Present Appertaining To Books The Far Country
| Title | : | The Far Country |
| Author | : | Nevil Shute |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 362 pages |
| Published | : | July 1st 2002 by House of Stratus (first published 1952) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Cultural. Australia. Romance |
Nevil Shute
Paperback | Pages: 362 pages Rating: 3.98 | 1694 Users | 137 Reviews
Chronicle To Books The Far Country
This 1952 book by Nevil Shute (author of A Town Like Alice and On the Beach) contrasts the bleakness of post-war London and Great Britain, especially the ongoing food rationing and general lack of prosperity, with the bright, roomy country of Australia, where massive meals are the order of the day, everyone (almost) has financial security, and the landscape is awe-inspiring.
Merrijig, Australia
Against that backdrop, we have the adventures and romance between Jennifer Morton, a British young woman visiting her relatives in Australia and deciding whether to make her life there, and Carl Zlinter, a Czech doctor who's working as a lumberman in Australia and loves the country ... even though he's not (because of laws) allowed to practice medicine there. But in the lumber camps there's often a need for first aid, and people turn a blind eye when he performs minor surgeries. And then one day there's a major accident ...
The story begins with some scenes from the life of Jack and Jane Dorman, a couple in their 50s who moved to Australia many years ago. Jane, a British woman from an upper class family, married Jack years ago against her parents' wishes.
She was too young, too immature to be able to stand up and state her conviction that there was solid stuff in this young man, the substance for a happy and enduring marriage; she felt that very strongly, but she could never get it out in words.Jane's Aunt Ethel was her sole supporter. Now, after many years of financial struggles on their Australian sheep ranch, Jack and Jane finally are making a lot of money. Jane, reading between the lines of Ethel's latest letters, gets worried and decides to send Aunt Ethel a gift of ₤500. Meanwhile, back in Great Britain, Ethel's granddaughter Jennifer gets an emergency call about Ethel, and rushes to her home.
Carl is an unusual character for the love interest, with a thick accent and a somewhat timid manner with Jennifer. He's a good guy and a talented surgeon, though, and I ended up really liking him. Ethel was a distinctive character as well, a relic of a bygone era with pride and a deep wish not to be a burden or charity case. Compared to these two, Jennifer is somewhat less memorable, though appealing; a plucky British young woman.
Nevil Shute has a lot to say about the relative merits of post-war England vs. Australia, and it's clear on which side of the fence he stands. I don't know how accurate his portrayal of these countries in the early fifties is, but he does draw Australia as kind of the Promised Land, a place of great opportunity for people both rich and poor. There were a lot of European refugees who emigrated to Australia in the aftermath of WWII, called the "New Australians," and this book talks quite a bit about the Australian immigration program and the work requirements for immigrants. Interesting stuff. Shute's views on colonialism are dated, though that's understandable for a book that's nearly 70 years old.
The Far Country isn't as memorable as A Town Like Alice, one of my favorite comfort reads, and the ending left too many loose threads for my taste. I really wanted an epilogue or a few more chapters! But I enjoyed it and downed the whole thing in one evening.
June 2019 buddy read with the Retro Reads group.
Identify Books In Pursuance Of The Far Country
| Original Title: | The Far Country |
| ISBN: | 1842322516 (ISBN13: 9781842322512) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Appertaining To Books The Far Country
Ratings: 3.98 From 1694 Users | 137 ReviewsCommentary Appertaining To Books The Far Country
This is a simple story that focuses upon characters who have a strong sense of social integrity. The story is uplifting and a joy to read. The setting is London and rural Victoria, Australia, in 1950. Nevil Shute is speaking out against the situation in Britain post World War Two, and he is poking a critical finger at British health care. It is of importance to note that Shute emigrated from Britain to Australia in this year.The story follows twenty-four-year-old Jenny Morton. She inherits a sumI really enjoyed this book, brought to my attention by the Retro Reads group; Ive never read Shute before, but had seen A Town Called Alice years ago on public television.In this book, set mostly in post-WWII Australia, we meet several wonderful characters, including Jack and Jane Dorman - hes Australian, and she was a well-off young English woman when they met and fell in love during the First World War while Jack was stationed in England. Janes family didnt approve and gave the couple a hard
Ive been planning on reading this for a couple of years, but somehow something else always takes its place! And when I finally picked it up from the library, I foolishly almost judged it by its cover - well, that and its font style and size, which looked a little old-fashioned, boring and uninspiring. But it really is a good story. It started slowly, but it picked up through the second chapter and after that it was very easy to read.The authors descriptions of the Australian countryside are
This 1952 book by Nevil Shute (author of A Town Like Alice and On the Beach) contrasts the bleakness of post-war London and Great Britain, especially the ongoing food rationing and general lack of prosperity, with the bright, roomy country of Australia, where massive meals are the order of the day, everyone (almost) has financial security, and the landscape is awe-inspiring. Merrijig, AustraliaAgainst that backdrop, we have the adventures and romance between Jennifer Morton, a British young
In its way, it's a relatively simple story, but I love Shute's style. He tells a story gently, lovingly and at the same time, matter of factly (Is that a proper word? :0)). At its core it's a love story, but it represents its time as well. Set after WWII, England is struggling to feed its people, life is hard; whereas in counterpoint, in Australia, the frontier so to speak, life is pretty good, wool prices are high, money is good, there is work available. Helen goes to England at the request of
In "Far Country," Shute creates a love story of warmth, realism, and charming inevitability. What I love about a Nevil Shute novel is the absolutely unsentimental way in which it relates a seemingly sentimental tale. In Nevil Shute's world, you can have a man and a woman and a buzzing, unraveling story of their developing affections (what would normally be a recipe for a sentimental disaster), but never once does it ooze "cheese factor" or an over-the-top pomposity. Instead, you find yourself
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