Ordeal

Nevil Shute

Aug 2010 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

Nevil Shute wrote this prophetic novel just before the start of the Second World War. In it he imagines the devastation that results from an aerial bomb attack on Southampton that destroys the city's infrastructure and leaves the inhabitants at the mercy of cholera and further assaults. Against this dramatic backdrop, Shute grippingly chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Corbett family as they struggle to get to safety.

Ratings and reviews

I've read most of Nevil Shute's books. Ordeal is not as well known as A Town Like Alice or On the Beach, but for me it holds together best through to the end. It is an adventure book without trying to be. It describes a different time with different technology, but the human motivations are wholely recognizable. The character of Joan Corbett is strong, smart, caring, capable and so real. Peter Corbett comes to life through his worries for his family, his serving actions, his second guessing himself, his inclusion of his wife in important decisions, his good humor and reluctant heroism. He doesn't want to be a man of action, but to provide and care for his wife and kids, he steels himself to do what's needed. I've read this book three times now, first as a new dad, then ten years into fatherhood, and just now as a father of three, ages 21, 16 and 9. I would very much like to model this family's cooperation and thoughtfulness toward each other when times get tough.

About the author

Nevil Shute Norway was born in 1899 in Ealing, London. He studied Engineering Science at Balliol College, Oxford. Following his childhood passion, he entered the fledgling aircraft industry as an aeronautical engineer working to develop airships and, later, airplanes. In his spare time he began writing and he published his first novel, Marazan, in 1926, using the name Nevil Shute to protect his engineering career. In 1931 he married Frances Mary Heaton and they had two daughters. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons. After the war he continued to write and settled in Australia where he lived until his death in 1960. His most celebrated novels include Pied Piper (1942), A Town Like Alice (1950), and On the Beach (1957).