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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is one of those books that was good to read for book club, or I likely would have never finished it. I found the story quite intriguing, but the way it was presented was never really satisfying. I didn't think there was enough descriptive detail of her experiences in the war, the narrator for the story didn't seem to have enough detail or insight into feelings and experiences, and in the romantic parts, there really wasn't any romance. It was odd. I am not sure if it is because it was first published in 1949, and maybe that was just the style then, or perhaps it is because it is a British author? Not sure. There were unanswered questions too: whatever happened to the little boy she looked after after his mother died? There is no mention of him again. I also didn't like the organization of the text. Paragraphs ended in strange places. Sometimes it would say "I said," at the beginning AND the end if the quote (p. 124). The story is told by the man who manages the main character's inheritance (surely an unmarried woman couldn't do that herself!) The narration would start up again and it would take me a bit to realize we were jumping back from the story to the narrator's perspective.
I really did like the main character in this story: Jean Paget. She is strong and resourceful and willing to work. She is patient and sensible. She becomes a leader everywhere she goes, which I found ate inspiring. I would like to be a woman like her!
I felt like this book took me forever to read. I wasn't taken by the writing style. I really had to force myself to pay attention or I would totally lose track of the story.
I really did like the main character in this story: Jean Paget. She is strong and resourceful and willing to work. She is patient and sensible. She becomes a leader everywhere she goes, which I found ate inspiring. I would like to be a woman like her!
I felt like this book took me forever to read. I wasn't taken by the writing style. I really had to force myself to pay attention or I would totally lose track of the story.
inspiring
medium-paced
I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for years and forgot all about it. I think I was put off as it was written in the 1950s. I shouldn’t have been……I really enjoyed this book! Loved the main character. Very easy to read and difficult to put down.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Note: This book was written by a white guy in 1950, and it does show. So, beware racism and misogyny.
I am on the side of people who say this book starts out strong, the best part is when Jean is a prisoner of war, but as the book goes on, I lost more and more interest.
I listened to this on audiobook. And frankly, by the end of the book, I was barely paying attention, because I lost interest. I was driving with my mom in the passenger's seat (She was giving me directions while I was running errands) and I had the audiobook playing, and I tried to listen to it, but in the end, I was so uninterested, I spent more time talking to my mom than I did listening to it.
It starts out strong, but my good lord, does it go downhill by the last bit. Just felt it was boring by the end. I wish it had ended shortly after she got back to England or at least shortened the Australia arc.
Yeah, just ain't that great...
I am on the side of people who say this book starts out strong, the best part is when Jean is a prisoner of war, but as the book goes on, I lost more and more interest.
I listened to this on audiobook. And frankly, by the end of the book, I was barely paying attention, because I lost interest. I was driving with my mom in the passenger's seat (She was giving me directions while I was running errands) and I had the audiobook playing, and I tried to listen to it, but in the end, I was so uninterested, I spent more time talking to my mom than I did listening to it.
It starts out strong, but my good lord, does it go downhill by the last bit. Just felt it was boring by the end. I wish it had ended shortly after she got back to England or at least shortened the Australia arc.
Yeah, just ain't that great...
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Misogyny
This is one of my all time favorite books. I love Nevile Shute. I'm rereading this one now after 20 years and it's even better the second time around.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautiful story that sucked me in unexpectedly. It should have been boring, but I was enthralled.
A truly engrossing and touching story. As soon as I picked it up, I was completely spellbound. I never thought that I would be so interested in a book about Australia, cattle farming, and the refugees of war in Malaya.
The way that the author writes about the characters and the surroundings of this novel is clear, intimate and sympathetic. Although Jean was by far my favorite character, there is so much life in all of the characters and it makes the reader that much more motivated to keep following the story. Jean's solicitor, Noel Strachan, and an accidental acquaintance with an Australian soldier, Joe Harman, are both characters that I came to have a great fondness for as the story progressed.
It's been a long time since I've picked up a book that was so hard to put down, especially since the subject matter is not something that I'm usually attracted to. A knitting friend of mine recommended this book to me at least 10-15 years ago and I never got to it. I'm so glad that my friend on Instagram mentioned reading this book because I am so incredibly glad that I finally gave it a shot.
Highly recommended! One of my favorite books of the year so far.
The way that the author writes about the characters and the surroundings of this novel is clear, intimate and sympathetic. Although Jean was by far my favorite character, there is so much life in all of the characters and it makes the reader that much more motivated to keep following the story. Jean's solicitor, Noel Strachan, and an accidental acquaintance with an Australian soldier, Joe Harman, are both characters that I came to have a great fondness for as the story progressed.
It's been a long time since I've picked up a book that was so hard to put down, especially since the subject matter is not something that I'm usually attracted to. A knitting friend of mine recommended this book to me at least 10-15 years ago and I never got to it. I'm so glad that my friend on Instagram mentioned reading this book because I am so incredibly glad that I finally gave it a shot.
Highly recommended! One of my favorite books of the year so far.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No