Reviews

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

jbkep's review against another edition

3.0

Well. THAT was depressing. Here I was, expecting some survivalism after a nuclear war-- something similar to Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.

Nope.

This was some amazing combination of depression and self-delusion. Less survivalist, more fatalist. Definitely not a take I've seen in a nuclear holocaust book outside of the occasional character. Certainly not the viewpoint of an entire book.

Still really good, but.... damn.

roomtempcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? No

4.5

carlyesue's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

matthew_pawlyszyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

nettelou's review against another edition

fast-paced

5.0

themarkword's review against another edition

Likable characters with dialogue ripped straight out of black and white films. A nihilistic look at how the last days of humanity could happen, especially if superpower countries continue to amass weapons that can annihilate everything many times over.

I did not enjoy this but I was not supposed to. As such, I will not give it a starred rating.

felishacb's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

loreopoly's review against another edition

4.0

Surreal. I couldn't imagine Americans behaving the way the last of the Australians do in this novel. I guess it really is the lies we tell ourselves that keep us putting one foot in front of the other despite the facts. On another note- I'm not sure this was the best reading material for this tumultuous time. If you are feeling stressed out or depressed about current events you might want to skip this for now. Unless you're like me and read all these 'end of the world' books to get survival tips.

nbarton82's review against another edition

3.0

A well-written classic, with a big problem: It's utterly pointless. The premise is that all these characters we meet are going to die. They do. Where's the drama in that? The endless geography lessons also tried my patience.

dr4manrx's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child death and Terminal illness