To tell the truth I have never read this book. If it is anything like the two movies based on novel it will be very depressing.

What can I say about this book?

The story follows five central characters - a massive nuclear war has taken place, destroying the Northern hemisphere. The radioactive fallout from the war will soon wipe out the rest of humanity in the Southern hemisphere.

Not a cheery book you would think. But strangely, despite the hugely upsetting nature of the story, I actually found this to be quite a positive read. So many apocalyptic novels show the crumble of society into destructive confusion, the worst flaws of humanity taking over. There's certainly some of that here, but it's in the background - mostly the characters try to get on with their lives as best they can, making the best of a terrible situation, despite their inevitable fate. Which, of course, makes it all the more heart-breaking... ( )

In 1961, there was a brief but devastating nuclear war, resulting in the complete annihilation of the northern hemisphere. This is the story of Australians during the final nine months, while they wait for the deadly radiation to slowly make its way southward, finally enveloping the entire globe. Yes, it's a very sad story. Heartbreaking. But beautifully and sympathetically written, detailing the different ways people cope with the end of everything. Though difficult to get through at times, it's definitely a story that will stay with me for a long time. ( )

There has been a war. Short in length, but devastating for the Northern Hemisphere. No one in Australia really knows what happened during those days, but they know one thing. Nuclear bombs were dropped, and now everyone up there seems to be dead. And the radiation is spreading. Slowly but surely its coming closer, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.

Peter is posted to a submarine that is going to investigate any possible signs of life, and track the progress of the radiation particles. He leaves behind his wife Mary and his daughter Jennifer. Also on the submarine is Dwight Towers, an American who was in charge of the submarine during the War. Now he's stranded in Australia and, with his wife and children in his thoughts, he gets distracted by Moira, a free loving girl set to drink her way to the end.

This isn't a story of survival against the odds, or of extraordinary things happening. Instead, it is about facing a death that is guaranteed to come. Shute pulls no punches, and the writing is sometimes clinical in its dissection of what on earth happened, but the story draws you in and takes your breath away.

The other thing I loved about this was the lack of sentimentality. This isn't about hysteria, and people screaming against the world and the unfairness of it all. Its about whether acceptance can truly come, and how one lives life when you are guaranteed to not have that life for much longer.

A quietly stunning apocalyptic novel with none of the hysteria or drama that would take the attention away from these people waiting for their deaths to come. ( )

This book by Nevil Shute was written at the height of the cold war and it's still meaningful today. In fact, it's so relevant that it should be required reading for anyone in power, actually it should probably be required reading for everyone on the planet. period.

On the Beach is set in Australia, and it becomes clear quite quickly that something horrible has happened. And that horrible thing is a full out nuclear war in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. Those left in the southern hemisphere are either dead or waiting to meet their end from the slow drift of radiation heading their way. The story follows several characters through to their respective ends: Dwight, a submariner from the US, Moira, a young woman who is bitter about her life being cut short, a young couple with a baby and a scientist who chooses to spend his last few months racing a car he probably shouldn't be driving. The way that the characters choose to live their lives, even after being handed a death sentence, provides you with a little faith in the general goodness of human nature. The dignity with which they carry themselves is a nice respite on the generally inevitable bad behavior that usually takes place in post apocalyptic novels They don't start rioting and destroying things around them, they just...go on. You get to know the characters and that's what makes the ending heartbreaking, their realness really drives home that this kind of thing could happen to normal people if we aren't careful. If this book doesn't affect you, well, there's something wrong with you.

Shute's style in this book is a little wonky and some of the prose seems a little stilted. Since he wrote it in the 50's there are some words that don't ring true today, but that doesn't detract from the book at all. I watched the movie right after I read the book because I was so enamored with it, but I ended up being disappointed with it because it didn't carry the same impact. Read the book, it makes you want to be a little bit kinder to everyone in the world ( )