Reviews

I found it refreshing that in a story about the end of the world, the population of a doomed city have mostly declined to succumb to panic and violence. Instead, they seem to be dealing with the situation with an attitude that is part pride, part cheerful fatalism, and a shitload of denial. A kind of "We're all going to die but we're not dead yet and we're planning for a future in which we won't be dead in a matter of months." Cognitive dissonance may be the healthiest way to meet such an end. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a dozen years from publishing On Death and Dying when On the Beach came out but Shute seems to have some intuition of the process a person goes through while reckoning with his own impending death. Maybe it is too huge to grasp that civilization--indeed, most animal life on the planet--will not survive and that is why everyone is stuck in denial for so long. Shute has a truly interesting take on this hypothetical situation and I don't know why it hasn't appeared in more works of fiction--it is kind of surreal.

I didn't love the 1950s sexism although Shute did include a more or less independent/free spirit type female character along with the childlike, hysterical wife who is either further in denial than everyone else or is too helpless and innocent to understand the situation.

heyheycharly's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is written in a simple, straightforward fashion- but by no means is the book or the plot itself simple or straightforward. We are introduced to a host of characters who are handling their coming demise in different ways. Some, like Mary, are in denial up to the very end. Some, like Peter, have quietly accepted their fate and want to live each day they can. Some, like Moira, are angry and try to drown themselves in drink. Regardless of how they each deal with the coming radiation cloud, it's coming and they'll all be dead no matter what. The author doesn't really give you hope (although the Seattle transmission was a bit of a teaser) of a cure or salvation, you know the whole time that this is going to happen and you're given a glimpse of these people before it's all over. This was fascinating to read and compare/contrast with how I think a coming apocalypse would go over in 2019. It's definitely a novel I'll be thinking about for years to come.

kryrimstercat's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

sarahb83's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

macierules's review against another edition

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3.0

Not a good selection to read at the same time as North and South Korea are shooting at each other..however, maybe everyone should read it. I find old-school science fiction really quite fascinating.

The story takes place in Melbourne Australia in 1963. The northern hemisphere has just been destroyed by nuclear war and the poor folks in the south are simply waiting for the fallout to hit. They have about 6 months to live with this knowledge and the calm acceptance of it all was very eery. Things were so calm, at times I found the plot rather dull!

I don't enjoy counting down time at New Years - let alone counting down time to the end of the world.

ladyash's review against another edition

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5.0

Definitely an optimistic view of human nature at the time of an apocalypse. But so sweetly horrifying. Can there be a cozy post-apocalyptic story? Reminded me of [b:Alas, Babylon|38169|Alas, Babylon|Pat Frank|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169064009s/38169.jpg|37962], which is also one of my favorites.

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