Lonely Road

by Nevil Shute

This spy thriller finds Malcolm Stevenson, a wealthy, middle-aged shipbuilder, embroiled in an international Communist conspiracy. Smuggling guns into England, he gets caught up in politics and alien ideologies. In time he becomes more concerned with his lone quest for the truth.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Classics, Espionage, British Literature, Historical, Historical Fiction

221 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Nevil Shute Norway was a popular British novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer.

He used Nevil Shute as his pen name, and his full name in his engineering career, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.

He lived in Australia for the ten years before his death.

Reviews

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1932, this novel is an inventive story where we know the outcome of the novel in the Preface, written by the protagonist’s lawyer, but we do not learn the details until reading the story written by the protagonist’s hand.

Chapter One is included exactly as written by Commander Malcolm Stevenson who was writing after a serious car accident and with the after-effects of a severe concussion. My mind boggled at the wandering trail he leads his readers along. Disjointed, with time, place, and incidents muddled together in a mess, I wondered at first what I had gotten myself into.

However, each fragment of thought recorded by the Commander gives pieces of information that are relevant later on. By Chapter Two, the Commander has regained his equilibrium and the remainder of his story unfolds as the events occur.

Somehow, he had inadvertently come across an illegal arms deal in progress and the last thing in the world he wanted was to involve himself in it. Except for one thing. He met a dancer he was very attracted to, and the two of them became caught up in the conspiracy.

This story touched my heart for so many reasons. I felt empathy for the protagonist from the beginning, and grew to care deeply about his story. Even though there were indications of a sad, even tragic, ending – my hopes were pinned on a reprieve of some sort.

Nevil Shute displays a high level of skill in writing this novel. Not just in its plot and clever structure, but also in the way he could pull emotional response in the directions he chose. Engaging and absorbing, I was impressed with how well he painted the personalities of his characters, both male and female, and brought them to life.

Another amazing (to me) aspect of this novel is that Nevil Shute was only 33 years old when it was published, and the novels that are considered his best works are off in the future. Luckily for us readers, this novel shows distinct signs of what would be his full powers later on.

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing this book last night, I have thought too hard about it not to give it 5★

And this is in spite of a protagonist/narrator who I found very unlikeable at the start and a very unusual preface and confusing first chapter. I reread the preface after I finished the book and found that everything did in fact work.

The wealthy and usually solitary Malcolm drives drunk (definitely) and has a serious accident(apparently) where he sustains a serious head injury. Even confused, Malcolm is a tenacious character who tries to make sense of his fragmented memories of the night.

After recovering, lonely and away from home in Leeds, he goes to a dance hall. The partner he chooses, Mollie, interests him and turns out to have an important link to his story.

As I am typing this, I realise these are a series of fantastic coincidences, but such is Shute's skill and, even though this was only his third book, he weaves his story together well, so well that in spite of knowing how the story ends I'm hoping for as better outcome for Malcolm and Mollie

Shute has written a brief Author's Note at the start of my edition, stating that the first chapter of this book was an experiment that wasn't that well received by all readers. I like it but would say this book is for patient readers only. But, once this tale gets going, it is nearly impossible to put down.

Recommended.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is my favorite by Shute, even better than A Town Like Alice! I ‘m going to explain why it's such a winner for me. I’m not going to tell you the plot, part of the fun is figuring out what’s going on. At the start, you are confused. Confused, but curious at the same time. What we are told doesn’t lime up, doesn’t make sense. I had to straighten out what was true and what was not! I love the start because my attention was kept on high alert. I sensed humor in that we weren’t being thrown a loop.

There’s a love thread in this story, which is typical of all of Shute’s tales. What is special about this one is that the two that do fall in love logically shouldn’t fall in love at all. Against all odds they do. How this is dealt with is well done. The two are from completely different social classes! That it is so and that they fall in love anyhow, I like! I do not want to tell you too much. Now, don’t read the next spoiler. It’s a serious spoiler—if the two had married the relationship would most probably have gone downhill, and so Shute prevents this. Smart move, in my view! The plotline is well thought out.

Thirdly. this story is realistic and true to life. It doesn’t draw life better than it actually is. I think this is why this is the first of Shute’s books I have given five stars. The tale is grittier, harder, less optimistic than usual. The realism fits me to a T.

And now I’m going to turn what I just said upside down and tell you at the very same time that the story is all about justice and doing what is right, an ingredient so very typical of Shute’s books. In this book, Shute succeeds in giving his readers realism while at the same time stressing the importance of moral integrity and doing that which is right. He does both at the same time!

It has not taken me long to write this review. Why? Because I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I know exactly why I have enjoyed this story so very much. Do yourself a favor and read it. Read it soon!

To top this all off, the audiobook narration by Laurence Kennedy is outstanding. He uses different voices for the different characters. He does this in an unobtrusive manner, never over dramatizing! Each character sounds just as each one should sound, both the women and the men. He gets the accents right. You hear every single word. A superb narration, definitely worthy of five stars.

*****************

*Lonely Road 5 stars
*A Town Like Alice 4 stars
*The Chequer Board 4 stars
*No Highway 4 stars
*The Far Country 4 stars
*Landfall 4 stars
*Round the Bend 4 stars
*Most Secret 4 stars
*Beyond The Black Stump 4 stars
*Slide Rule: The Autobiography of an Engineer 3 stars
*Marazan 3 stars
*Pied Piper 3 stars
*Ruined City 3 stars
*Trustee from the Toolroom 3 stars
*The Rainbow and the Rose 3 stars
*An Old Captivity 2 stars
*Requiem for a Wren 2 stars
*So Distained 2 stars
*Pastoral 1 star

*What Happened to the Corbetts maybe
*On the Beach maybe
*In the Wet maybe

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Road by Nevil Shute was his third published book, originally published in 1936. I've read quite a few of Shute's works this past few years and have always enjoyed his story - telling. The Lonely Road, while it started off slightly strangely, drew me in and by the end, I couldn't put it down. I just had to finish it.

As I mentioned just before, the story starts off somewhat strangely. Malcolm Stevenson leaves a pub he's been at, drinking with friends, and, clearly drunk, begins his drive home. But the next sequence is almost dreamlike, switching from his drive to visions he seems to be having, until he ends up in a hospital, with little to no recollection of what happened.

In the author's note (in this Berkeley edition), he states that the first chapter was an experiment that didn't get well received but that the ultimate story was reasonably successful. Suffice it to say, don't be dissuaded by the first chapter, it's not long and the events within will play a role in the ultimate end of the story. (Teased your interest?)

Malcolm Stevenson is a war hero, for events that took place in WWI while he was a sailor, but he doesn't really want to remember these events and his life, while successful, is dissolute. He's a lonely man, drinks too much and sort of coasts through his life. His real joy is the sea and he owns a shipyard in Dartmouth. He is friend with the main character of Shute's 1926 novel, Marazan. It struck me as quite interesting to once again meet Philip and Joan Stenning (Joan being Malcolm's cousin) and also over the course of the novel, the two Scotland Yard officers, Maj Malcolm and his boss, Sir David Carter.

In his wanderings, Malcolm meets a dance hall girl, Mollie, in Leeds. He spends an evening with her dancing and in some ways is quite taken with her. Things that she tells him during this evening and things that Philip Stenning tells him, as well as sudden remembrances of his accident, make Malcolm suspicious about things that might be happening in England. Things like smuggling, or maybe worse. He explains these suspicions to the local Chief Constable Fedden and they go to London where we meet Norman and Carter.

Thus begins a fascinating adventure and a lovely growing romance. I won't ruin the story by getting into more detail. Suffice it to say that Malcolm, with assistance from Stenning, will assist the police in trying to track down this smuggling operation. But the main part of the story, and the best part (as in all of Shute's stories, I think) is the growing bond between Malcolm and Mollie. As I mentioned, Malcolm has been a single man, his life lonely (Lonely Road?) and this bringing together of him and Mollie changes his life. Malcolm is wealthy and from a wealthy family and Mollie is a wonderful, thoughtful girl, not in Malcolm's social circles. The time they spend together (Mollie plays an important role in this story) is so well told and his growing feelings for her (and hers for him) is beautifully told.

The intertwining of their developing relationship with the increased tension of their situation as they get closer to a resolution of the mystery is developed so thoughtfully, displaying the very best of Shute's story-telling abilities. Great, emotional story. Shute continues to be one of my favorite all-time authors. (4.5 stars)

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy going pre-war political crime thriller which originally came out in 1932 and you can see some of the ideas ian fleming had as he knew Shute.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sort of sub-Richard Hannah Detective/spy story very much of its period which is the early nineteen thirties. I have almost certainly read it before, although I really don’t remember doing so, and as a teenager, when I read most of his novels, I am guessing it would have seemed a lively, action story of a type that lots of people wrote and I absorbed in my quest to learn what reading novels fir pleasure was all about. Now, in my late sixties, the sad, pointless romance seems very sad, the class warfare, pitiable and even the plot, such as it is, seems just so very dated. Not precisely disappointed, just envious of the youthful exuberance which in my teens allowed me to read so much less critically but with so much pleasure, some of which has departed in the interim, intervening half century between then and now.

[David Dennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely crafted 1920’s story about a disillusioned war hero. As a wealthy owner of a boat yard and owner of many vessels, Commander Malcolm Stevenson lives in a grand house on the water near Dartmouth. He is a shy man without the closeness of a woman. Events occur turning his world on its head. He meets a beautiful working class girl from Leeds in a dance palais and they get embroiled in a dangerous plot to influence the next election. Shute’s descriptions of the Commander Stevenson’s environment are excellent and his understanding of seamanship, weather and tides is outstanding and shows in the exciting climax.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story with some unexpected twists facts along the plot.

5* A Town Like Alice
2* On the Beach
4* Pied Piper
4* Landfall
4.5* Most secret
4* Marazan
3* Requiem for a Wren
4* No Highway
4* The Chequer Board
4* Beyond the Black Stump
4* The Far Country
4* Lonely Road
TR Round the bend
TR The Rainbow and the Rose
TR Trustee from the Toolroom

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Before I started this book, I read that it was his third publication. Armed with this information, I found myself being a little critical. He could have done this or he could have done that. Thankfully, it did not hurt my enjoyment of this read. The story starts a little slow but quickly gains the reader's interest. Then you will find it hard to put it down. Nevil Shute is a storyteller, one of the best I have ever read.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am actually giving it a 3.5, although I love Nevil Shute’s books. This was good but not my favorite.

[Sally Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I have read many years ago, written in 1932 it does seem very dated. Tragically sad and bleak.

[Margaret Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as later Shute but shows all the themes about integrity and determination that I love about his books.

[Alex Brightsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, regret, vengeance and the possibility of redemption in unlikely places.

I owe this book a review because I rather misjudged it the first time I read it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it from the first, but I loved it as a straightforward adventure yarn, tied up with a touch more romance than would usually be to my taste. Nevil Shute is possibly better known for bitter post-war novels, and to my shame I didn’t at first realise that this book, first published in 1931, falls very much in that category. But more of that later.

Firstly, this book does work beautifully as a good yarn. It’s internally consistent, beautifully paced, and sparsely told. In fact, throughout it is beautifully told, which is for me pretty much a given with Shute. Where he writes about what he knows well – aircraft, usually, but in this case the sea and small boats, and the fast, damaged young men of the years between the wars – he is unsurpassed. He also writes the most beautifully moving tragedy I’ve ever read . . . small scale tragedy, little passages that toy with your heart and will take me to the edge of tears, even when I know them well, single lines that will take everything you have half learnt in the last three chapters and crystallise it into a single moment of heart-breaking sadness.

I could say the same for almost any Shute novel. Where Lonely Road stands out is in its opening chapter, half dreamscape, half the genuine if mangled memories of a man suffering both concussion and a well-deserved hangover. It captures better than most attempts I’ve seen the fragmentary nature of dreams, the way in which everything, however surreal, makes perfect sense to the dreamer, and the odd common details that can shoot through and tie together the most disjointed dream, and take on unreasonable prominence in doing so.

It even works for me as a romance, despite my exacting standards in this area. Any barrier is so often either implausible in the first place or implausibly overcome (or, worse, conveniently forgotten), so that I tend to find myself fighting the impulse to shout ‘oh for heaven’s sake just talk to the girl’ or earnestly wishing to grasp the lead characters by the scruff of their necks and bang their heads together. I’m not really the best person to review romance. What I will say is that at the heart of this story is a relationship that is absolutely plausible and suffers a realistic impediment.

This may be the place for a brief defence of the charge often levelled at Shute, that he writes weak, silly women. Well, he does, and when I get round to reviewing one of the novels they appear in, I’ll explain why I don’t find that a problem in more detail. Briefly, because there is usually a reason for their weakness or silliness. And in Lonely Road we have Sixpence, a palais de danse taxi-dancer, who is not weak or silly, though she is ignorant and naive.

I’m unlikely to review Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, because if you know it you probably already suspect that it was one of those books that made me want to give the protagonists a slap, and I don’t see there’s much to be gained by my writing a bad review of a book that was simply not to my taste. It would tell you more about me than the book. I mention it now because there are strong parallels in the central relationship, but the difference is what makes Lonely Road, for me, a more satisfying read. Molly, though she is dismissively referred to as Sixpence almost throughout, though she makes some silly mistakes, is a more intelligent, subtler, warmer, and overall less generally hopeless heroine than the second Mrs de Winter.

And finally, Lonely Road as a serious post-war novel. I’ve touched on it in those fast, damaged young men. Forewarned, you will pick the element easily out of the opening dreamscape. Our narrator has done things in battle that he would never have considered in normal life. Can he forgive himself? Can he forget? Can he be sure it was only the circumstances of war that shaped his actions?

[Wynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nevil Shute is one good storyteller. This is an old copy on my bookshelf, but I don't remember reading it before. Published in 1932, there is a lot of history to come, but of course neither the author or characters know that. It does fit in well with "after WWI" fiction.
Like many of Shute's novels, there is a class difference between the hero and heroine and some time spent on technical explanations. In this novel it is ships, seas, weather. Shute is always quite detailed in his descriptions.
But the Preface sets us up to know that there will be sadness here. Shute notes in this reprint that this was an experiment which he still likes.

Pied Piper, A Town Like Alice are novels on the top of my lists. But I think I will go back and look at some I read years ago. I remember Round the Bend, Landfall and Most Secret as being really good.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Commander Malcolm Stevenson returns to consciousness and finds himself in a hospital being told by a nurse that he'd been in an automobile accident and had a concussion. Over the next few days, as his brain begins to clear, he tries to reconstruct and remember as much as he can about what happened. What he finds out is that he had been a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as a gun-smuggling operation was going down. He tells what he knows to the police and finds himself pulled in to the investigation.
The beginning of this was extremely confusing and disjointed. Suddenly about 40 pages in, I seemed to realize that there was a steady plot line and I was hooked at that point. And yes, the confusion of the first chapter is ultimately explained.

[Pip Snort · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Nevil Shute. He is a master of his craft. This is a quite early work, written in between the 1st and 2nd world wars, and set at the time of writing. It begins oddly and takes a while to build momentum. I found it a bit masculine-centric in its perspective and patronising towards woman, which of course is entirely consistent with its time and circumstances. But by the end I was enamoured of its main characters and keen to see the resolution of the tension. The ending was also a bit odd, although may have been more realistic or viable at the time.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In May, 2013, I found this book in a box of books my mother had stored. It was a gift to my father from an unknown friend in 1955. I had to read it to experience what my father had read. I am glad I did. Interesting, thoughtful, and sad...particularly the war recollections and the early 19th century realities of social class. Well worth ones time...

[John Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve just reread a book first published 88 years ago. Although despising the extreme level of politics (the author was from the far right) I found the story itself entertaining. The writing style is dated, but not to the extent of being off-putting.

Set in the late 1920s, Lonely Road is the story of Malcolm Stevenson, a 39-y.o. ex-RAN Commander who remains haunted by his WW1 experiences. A wealthy man in his own right (he owns a boatyard and operates coastal traders), he remains unmarried despite thinking he ought to be otherwise. Believing himself in love, he proposes to some likely candidate or other on average every 18 months, only to be knocked back.

In Leeds overnight and on his own, he meets Mollie at a Palais, paying her sixpence per dance. Despite differences in background, age, education and lifestyle, there appears to be a flicker of mutual interest.

Driving his big, powerful Bentley too fast one night, and following several too many whiskies, Malcolm crashes into a roadside ditch, suffering a heavy head injury. In fact, it was the result of stopping to check a yacht close in to a beach, barely seen in the dark, only to be hit over the head by an unknown assailant. The ‘crash’ was set up to cover their illicit activity, gunrunning.

An involving plot takes him back to Leeds and a reunion with Mollie, whose brother is the owner of a truck found on a country road, deserted and burnt to the ground. Part of the load, boxes containing machine guns, remains undamaged. Malcolm and Mollie end up returning to his home and his work in Devon for her to have a holiday with him, albeit platonic. There is subterfuge, for on the following morning, he delivers her to the local police for questioning about her brother.

There is a political undertone to the story, especially from this point on. The author’s political beliefs now take us through a devious plot. The Russians are evidently sending arms to a group of Welsh miners who are intent on maintaining a communist (Labour!) government.

It is a quaint, old-fashioned love story alternating between sailing on the Devon coast, family and personal matters, police investigations into the possible uprising, and chasing a yacht on stormy seas in a tug

The e-book remains available and, even though I don’t favour this form over a ‘proper’ book, it was a necessity if I wanted to reread something first discovered in the early 1950s.

I certainly recommend it to anyone interested in early 20th century English writing. Four and a half stars for the basic story (despite one situation that tends to push the reader’s credibility), less one star for the extreme politics. This last recurs in many of Shute’s novels, not least In The Wet. But that, obviously, is another story.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Shute's very early novels, and it does show to some degree. My favourites are those where he is focused on the human stories - and in this one, that was inconsistent through the book. I wasn't at all engaged by the political aspects of the story, indeed page-flicked through those sections. However, at the heart of the book is the love-story between the protagonist and Mollie.

The romance builds slowly, with a typically restrained relationship between the two. I found this very touching, and it made the later events all the more emotional. It's probably not fashionable to like Shute's work these days - it is sexist, racist, and terribly upper-class English. But it evokes a different time in our crazy history, and sucks you in to some beautiful story-telling.

I'd rate this 3.5*. It lost a star for the political elements, which I thought dragged a bit, and also half a star for the dream sequences, which just didn't work for me. Definitely one I'd read again though.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering its publishing date of 1932, the book’s opening chapters are fairly inventive, which might be rather off-putting initially.
The book begins with a preface that outlines the protagonist’s life and states he dies young. With this information we already known our hero dies. How he does becomes the story.
The first chapter is a kaleidoscope if rambling images which simulate the dreams of the protagonist, Malcolm Stevenson, who is recovering from an accident.
From there we learn of his involvement in a nefarious gun smuggling plot that could affect the nation. At the center of the story is a love story which could have been tightened yet it is crucial to the plot.
Nevil Shute’s novels are rarely a disappointment. They are cleverly detailed and the protagonists have a sense of admirable honor, but the men are not afraid to take action.
Perhaps due to being an older novel, the plot action is a bit slow at times, otherwise, it proved to be a meritable read.

[John Gribbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Nevil Shute novels are often worth reading (or in my case, re-reading) for the insight they give into life in Britain between the two World Wars, and (of course) to see the author's growing confidence in providing readers with a feel for people and places. Lonely Road is just such a book. The underlying plot is frankly nonsense, but acts as an excuse to look at how society was changing in the late 1920s, with the main protagonist, a ludicrously rich man, coming to realise that "ordinary" working class people are just as intelligent and worthwhile members of society as their so-called betters. The downbeat ending seems unnecessary and takes the gloss off for me, but overall I am glad I went back to take a fresh look at a book I enjoyed as a teenager.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stunning piece of work - I finished this largely in one day and immediately turned back to read the opening chapters again. Shute's introduction to our protagonist - the dry preface, the drunken misadventure - slip-slides its way onto the safer ground of the action through a happenstance that moves from co-incidence to nightmare. Foreboding crept darkly over me in advance of the crashing reveals of the plot - Stenning's concern, both times; the lighted window. My word. Small moments, observations even from the start of it all crystallising into a complete picture - too late. The concern from an anonymous paramour that Stevenson lives alone. A brilliantly written monster of a novel, as fatalistic as our narrator. I loved it.

[Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Commander Malcolm Stevenson is a lonely man who loves ships and boats, but he doesn't have many close friends other than a cousin and her husband. He ends up in Leeds where he meets Mollie Gordon, a dancer who Malcom becomes attracted to over time. But Mollie is indirectly link to gun running through her brother, although she does not know it. People die and Malcom looks at ways to make the killer(s) pay for what they have done. This story has an interesting twist when you find the real reason for the gun running and who is behind it.
As usual with a Nevil Shute book, you will enjoy the story and his writing style. I never fail to thoroughly enjoy a Shute story.

[Hugh Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this un-putdownable, although the slightly odd experimental style in the first chapter put me off slightly. Mr Shute cleverly combines masculine adventure with the type of highly unlikely 'rich man falls for poor girl' storyline which would have appealed to female readers of the day who enjoyed women's serial magazines such as 'Peg's Paper' etc. Some have said it appears dated, well of course it does, being written nearly a century ago, but even for its time I think it's quite an intelligent, sensitive story. In some ways also it reminded me a little of Miss Du Maurier's novel 'Rebecca.'

[Laura Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading I thought the book pretty slow. But then it was written in 1932, and so it is more deliberate in developing the story. Memories of WW1 haunt Malcolm as he returns to his life as owner of a marina in the south of England. He becomes entangled in stopping a gunrunning operation and a young woman whose brother is involved. Any more would give away the turn of events. But everyone should read his response to the professor who thinks he knows what is right for the people outside his ivory tower.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sad and lonely story of love between a rich, war hero and a young innocent dancing girl. Set in the early thirties with airplanes, cars, and boats of the period, the book reflects the times. They meet by chance but continue through circumstances that involve the girl's brother. The first chapter tells the end of the story through the struggle of a man suffering from concussion. The rest of the book tells the back story. Even in this early work Shute displays his brilliance at plot and story development. The pace is even and the title tells it all. Highly recommended.

[Yashovardhan Sinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a great fan of Nevil Shute and had read several of his books during my student days. Then Shute gradually faded away from bookshops and even from most library shelves. Recently I got hold of his collected works in ebook format and am re-reading them one by one.

The Lonely Road is one of his earlier books and certainly not amongst my favourites. It's long drawn-out, full of technicalities and repetitions, and to be honest, not too intetesting either.

So 3 stars is the maximum that I can give it.

[Hornthesecond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. It's worth re-reading sometime. I found the central character interesting. Hus partner was arguably too good to be true, but the story survived that imperfect perfection. If you enjoy Shute, you'll enjoy this one too. The edition I read had a helpful foreword from the author which explains that the first chapter was a bit experimental in form and that perseverance may be necessary for some readers to get through it to the rest of the book, after which readers generally seemed to enjoy it. I think that's probably about right.

[Lady_bercilak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for ages and I finally got around to reading it. I found the beginning difficult to get past to get into the book, and I put the book aside for a while before I went back to it. But once I got into the story I enjoyed it. Nevil Shute is a master craftsman at building suspense while seeming to say not much in a very quiet restrained manner. I enjoyed this book, but it is one of not my favourite Shutes. So far these are Pastoral and A Town Like Alice.

[SueDee McClelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Enthralling Nevil Shute!

Wow, this book included a marvelous story of class differences in England that are subtle to this day. His main character was able to change and experience the beauty and special love of a classless society that displayed simple pleasures without the trappings of a complicated materialistic world!