This is a stirring, eerily believable short work by Nevil Shute. In less than one year, the radioactive cloud will reach those living in southern Australia. Would you carouse riotously, knowing the end is near? they buy a playpen to keep their baby from harm. But, they are not safe, they are just waiting for the radiation to reach them. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. An American submarine captain, Dwight Towers and his crew arrive on the shores of Australia: the last inhabitants of the world. On the Beach is basically a love story, If I had known I would have stayed well clear of this book. Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, originally published in 1957, is a post-apocalyptic novel which takes place in Melbourne, Australia a year or so after a nuclear World War III. That's precisely why I kept reading! I read it for the first time almost 20 years ago and it is still one of the best books I've read. Official Shutters on the Beach hotel site. And, although Australia has been spared the bombs, the fallout is spreading and heading that way. The Bookstore on the Beach. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. We have 12 Days to complete the chain. A truly wonderful read. John tries his best to finish himself off racing in his Ferrari. Written over 50 years ago in 1957 by engineer Nevel Shute Norman, an engineer who owned a firm that made secret stuff for the British government, it amazed me by how the politics & cause of the war are still so possible. Beach-lovers rejoice; when you book a package holiday with us you can rest assured that you're in good hands. , This is a tricky book to review without spoilers, there is basically only one incident that drives the entire book, and that happens off the page before the book begins, and that event means that a certain thing is going to happen, to everybody, the problem is that this certain thing will happen to everyone anyway (sorry if that comes as a spoiler to you, but it does) so from a literary point of view the author either has to find some new or particular meaning or convince us that this is particu. That is until I happened to look at the reviews to see that this is not the actual book. To see what your friends thought of this book, This isn't really an "enjoy the plot" type of book, since the plot involves the aftermath of nuclear war. The premise, an atomic holocaust has obliterated the northern hemisphere and all of Australia awaits a radioactive cloud that is coming to kill everyone on earth in 6 month of time. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. 8 out of 12, Probably the most heart-wrenching book I've read. The world will go on just the same, only we shan't be in it. Looking for a frothy novel as light as the summer breeze? Ideologically this is a little interesting as a novel because Shute is a technological optimist, the nuclear bomb we might regard as the ultimate technological solution, but Shute doesn't seem to like it, given his 'everybody dies' scenario. Clearly I have a bit of a morbid sense of enjoyment, given this is about the end of the world. I always thought that it predicted the future, but perhaps it didn't. The entire thing could have been a ten page short story, and it still would have been a depressingly weak effort. Maybe there are some survivors after all? Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Some characters, however, do their best to preserve life, but often do s… I started reading and found it an incredibly easy read and loved Nevil Shute's style of writing, becoming extremely wrapped up in this story until the very end. Please try your request again later. I read this book ages ago and it is one of my favourites. Remember enjoying the Australian setting and characters, how Shute depicted their mindsets and behaviors. Khao San Road was backpacker land. Perhaps I should pay some respect to Nevil Shute for writing what must be one of the first dystopian books in the popular sense. Fittingly, the book ends on the suicide of Peter's young family, just as it began with their shattered hopes, before the suicide of Moira as Dwight sails off to his death. That's precisely why I kept reading! Picture this: World War III has just occurred. Meanwhile the second to last US nuclear submarine is docked at the harbour. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2019. At Goodreads, we have a tradition in December called "The 12 Days of Goodreads" where we essentially send a chain email across the company with each person nominating a book to be given to the next person, and so on. BEWARE! After the war he continued to write and settled in Australia where he lived until his death in 1960. Welcome back. i honestly don't know. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! yes, there is some drinking, but even that seems to be in moderation, except for the wine-uncle, who seems more concerned about not letting the wine cellar go to waste than as psychological padding from his doom. I realize the Wuhan virus is awful and a terrible ordeal for us all, but in this story most of the people of the world are already dead through radiation poisoning, and the characters in this story live in the last bastion of remaining living things. I read this book a long time ago, and always remember it as moving, touching and incredibly sad. This really is not a good book. It was carefully planned, down to the tiniest mechanical and emotional detail. I lived in Melbourne for 16 years and could never put the last scene out of mind when I walked down Bourke St. so full of traffic and people, while in the movie it was deserted, with trash blowing down the street. The novel details the experiences of a mixed group of people in Melbourne as they await the arrival of deadly radiation spreading towards them from the northern hemisphere following a nuclear war a year previously. Clearly I have a bit of a morbid sense of enjoyment, given this is about the end of the world. The war is over and a radioactive cloud is slowly killing everyone in the world. They had survived Auschwitz, hidden and fought in forests and endured death marches—now they were taking on the Royal Navy, running the British blockade of Palestine. they have a car race. This is a futuristic apocalypse but described with words from the 50s and here lays the strength of the book: it is a mixture of anticipation and tradition. This is definitely one of the silliest books I ever read. As the radiation approaches each person deals with their impending … This is a tricky book to review without spoilers, there is basically only one incident that drives the entire book, and that happens off the page before the book begins, and that event means that a certain thing is going to happen, to everybody, the problem is that this certain thing will happen to everyone anyway (sorry if that comes as a spoiler to you, but it does) so from a literary point of view the author either has to find some new or particular meaning or convince us that this is particularly poignant for the book to be successful, by the very nature of the story there can't be thrills, spills or miraculous escapes - well, there could have been a couple of possible escape routes but Shute chose not to explore those and he only acknowledges one in any case. Start by marking “On the Beach” as Want to Read: Error rating book. There's a problem loading this menu right now. The amount of radiation released by the weapons we currently have on hand is enough to spread over the entire earth (that's right, it doesn't just drift to the edge and fall off!) This book was recommended after my disappointment with Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." But, oh, are they tedious! I had previously read Shute's 'A Town Like Alice' and liked it for its restrained simplicity of language and plot - never dramatic, but always interesting and full of the colour of the places it described. 'On the Beach' is likewise restrained, but maybe too much - instead of being simple it comes across as overly basic. It's too bad too because A Town Like Alice (written by the same author) is actually one of my favorite books. but cheer up, it can't get any worse! Goodreads employees are a very bookish bunch, so we asked our colleagues to... After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path. After some binge drinking in Melbourne bars right after the end of the war, Dwight settles into as normal a routine as possible in his new posting. Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2016. The antiwar novel has a grand literary tradition. The Beach by Alex Garland is the story of a young British man who escapes his life through travel, largely funded by his family. I cannot say it was an improvement. The writing does not flow, and the dialogue feels like it was written by or for a third grader. We have 12 Days to complete the chain. it's more like an old navy commercial than the end of the world. i don't see how the end of humanity is something that slips the mind. Unable to add item to List. Or if you're looking to try something different, open Elizabeth Avecedo's heartwarming YA novel Clap When You Land, written in poetic verse. On the Beach Limited is an Accredited Body Member of On the Beach Travel Ltd (ATOL number 11549). The premise, an atomic holocaust has obliterated the northern hemisphere and all of Australia awaits a radioactive cloud that is coming to kill everyone on earth in 6 month of time. This is an old, absolute classic, of science fiction from the days before sci-fi and fiction had separate shelves in the bookstores, it is almost the prototype of dystopian fiction. We. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. The whole book is just a count down in which you get to know some of the most boring and two dimensional ch. there are bombs! I dare say it will get along all right without us.”, “No, it wasn't an accident, I didn't say that. Refresh and try again. Then a faint Morse code signal is picked up, transmitting from somewhere near Seattle, and Captain Towers must lead his submarine crew on a bleak tour of the ruined world in a desperate search for signs of life. The radioactive fall-out clouds are drifting … At my initial training all those years ago we were asked about our thoughts on death and dying as a process. It may have merit for someone who can't read higher than a third grade level. maybe the first sign of radiation poisoning is a lack of affect. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Well written & so plausible that it's scary, it's also survived the test of time very well. 30,028 Ratings. For a novel about the complete extermination of life on Earth, On The Beach is surprisingly quiet. ON THE BEACH BY NEVIL SHUTE . It was so easy to deeply care about the characters as they live their final days...how they prepare...how they avoid preparation. The … After a global nuclear war, the residents of Australia must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months. : The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, The Breaking Wave (Vintage International), “The most haunting evocation we have of a world dying of radiation after an atomic war.” —. e After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to eve…. I have quite an eclectic taste in reading but my preferred genre is War fiction and one of my favorite all time reads is Tom Clancy Red Dawn Rising. I started reading and found it an incredibly easy read and loved Nevil Shute's style of writing, becoming extremely wrapped up in this story until the very end. The way of life described in "On the beach" is deliciously 50s, with sex only alluded to, while self … After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path. here is a quote, "no good agonizing about it. I never read this book, but I saw the movie way back when it came out and it was also very moving. 374 pages, with a reading time of ~5.75 hours (93,538 words) , and first published in 1957. On the Beach is a novel by Nevil Shute, a British author who emigrated to Australia. We already know, or strongly suspect, that all the characters will be dead by the end of the book. Oh God, Sebastian, what did you do to me? The real book, "On the Beach" is great. Dwight Towers and his crew, along with the Australian Lieutenant-Commander Peter Holmes set out on a submarine mission to America to ident. She should have kept on knocking away those double whiskeys, in my opinion! After some research, I determined that this Kindle version is NOT the correct version. Due to the detonation of over four thousand nuclear bombs, the entire Northern Hemisphere is gone, with the South not far behind. The book was written in 1957 and the Apocalypse took place in 1963, so I should have some mercy on these people. In 2016, Sebastian, chose "On the Beach" for me. On the Beach is a remarkably convincing portrait of how ordinary people might face the most unimaginable nightmare. Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018. No long face here - we celebrate our comings and our goings - just a 'what I see' take on it. In 1957, Nevil Shute published his 21st novel, On the Beach. Goodreads Employees Share Their Summer Reading Plans. Garland's novel centers on a young nicotine-addicted traveler named Richard, an avid pop-culture buff with a particular love for video games and Vietnam War movies. This final world war was so devastating that radioactive clouds are slowly traveling the earth, and killing all people and animals in its wake. and everyone in the southern hemisphere knows the rest of the world is dead dead dead and they are just waiting for the radiation to drift downwards where they will succumb to vomiting and diarrhea and weakness and eventual death. How could the author of A Town Like Alice have written something so awful? I read it for the first time almost 20 years ago and it is still one of the best bo. duck and cover, indeed. Before the radiation even comes down to kill them, many of the characters are actively seeking out other ways to kill themselves. In fact, a giant radiation cloud is currently heading straight toward one of the few remaining outposts of human civilization: Melbourne, Australia. It was published in 1957. e "rst I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Khao San Road. The story is related by Richard through first person. It's appropriate that I should review this novel on the 65th anniversary of the successful test of the first atom bomb in Alamogordo, New Mexico. i'm sorry, but i get frustrated by unrealistic across-the-board behavior. It should be used as a 'must read' book in today's education system, it might make future generations realise just how much mankind can destroy itself. Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. His most celebrated novels include Pied Piper (1942), A Town Like Alice (1950), and On the Beach (1957). I felt very disappointed. let me repeat: this is known. Following his childhood passion, he entered the fledgling aircraft industry as an aeronautical engineer working to develop airships and, later, airplanes. How do you start a new chapter when you haven’t closed the book on the last one? This final world war was so devastating that radioactive clouds are slowly traveling the earth, and killing all people and animals in its wake. Peter Holmes was a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Australian Navy and was soon to join the. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2017. The ending was brilliant; an instant tear in the eye and lump in the throat. You are scheduled to die within a couple of months, so then tell me, do you really care if your daffodils are coming up next spring or whether you should be faithfull to your wife, far away in the U.S., who surely is dead as everyone else is over there? This is some strange, dumbed down, rewritten version with lots and lots of spelling errors. and so what do they do to prepare themselves? The war is over and a radioactive cloud is slowly killing everyone in the world. but after one character is reminded that her hopes for grandchildren are probably not going to come to fruition, she remarks, "oh, dear, i keep forgetting." You would imagine the few remaining people are terrified for the toxic cloud coming their way but, no, everyone is behaving rationally and politely and go on doing their usual stuff as much as they can. On the Beach Summary. This isn't the original book. I'm very dissappointed in you Amazon. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Jason Little As it turns out, most of On the Beach is taken up by the people of Australia waiting to die. When they start being sick of the radiation, they commit suicide. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2017. "It's only the end for us. it's all shrug, "oh well". —Tomius J. Barnard. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. This may be the same story line but in no way is this book written by Nevil Shute. I have wanted to read this book for quite some time, and when it was offered on edelweiss, I decided to take it on. Please try again. Heavy, dark and emotional...but one of those books that envelopes you and that you never forget. You are scheduled to die within a couple of months, so then tell me, do you really care if your daffodils are coming up next spring or whether you should be faithfull to your wife, far away in the U.S., who surely is dead as everyone else is over there? Richard lands in Thailand and receives a map to a beach paradise through the kindness of a … A Town Like Alice (Vintage International), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? On the Beach is a 1957 post-apocalyptic novel written by British-Australian author Nevil Shute after he emigrated to Australia. However, this too shall end as the radiation traveled southward into Australia and New Zealand, places where the bulk of the story take place. In Melbourne, the southernmost large city in the world, Peter Holmes, a Lieutenant Commander in the Australian navy, is appointed as a liaison officer to the U.S.S. Nevil Shute’s most powerful novel—a bestseller for decades after its 1957 publication—is an unforgettable vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Well, no, any rational being wouldn't. it's the most pleasant apocalypse ever!there is war! Also in Shute's scenario no one seems to have or to have used an effective shelter -though this you may regard as realistic for an unplanned scramble into war. Nevil Shute Norway was a popular British novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. This is the most depressing, horrifying book I've ever read, but it is an accurate portrayal of what would happen if we were to unleash a real nuclear war. It is very stilted, and I found it difficult to read. one who is hopeful that the drift will just dissipate and never get to them. Her desperate search has yielded no answers—she still has no idea where he went or why. Even after the final page of On the Beach,it may take us a while to grasp the fact that all the characters in the book have committed suicide, the ultimate act of self-destruction. It is tragic, horrific, romantic, and sad. A nuclear war has destroyed the Northern Hemisphere, and radioactive dust is drifting south at a steady rate. have another whiskey". NOT THE ORIGINAL: THIS IS FOR COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED PEOPLE, Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017. Anyway, it was a hilarious book and I liked it because of the outrageous 50's sentiments. Among them is an American submarine captain struggling to resist the knowledge that his wife and children in the United States must be dead. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published I always thought that it predicted the future, but. Shute's A Town Like Alice was a very well-written book and deserves its position on many Top 100 reading lists. Overall, I enjoyed One the Beach very much, and it is easy to see why it is considered a classic. This book was also adapted into a TV miniseries called Crossing to Freedom, which starred Peter O’Toole, in 1990. In 2016, Sebastian, chose "On the Beach" for me. The problem though seems to be not the existence of the weapon but it's use, in this case by unreliable little countries - Albania and Egypt start it all off and everybody else is obliged to join in resulting in total mammalian extinction, Shute's prescription to save the world is education specifically via the newspapers, however given the scenario he describes this doesn't make much sense - the statesmen die first in initial nuclear strikes and retaliation is continued by junior officers until they are either no longer combat effective or run out of weapons - ie there is no space for public opinion to intervene and say no - back down, talk, indeed even mid ranking military commanders are by world standards hardly the least educated and probably more aware even in 1957 of the potential destruction involved in nuclear war, besides which how does educatiung Australian public opinion make Albania less enraged?. 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