The Far Country.This one was also made into a mini-series (or maybe a tv movie...not sure). The plot of the mini-series/movie is pretty far removed from the plot of the book. I was able to check it out from my local library - I'm glad I didn't buy it. The book is far better.
Red-headed Jenny (very Betty Neels), works in London. Her existence there is pretty bleak. There is a lot of references to food shortages...and then her grandmother dies...basically Grandma dies of starvation, but not before giving Jenny a check for 500 pounds and telling her to go visit Cousin Jane in Australia, where food is plentiful and the living is less bleak. In Australia Jenny meets lumber jack Carl (he's a displaced person...a European refugee from a post WWII camp)...Carl was a doctor in the German army, now he helps out as a sort of first aid person in the lumber camp. Jenny helps Carl amputate a man's leg and then do a bit a brain surgery on another man. Nothing like a spot of excitement and blood to help two people to fall in love. The descriptions of Australia are vivid and enchanting, the descript
ions of post-war England are bleak and dreary (and somewhat lacking in comestibles). Much of the love story revolves around the fact that Jenny wants Carl to get a license to practice medicine in Australia, not just be a lumberman (see, we still manage to get the doctor angle in, even though he's not rich or Dutch).Pied Piper
While grieving for the loss of his only son, elderly John Howard goes to France for a fishing trip. He runs into a problem...or rather, a problem runs into France. Germany invades while he's there. He decides it's his patriotic duty to head home to England. Along the way he gets saddled with several children that need saving...which he does. In spite of the war-time setting (death, gore, bombs, etc...) it's a surprisingly gentle story. There is a love story, but it's not the main story.
Here's a couple more good ones:
- Trustee From the Toolroom - my personal favorite.
- The Chequer Board - perhaps 1st runner up.
In all fairness I didn't care for all of his books...especially:
- On the Beach - I just can't get into a book wherein everyone dies. Everyone. On the Beach is probably Shute's most famous book, and it was made into a Hollywood movie (starring an Uncrushable favorite - Gregory Peck). I haven't seen the movie, so I won't make any comment...except: Fred Astaire in a post nuclear war apocalyptic story?
Betty Barbara here--
ReplyDeleteI will admit I was getting worried when you mentioned Nevil Shute as your After Betty author. But some of us will confess to loving A Town Like Alice (book and Bryan Brown!). But you redeemed yourself by mentioning all those other wonderful books and by nixing On the Beach----not even the great Gregory Peck could rescue this totally depressing offering!!!! I did not even bother reading the book. This Betty does not do total human destruction!
It's a good thing I had already read and loved several other Nevil Shute books...if I had started with On the Beach, I would never have read another one of his books.
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