His most celebrated novels include pied piper 1942, a town like alice. Further to these problems, a town like alice is really just a boringass film. A town like alice is a bonza book as one of its main characters, joe hardman of australia, would say about two love stories, two adventures and two remarkable characters inspired by a reallife man and woman who displayed remarkable bravery during wwii. A town like alice is a classic romance among other things, by nevil shute. It takes nevil shute a long time in this novel to get around to the town of alice alice springs actually, and even longer to get around to the town like alice.
In 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot. A town like alice had its world premiere in the uk on 1 march 1956 and was screened in ireland and west germany retitled march through hell before premiering in australia. Designed to appeal to the book lover, the macmillan collectors library is a series of beautifully bound pocketsized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Nevil shute is currently considered a single author. When he steals a chicken to feed jean and the others, joe is caught and treated ruthlessly. No highway a town like alice on the beach by nevil shute.
A town like alice by shute, nevil and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly. Virginia mckenna in a town like alice 1956 peter finch and virginia mckenna in a town like alice 1956 a town like alice 1956. A town like alice is a novel by the australian author nevil shute. A town like alice, nevil shutes novel of the japanese occupation of malaya during world war ii, was first filmed as a theatrical feature in 1956. They suffer under the hands of the japanese not as prisoners, quite, but as refugees caught between captors. People who spent the war in prison camps have written a. Would have greatly benefited by hewing more closely to shutes excellent novel. The level and depth of his writing in alice shows that he was indeed learning to draw upon his own experiences to create critically acclaimed works. The legacy is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. Discussion questions for a town like alice by nevil shute galesburg public library tuesday book club november 2006 1.
The fruit fluff was the hit of the night not to mention the root beer floats. Thinking back, she recalls the australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war. This version stared peter finch as joe harmon as an australian pow and virginia mckenn as jean paget, an english woman being marched around the coutnry side of the malay penninsula by her japanese captors. Carrie picked a town like alice because she would often find it on those. This book is in the public domain in canada, and is made available to you drmfree. Alice, or even the alice, as it is called by the australians, was a comfortable place to live in the middle of the 20th century 1950. Goodreads members who liked a town like alice also liked. A ragged group of womenfolk of the british tea planters was forced by. A town like alice, more than any other work, reveals shutes feelings about australia. A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. This summary of a town like alice includes a complete plot overview spoilers. Find books like a town like alice from the worlds largest community of readers. A town like alice by nevil shute and a great selection of related books.
Joe tells jean about his hometown of alice springs, an oasis in the australian. Read any nevil shute book you can get your hands on. The men are sent off to labor camps, but they have no plan on what to do with the women and children of the british. A description of tropes appearing in a town like alice. Slowly one by one they perish because of malnutrition, sickness, disease or exhaustion. A town like alice by nevil shute, first edition abebooks. A town like alice 1956 a town like alice 1956 user. Joe tells jean about his hometown of alice springs, an oasis in the australian outback. The building of the new town in australia is only a minor part of a town like alice, just the climax really of a very long story arc. They apparently died of exhaustion a town like alice adapted from the novel by nevile shute looks at a group of women as they shuffle from one japanese camp to another during occupied malaysia but no one would take them in. Shute published alice in 1950, ten years before toolroom in 1960, just before he died at the age of 60 in melbourne, australia.
In 1945 he emigrated to australia with his wife and daughters and there wrote perhaps his most famous novels a town like alice 1950 and on the beach 1957. A town like alice tells of a young woman who miraculously survived a japanese death march in world war ii, and of an australian soldier, also a prisoner of war, who offered to help hereven at the cost of his life. Here at fadedpage and our companion site distributed proofreaders canada, we pride ourselves on producing the best ebooks you can find. Nevil shutes 1950 novel tells the story of jean paget as a prisoner of war in malaya during world. About the book a town like alice, a novel written in 1950, is intertwined with romance and economic development. The film does not follow the whole novel concluding at the end of part two of the book and many plot details are truncated or omitted.
Nevil shute writes every character with quiet kindness and intelligence. A town like alice most appropriately conforms to the genre of the sociological novel. A town like alice the legacy this book is a member of the special collection special collection. A town like alice is a 1956 british drama film based on the novel by nevil shute and with virginia mckenna and peter finch in the leading roles. Jean paget, a young englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a fellow prisoner of world war ii in malaya, and after liberation emigrates to australia to be with him, where she attempts, by investing her substantial financial inheritance, to. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, macmillan collectors library are books to love and treasure. After they are liberated she emigrates to australia to be with him.
In short, she winds up making willstown a town like alice. A town like alice tells the story of a plucky young englishwoman who becomes a legend in malaya during world war ii, inherits a fortune, marries her true love, and wisely uses her money to transform an australian ghost town into a thriving community. They are reunited in australia, and jean, who has inherited a large amount of money from a relative, helps to build up the gulf country town of willaston into a town like alice, meaning a town like alice springs. Shortly after his first visit, shute decided to move there. This book is so well written that i can feel the stones in the road as jean marches along with the other women in their death march.
Jul 21, 2012 a town like alice written by nevil shute ballentine books 1950 carrie chose julys selection and the night was cohosted at megans place all. The legacy is an economic development and romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. A town like alice by nevil shute smart bitches, trashy books. Nevil shutes most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, foll. We particularly liked the two part aspect to the story war and post war, and the misunderstanding which arose. This original 1956 adaptation of the nevil shute book, a town like alice, is a great teaser. As a naval volunteer reservist in the second world war, shute developed antisubmarine missiles and was sent to normandy to chronicle the dday landings. Based on nevil shutes bestselling novel, a town like alice gave audiences a world war ii story with a different british perspective. Virginia mckenna born free, a town like alice, june brown, pam ferris, simon day and roger allam. Jean is startled to receive a letter postmarked in joes home town of alice springs. It opened in the us in 1958 under the title the rape of malaya. Previously filmed in 1956 with virginia mckenna and peter finch. You may do whatever you like with this book, but mostly we hope you will read it.
A town like alice neville schute this book could be titled white girls well the good virgin ones anyway can do stuff too. Have no idea what region 1 or 2 mean a town like alice. A town like alice written by nevil shute ballentine books 1950 carrie chose julys selection and the night was cohosted at megans place all. Based on the first part of nevil shutes novel, the film recreates what really happened to a group of british women and. A town like alice the greatest literature of all time. A tale of survival in 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly. A town like alice film a town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia mckenna and peter finch that is based on the eponymous 1950 novel by nevil shute.
A town like alice appears to be a war novel on the surface, being published in 1950, but it was written when he was presumably doing some traveling in southeast asia and australia. A town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia mckenna and peter finch that is based on the 1950 novel by nevil shute. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to. A town like alice by nevil shute abebooks passion for books. I come back to it time and again, whenever i need to lose myself in the heat of malaysia or the dust of australia. A town like alice is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly. The book portrays a community and how it deals with the changes due to world conflicts. The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at the end of part two and truncating or omitting much detail. If you really want to go into this spoiler free, dont read. In 1981, a town like alice was adapted into a popular television miniseries, starring helen morse and bryan brownwith the late gordon jackson as noel strachan. Jean paget, an adolescent englishwoman, becomes romantically involved with a fellow wwii prisoner, joe harmon, in malaya now the western portion of malaysia. During the second world war he joined the royal navy volunteer reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons.
Exploring themes of war, womens place in society, race relations, entrepreneurship, and resurrection, a town like alice, considered one of the greatest australian novels of the era, has been adapted multiple times, most famously as a 1956 feature film starring virginia mckenna and peter finch, as well as a 1981 television drama that aired on. The film makers attitude toward the japanese appears to go like this. Nevil shute nurse jean paget is one of a small band of women trekking through the japaneseoccupied malayan jungle, where they are befriended by joe harman, a tough australian p. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. A town like alice the far country on the beach by nevil shute. You will read a town like alice and fall in love with shutes writing. A town like alice 1956 not rated 1h 57min drama, romance, war 1 june 1956 ireland a newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at. A town like alice quotes showing 117 of 17 i know youve taken risks to do these things. It was published in 1950, and reflects the bias and prejudices of its time, but its also a powerful book about a smart, tough, resourceful young woman. A newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build. If we throw in one good jap to appease the bad day at black rock.
After the war he continued to write and settled in australia where he lived until his death in 1960. A newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers. The novel was adapted to film in 1956 as a town like alice. Vcis dvd of a town like alice is a betterthan acceptable transfer with a few issues presumably inherited from an itv master. Was nevil shute, author of a town like alice a racist, or was he just recording. A town like alice pied piper the far country the chequer board no highway by nevil shute. The book was made into a successful movie starring virginia mckenna and peter finch in 1956, and a tv miniseries starring helen.
Ill not go into the hows of it, you can read the book for yourself, but she starts a small shoe factory in willstown, this leads to an ice cream parlor, which leads to a hairdresser, which leads to a swimming poolrec center etc. A town like alice questions temp galesburg public library. He clearly loved travel and people from all walks of life and cultures. A town like alice 1956 a remarkable movie, completely under everyones radar, about a group of english women in asia during world war ii. A harrowing, exciting, and in the end very satisfying war romance.