Scan barcode
bluestarfish's review against another edition
2.0
A rather sad tale of war not letting people go after it ends. It was interesting reading about wrens but some of the "of the time" reflections/attitudes by the writer were irritating.
lgpiper's review against another edition
5.0
Time to cue the old Vera Lynn recordings. We're talking England during World War II and its aftermath. Good stuff. I'm a bit of an Anglophile and love immersing myself into the British experience from the 30s through the 50s. So, now you understand the basic setting and have your background music cued up, on to the plot sketch.
First, what's a Wren? Well, the WRNS were the Woman's Royal Naval Service, but its members were generally called the wrens, like the birds. I wonder if "bird" was a slang term for a woman back then, or if that came in during the Beatles' era, when I first learned of that bit of slang. Whatever, Wrens were where women helped out the British Navy and they lived in a barracks called the wrenery. One can imagine that if Shakespeare had lived 350 years later, he might have had Hamlet telling Ophelia to "get thee to a wrennery". Or, perhaps not. But, I'm digressing, huh?
Anyway, some five or eight years after the end of World War II, we have a young Australian, Alan Duncan, coming back to live on his parents' sheep station. He finds the household in a flutter, because the parlour maid, Jessie Proctor had just committed suicide. She had apparently left no personal items behind so that people could know who her relatives were or whom to contact about her. After talking to the cook, Alan figures out that at least one of the personal items that came into the house with Jessie might have disappeared. He wonders if she might have hidden something. So he searches the house and eventually finds, tucked away in the attic, a suit case with Jessie's personal papers. But, as Alan begins to investigate those papers, he realizes that the young woman was actually Leading Wren Janet Prentiss, who had been his brother Bill's sweetheart during the war.
What then follows is a meditation on the life of Janet Prentiss, partly from the diaries she had left behind, and partly from Alan's recollections from the time he met her and also from talks he had with her friends after the war. He had met Janet once, and after his brother was killed in combat, had tried to track her down so as to communicate with her. He viewed her as family, in that he was certain she and Bill would have wed had they both survived the war.
It's a simply, but beautifully written story of the heroism and staunch optimism of the British people during the dark times they faced during the early and middle 1940s. One of my all-time favorites.
----------------------------------- 2023 read ----------------------------
My spouse and I have been watching a program called Foyle's War. It's essentially a British cop show, but set in WWII. It's a wonderful show, but it got me started thinking about WWII-era things, and I decided to dust off this gem from the past.
It's still great. I'd forgotten about the Irish Terrier, Dev. I used to have Irish Terriers and I loved both dearly, Bridget, then Colleen. Naturally, it made the story all the better.
As for Foyle's War, I think someone should make a video of this book, and I've already cast Honysuckle Weeks, from Foyle's War, in the role of Leading Wren Janet Prentis.
First, what's a Wren? Well, the WRNS were the Woman's Royal Naval Service, but its members were generally called the wrens, like the birds. I wonder if "bird" was a slang term for a woman back then, or if that came in during the Beatles' era, when I first learned of that bit of slang. Whatever, Wrens were where women helped out the British Navy and they lived in a barracks called the wrenery. One can imagine that if Shakespeare had lived 350 years later, he might have had Hamlet telling Ophelia to "get thee to a wrennery". Or, perhaps not. But, I'm digressing, huh?
Anyway, some five or eight years after the end of World War II, we have a young Australian, Alan Duncan, coming back to live on his parents' sheep station. He finds the household in a flutter, because the parlour maid, Jessie Proctor had just committed suicide. She had apparently left no personal items behind so that people could know who her relatives were or whom to contact about her. After talking to the cook, Alan figures out that at least one of the personal items that came into the house with Jessie might have disappeared. He wonders if she might have hidden something. So he searches the house and eventually finds, tucked away in the attic, a suit case with Jessie's personal papers. But, as Alan begins to investigate those papers, he realizes that the young woman was actually Leading Wren Janet Prentiss, who had been his brother Bill's sweetheart during the war.
What then follows is a meditation on the life of Janet Prentiss, partly from the diaries she had left behind, and partly from Alan's recollections from the time he met her and also from talks he had with her friends after the war. He had met Janet once, and after his brother was killed in combat, had tried to track her down so as to communicate with her. He viewed her as family, in that he was certain she and Bill would have wed had they both survived the war.
It's a simply, but beautifully written story of the heroism and staunch optimism of the British people during the dark times they faced during the early and middle 1940s. One of my all-time favorites.
----------------------------------- 2023 read ----------------------------
My spouse and I have been watching a program called Foyle's War. It's essentially a British cop show, but set in WWII. It's a wonderful show, but it got me started thinking about WWII-era things, and I decided to dust off this gem from the past.
It's still great. I'd forgotten about the Irish Terrier, Dev. I used to have Irish Terriers and I loved both dearly, Bridget, then Colleen. Naturally, it made the story all the better.
As for Foyle's War, I think someone should make a video of this book, and I've already cast Honysuckle Weeks, from Foyle's War, in the role of Leading Wren Janet Prentis.
magicalrocketships's review
4.0
Went into this book knowing nothing about it (my copy was missing its dustcover), and it's a sad, hopeful, hopeless, read about loss and war and finding the parts of you scattered across the world. Content warning for suicide.
bexcapades's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
juliana_aldous's review against another edition
4.0
"Like some infernal monster, still venomous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it's all over." Nevil Shute, Requieum for a Wren
Someone left their entire collection of Nevil Shute paperbacks at my local used bookstore and based on my mom's love for A Town Called Alice and his other famous title, On the Beach, I've been making my way through the stack.
This was the third I've read...A Town Called Alice and Beyond the Black Stump were the first two.
I'm enjoying Shute and I believe this crazy patchwork of a story may be my favorite thus far.
Spoilers ahead!
This is the story of two brothers from Australia and a Wren of the Royal Navy. One brother, Bill, falls in love with the Wren but he is killed shortly before D-Day. Alan, a pilot, loses both feet during the war. He spends the next decade wandering, finishing his education, and looking for the Wren before returning home to his family's sheep farm. It is when he arrives home, an itinerant worker has recently committed suicide, which leads him to unravel the mystery of the Wren, and find his own peace
Things I liked about this story:
* I love a good WWII story--this one includes on-the-ground preparation for D-Day. This part was a bit slow for me, but I kept thinking of all the men in my life who love this kind of sh*t so I kept at it.
* The Wren, Janet Prentice, is a strong female character and a kick-ass shot. The story follows her spiral into mental illness and the scars of war in a tactful and meaningful way.
* Veterans with physical and mental disabilities are the heroes and they are treated with respect (see Annie Carl's Work, My Tropey Life: How Pop Culture Stereotypes Make Disabled Lives Harder).
* The story isn't straightforward, a bit messy, but I like that in a book. I thought Shute did a good job of weaving past and present through the use of memory, Alan's detective, and diary entries.
* I like reading about Australia as evidenced by the fact that I also read Jane Harper's The Lost Man.
My Current Ranking of Nevil Shute's Works:
1. Requiem for a Wren
2. A Town Called Alice
3. Beyond the Black Stump
Someone left their entire collection of Nevil Shute paperbacks at my local used bookstore and based on my mom's love for A Town Called Alice and his other famous title, On the Beach, I've been making my way through the stack.
This was the third I've read...A Town Called Alice and Beyond the Black Stump were the first two.
I'm enjoying Shute and I believe this crazy patchwork of a story may be my favorite thus far.
Spoilers ahead!
This is the story of two brothers from Australia and a Wren of the Royal Navy. One brother, Bill, falls in love with the Wren but he is killed shortly before D-Day. Alan, a pilot, loses both feet during the war. He spends the next decade wandering, finishing his education, and looking for the Wren before returning home to his family's sheep farm. It is when he arrives home, an itinerant worker has recently committed suicide, which leads him to unravel the mystery of the Wren, and find his own peace
Things I liked about this story:
* I love a good WWII story--this one includes on-the-ground preparation for D-Day. This part was a bit slow for me, but I kept thinking of all the men in my life who love this kind of sh*t so I kept at it.
* The Wren, Janet Prentice, is a strong female character and a kick-ass shot. The story follows her spiral into mental illness and the scars of war in a tactful and meaningful way.
* Veterans with physical and mental disabilities are the heroes and they are treated with respect (see Annie Carl's Work, My Tropey Life: How Pop Culture Stereotypes Make Disabled Lives Harder).
* The story isn't straightforward, a bit messy, but I like that in a book. I thought Shute did a good job of weaving past and present through the use of memory, Alan's detective, and diary entries.
* I like reading about Australia as evidenced by the fact that I also read Jane Harper's The Lost Man.
My Current Ranking of Nevil Shute's Works:
1. Requiem for a Wren
2. A Town Called Alice
3. Beyond the Black Stump
maplessence's review against another edition
4.0
4.5★
requiem
noun [ C ] UK /ˈrek.wi.əm/ US /ˈrek.wi.əm/
a mass (= a Christian ceremony) at which people honour and pray for a dead person:
a requiem mass
Definition from the Cambridge Dictionary
Always one of those words where I wasn't quite sure of the meaning! Knowing the meaning now makes me understand the book title (although I think the US title [b:The Breaking Wave|9046814|The Breaking Wave|Nevil Shute|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328352869l/9046814._SY75_.jpg|2338824] works even better & doesn't give away an important part of the story)
I was lucky enough to go into this story almost completely cold. I knew it was a WW2 novel but nothing else. I would like everyone to have the same experience, so don't want to reveal too much. At the start for me it was almost like a Golden Age mystery where I was trying to work out the clues.
This remained a fascinating story - until once again, Shute doesn't quite nail the ending. Just the one spoiler
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
requiem
noun [ C ] UK /ˈrek.wi.əm/ US /ˈrek.wi.əm/
a mass (= a Christian ceremony) at which people honour and pray for a dead person:
a requiem mass
Definition from the Cambridge Dictionary
Always one of those words where I wasn't quite sure of the meaning! Knowing the meaning now makes me understand the book title (although I think the US title [b:The Breaking Wave|9046814|The Breaking Wave|Nevil Shute|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328352869l/9046814._SY75_.jpg|2338824] works even better & doesn't give away an important part of the story)
I was lucky enough to go into this story almost completely cold. I knew it was a WW2 novel but nothing else. I would like everyone to have the same experience, so don't want to reveal too much. At the start for me it was almost like a Golden Age mystery where I was trying to work out the clues.
This remained a fascinating story - until once again, Shute doesn't quite nail the ending. Just the one spoiler
Spoiler
Poor Viola!
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
burrowsi1's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bundy23's review against another edition
2.0
Very similar to [b:A Town Like Alice|107301|A Town Like Alice|Nevil Shute|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327957610l/107301._SY75_.jpg|276591] but with less interesting characters and a love story that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
silverliningsandpages's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0