A Town Like Alice
by Nevil Shute
Tags:
Set in Australia
Male author
Description:
'Probably more people have shed tears over the last page of A Town Like Alice than about any other novel in the English language... remarkable' Guardian Jean Paget is just twenty years old and working in Malaya when the Japanese invasion begins. When she is captured she joins a group of other European women and children whom the Japanese force to march for miles through the jungle - an experience that leads to the deaths of many. Due to her courageous spirit and ability to speak Malay, Jean takes on the role of leader of the sorry gaggle of prisoners and many end up owing their lives to her indomitable spirit. While on the march, the group run into some Australian prisoners, one of whom, Joe Harman, helps them steal some food, and is horrifically punished by the Japanese as a result. After the war, Jean tracks Joe down in Australia and together they begin to dream of surmounting the past and transforming his one-horse outback town into a thriving community like Alice Springs... With an introduction by Eric Lomax, author of The Railway Man
Reviews:
(6 months ago) |
12 Jun, 2024
I loved this story! I can't necessarily tell you what originally drew me to it to have even read it. A few little things. But it is a big story - starting in early WW2 Malaya, to London, to the Australian outback; it chronicles the intersecting lives of a young British woman with the courage and brains of more than one person, an Australian prisoner of war soldier, a London solicitor, and an almost ghost town in Australia. The connection is beautiful and heartbreaking.
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Challenge:
Read Around Europe Challenge
Country:
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Language:
EN
Genre:
Romance Historical fiction
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