On the Beach

Nevil Shute

Feb 2010 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

"The most shocking fiction I have read in years. What is shocking about it is both the idea and the sheer imaginative brilliance with which Mr. Shute brings it off."
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
They are the last generation, the innocent victims of an accidental war, living out their last days, making do with what they have, hoping for a miracle. As the deadly rain moves ever closer, the world as we know it winds toward an inevitable end....

Ratings and reviews

A wasted opportunity. This author had an amazing premise in mind and squandered it with his inability to write realistic dialogue (even if this was the late 50's). Additionally, the novel is written in Third Party Omniscient viewpoint but he jumps scenes (and characters) inside chapters. The result is the story seems disjointed and without structure.

This is the book that got me reading. Period. I was a twelve or thirteen years old and wanted an easy book for a book report. Needless to say, I was in for a surprise.

Bought it 20 yrs ago and still read it. Ahead of its time in some ways, dated in others but Worth it!!!!

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).