Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... On the Beach (original 1957; edition 2002)by Nevil Shute
Work InformationOn the Beach by Nevil Shute (1957)
Best Dystopias (60) Best Beach Reads (6) » 37 more Favourite Books (749) Books Read in 2022 (315) 1950s (98) Books Read in 2018 (588) Best War Stories (55) Best books read in 2011 (147) Books Read in 2017 (2,357) Books Read in 2013 (612) Five star books (854) Books Read in 2008 (112) Allie's Wishlist (86) My TBR list (17) 1960s (262) Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Nevil Shute was an Englishman who left Britain for Australia. He was an aeronautical engineer who turned to novel writing, novels with settings in the air world. So, when he came to write an apocalyptic novel, it was quite authorative from a technical point of view. The life of an Australian community as it awaits the arrival of what will probably be totally fatal clouds of nuclear fallout is quite well done. ( ) Whilst I have heard a lot about Shute, only 2 novels readily spring to mind. This and A Town Like Alice, neither of which I had read before this. On the Beach (published in 1957) was made into a famous 1959 movie shot In Australia starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins (what a cast!), with Gardner (who was not a fan of Melbourne or perhaps Australia as a whole) saying that Melbourne was an ideal choice for siting a movie as to the end of human habitation of Earth. And I am not providing spoilers by saying this as the premise of the novel is now well know and appears on the back cover of this edition, and is made pretty obvious early on in the novel, without knocking anyone the head with the 'facts'. We are in post WW2 territory, and for various reasons, various countries start sending nuclear bombs against each other, with it escalating rapidly such that other countries get involved as well. Shute even suggests that some participate by mistake, even sending bombs to countries that have not threatened them. My sense is that Shute was not trying to provide a prediction of what could have actually go wrong with the stance of various countries during the 1950s, and wanted to down play any ascription of "responsibilities", other than to hint as to "how the hell did we get ourselves into such a situation, where intentional, non intentional or accidental deployment of such weapons could have such a devastating impact on humanity. And in this case it is end of humanity. Whilst the wars took place in the Northern hemisphere, the radioactive atmosphere is moving slowly but steadily southward, with deadly affect. So why Melbourne as the focus of this novel? As the largest city in the Southern hemisphere, the US, British and Australians retreat to there. Even whilst the clouds may not have reached various places (eg northern Australis, Africa South America), the flow of vital resources (because of the knocking out of Northern hemisphere manufacturing centers, whether by destruction by bombs, the unavailability of manufacturing personnel or the unavailability of transportation from north to south), particularly transportation fuels, means that international flights and shipping ceases, with the exception of a very few nuclear powered submarines. Everyone knows, but not all believe, that death is inevitable due to irradiation sickness. It is a matter of time. This is not a book of pyrotechnics or rage against the world, as those waiting in Melbourne and surrounds await the inevitable. Instead it is the exploration of how a small group of characters (and those close to them) approach the inevitable. It is a powerful and to a degree melancholic read. Being a book of the 1950s, there is no gore or post mortem like detail (and it does not need that). It is in that sense a cerebral or heart felt read. I sense that Shute wrote this novel as a paean against the madness of nuclear war. AndI hope that the years that have passed since have not made become complacent as to the dangers that lie within. Big Ship 1 August 2023 no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inThe Day After Doomsday; Earth Abides; I Am Legend; On The Beach; Alas, Babylon; Lucifer's Hammer (Leather Bound)(5 Vol Set) by Easton Press Has the adaptationHas as a student's study guideDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fantasy.
Fiction.
Literature.
Science Fiction.
HTML:"The most shocking fiction I have read in years. What is shocking about it is both the idea and the sheer imaginative brilliance with which Mr. Shute brings it off." THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE They are the last generation, the innocent victims of an accidental war, living out their last days, making do with what they have, hoping for a miracle. As the deadly rain moves ever closer, the world as we know it winds toward an inevitable end.... No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.912Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |