiences the abundance of life in Queensland, where she feels at home - immediately - and can now clearly compare the differences between the continents. The new country brings refreshing contrast compared to the dreariness of her post-war nation, so plagued by needless government regulations and restrictions on all of life's commodities, even food.
Freedom is what she experiences for the first time in her life and, with it, can fully understand her grandmother's wish for her to seek it. While there, she also notices hardships, endured by others who seek alternative ways to reach this very same freedom. They are the lumberjacks - the refugees from around the globe - who have accepted two-year forestry commitments to buy into the opportunities ahead. Australia attracts them and, in return for their two years of hardship, they can gain their new beginning in their new land.
So it is with Carl Zlintner, a Chechoslovakian doctor, a World War II refugee, who has nine months to go before his own two years are finalized. He has no money and is ready to pursue life as a lumberjack in his future. However, hidden in the forest, he stumbles across the grave of a man, now dead for many years... a man with a recognizable name.
How Jennifer Morton and pursuit to learn more about this dead man bring new life to the doctor, is a moving and powerful story of willingness to endure, readiness to sacrifice and determination to reach the goals ahead.
It's a story about life and about love, wonderful and inspiring, so totally Nevil Shute!

this was the second book of nevil shute's books i am reading , the first one being A TOWN LIKE ALICE-and i liked it--it tells us about two people-an younge english girl and a european doctor--who meet in australia---their's is astory of friendship and old fashioned love. the contract between england and australia is brought out well.