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| Nevil Shute Norway |
Dear Bookclub,
An imaginative tale, created by the 'Slide Rule', "A Town Like Alice" charmed me.
Nevil Shute's 1954 autobiography, "Slide Rule: An Autobiography of an Engineer" follows Nevil S. Norway's life as an aeronautical engineer. Dropping Norway to create his pen name, Shute didn't want the engineering world to infer that he was not a serious person. Author of dozens of novels, several made into movies, serialized for television, and even broadcast on BBC radio, Shute's literary career glittered among his many achievements:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute
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| In Slide Rule Shute writes about Sir Alan Cobham's aerial refuelling research: "I shall always remember standing up half out of the Courier trying to catch this thing (the refueling line) as we flew in formation below the Handley Page..." This figure is either Nevil Shute or Squadron Leader W. Helmore. |
The above photo and quote are from the Nevil Shute Foundation's website, filled with details about Shute's life and influencing experiences that later appeared in his writing. Fun to peruse and a must to appreciate his many layers.
http://www.nevilshute.org/PhotoLine/photoline2.php
Missing much of the discussion, I am relying on the recap given by Karen and Sue. Karen relayed that much had been discussed and Sue shared that she remembers the movie "On the Beach" (see above). The dated nature of the book, when a young woman was not to be trusted with an inheritance, was noted and it was felt that the middle of the novel bogged down a bit. "A Town Like Alice" did cover a lot of territory, literally and figuratively: war, survival, a legacy, romance, business savvy, friendship, humanity and more. A recipe for a good read to me!
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| Australia's Red Centre / Alice Springs |
Finally, next time you are in Australia, consider Alice Springs:
Lynne's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"The Midnight Library" Mat Haig
"Anxious People" Fredrik Backman
"Just as I Am:A Memoir" Cicely Tyson* (chosen)
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
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