I haven't been reading much Shute lately - too many other books to
go through, mostly research for an historical novel in the works -
but I cherish my full collection of Shute's stories, and plan to add
John Anderson's Shute biography soon. (I had purchased John's book
when it came out, but gave it to a fellow Shute fan as a gift.) I
think I'd like to look again for James Riddell's autobiographical
book "Flight of Fancy" about his role as navigator with Shute on
their 1948-1949 journey to Australia in Item Willie. I read
Riddell's book in tandem with Anderson's book, and often became
confused when the stories in the two books wove together
chronologically. Fascinating! Riddell's book also was a gift for
my friend.
My personal Shute favorites are "A Town Like Alice," "The Far
Country," "Kindling," "An Old Captivity," and "Requiem For A Wren,"
this last which is heartbreaking but beautifully wrought.
Another author whom Shute readers might enjoy, although the stories
are completely different, is also English and partly contemporary to
Shute - M. M. Kaye, whose husband was of some import in the British
military, and she traveled with him to various foreign outposts.
She was also born and raised in (British) India. She wrote several
novels, based in Persia, Zanzibar, and other places, as well as at
least two set in India. Her most famous novel is "The Far
Pavilions," a huge volume about an English boy whose parents die in
northern India while doing scientific research. The toddler's nanny
cares for him and raises him. Being dark-haired and dark-skinned,
he grows up thinking he is an Indian. When military strife rakes
the land and the nanny is dying from poor health and age, she sends
the boy to the nearest British outpost with the paperwork she has
preserved proving his heritage. He is sent to his family in
England, sent to a military school, and upon graduation, returns to
India to join the British forces. He is conflicted throughout the
rest of the story, as he knows he is English by blood, but he is
Indian at heart. Someone in this newsletter mentioned Shute's
authentic voice for the locales he uses in his work - Kaye's
authenticity rings clear in her works as well.
From Theo Prijs theo.prijs@solcon.nl
A fortnight ago – on Sunday, October the 22nd – for the
second time in the Netherlands, 8 enthusiastic Nevil Shute
readers gathered in that beautiful Huntingroom of the old Watermill
near the Singraven Manor at Denekamp. Normally I should say to
discuss the book ‘Pastoral’ and indeed at the end of our session we
succeeded! (Thanks again Sally Rossetti for your “warning”.) From
10:30 a.m. on we – the ‘old’ four, Bim Bensdorp, Joost Meulenbroek,
Gé Snoek and myself and the ‘newcomers’, all ladies, Lies Klem,
Bettina Neezen, Karin van Putten and my wife Wiesje - talked very
much about Nevil Shute and all things around him and even about
ourselves, why we are so enthusiastic of the books of NS, what book
was the first one you read and how many times you did read your
favourite and so on. Lies Klem brought with her a box full of the
double books she received after a “searching-call’ published in a
newspaper. A nice story in itself.(*) The other members could have a
search in it and what is left will be taken to the NS library by
Joost and Bettina. Time flies on such a meeting and before we did
realised it time was up. Some of us had to drive for over two hours!
We all enjoyed being together and in the little time left we agreed
that surely there must come a third meeting, which will be in
springtime next year, somewhere in the northern part of our country.
We are looking forward to it!
From Gadepalli Subrahmanyam gsmani174@gmail.com
Though I read "On The Beach" long ago, I had not the heart to
re-read it, as I have been fond of doing most of his other novels,
ATAL,NH, RC, OC, P,TCB,TFTTR, etc. Since i have acquired a brand new
set of his books, I braved myself to read it again. It disturbed me
for at least, three days. I took a tangent to find flaws in it,
since it is not my favourite.
Though depicted graphically, and with exactitude Nevil Shute is
famous for, it seems to have one flaw. When Yeoman Swain deserts his
submarine and starts fishing, apparently in highly dangerous radio
active waters, he was shown holding a salmon he caught. How come
fish survived the nuclear radiation, for two full years, when all
other living beings were shown as non-existent , and Swain himself
was shown to have hardly a few days life left ?
Some of our more loyal Shutists might correct me.
P.S: These Vintage books showed on the pages giving information on
the publishing data, "Nevil Shute has asserted his right under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the
author of this work".
How I wish that he did so, in 1988, without of course, leaving this
world in 1960 itself!
From Lies Klem liesklem@gmail.com
As a child I have read several Nevit Shute books. Last winter I was
reading some books again and then got curious of titels I did not
know. In Holland there is a national newspaper, called Algemeen
Dagblad and this newspapaper has a daily item where readers can send
in requests or questions for other readers of the newspaper. So this
summer I send a request asking readers of the newspaper wether they
had Nevil Shute books for me. The response was really great, I got
over 50 Emails from all over Holland. People offered me books, but
also had questions and suggestions. Because people asked me also if
I had spare copy's for them, I decided to let all offered book be
send to me or that I went to them to pick up the book. So I gathered
rather a lot of books. During visits to pick up books I had nice
talks to for me unknown persons and lots of cups of coffee at their
homes.
One of the most moving offers was from a 94 year old lady who has 7
books. She wrote that she did not yet want to part with the books
because she wanted to reread them. But she asked for my adress and
offered to put this in each book so after her passing away, the
books would be send to me. This really moved me and since then we
have regular contact by Email.
After gathering all the books (in English and Dutch), I made an
inventory and since then have send off books all over Holland.
When de NS club Holland had a meeting on 22 oktober, I took all my
spare books with me and have given them to Joost, the Dutch editor.
He can take them with him to the UK when there is a next NS meeting
there or to donated them to the library of the foundation.
I was really surprised how many people there are in Holland knowing
books of Nevil Shute.
It was a fun project to do and gave me new contacts with nice people
from all over Holland.
Wanted! Books in the English language
Who has the works of Nevil Shute for me?
I am looking for books in the English language of the British writer
Nevil Shute. He has written many books, all books are welcome,
especially Slide Rule and Parallel motion.
Expenses will be reimbursed.
See you all next month.
