A Town Like Alice

By: Nevil Shute

Narrated by: Robin Bailey

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Jean Paget is just twenty years old and working in Malaya when the Japanese invasion begins. When she is captured she joins a group of other European women and children whom the Japanese force to march for miles through the jungle. While on the march, the group run into some Australian prisoners, one of whom, Joe Harman, helps them steal some food, and is horrifically punished by the Japanese as a result. After the war, Jean tracks Joe down in Australia and together they begin to dream of surmounting the past and transforming his one-horse outback town into a thriving community like Alice Springs...

©1989 The Trustees of the Estate of the Late Nevil Shute Norway (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

excellent

a fascinating listen in the car whilst on a road trip from Alice to Darwin. Deeply moving snd a window into post war outback Australia with regerences to aboriginals considered as everday vocabulary in endearing terms now considered racist. how mucg has chaged yet vakues then seemed so much more community oriented. very thought provoking book.

A long, amazing trip to A Town Like Alice

I don't know how many times I've read this novel before--let's say five or six--which should tell you something right there: this is a story that bears re-visiting. It had been several years, and I thought it would be fun to rediscover it via Audible. Yes! There are layers to this novel, with a somewhat unreliable narrator created beautifully by Robin Bailey. If you like WW2 stories, this not quite like anything else. You may guess from the title that it has something to do with Australia, but it's also about Britain and Malaysia. It's a love story, an adventure story, a story with an outstandingly strong woman lead character in Jean Paget. Cautions: this novel was written in 1950, so although it may seem progressive for its time in some ways, some of the language and writing about race will now be offensive.

A Delightful Listen

Wonderful story and an excellent reader. There is something extra special in it if you are familiar with Australia's outback, horses, and the like.

read it over and over aloud

I love the way this story unfolds. Romantic and evocative but never overly emotional or gushy. The grandest of stories.

A GREAT LITTLE STORY

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Nevil Shutes heroien is very strong, smart and confident. The narrator is wonderful. Loved ever word,

A favorite story, wonderful reader

The story is one of Nevil Shute's most touching. This was my second dive into the story, a refresh of memory after a decade or so, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Robin Bailey's narration. His phrasing and articulation made the story and characters come alive. Highly recommend. Will be listening to more ready by this reader.

Brilliant Story and Narration

What did you love best about A Town Like Alice?

Story and Robin Bailey's narration

What did you like best about this story?

Detail of varied cultures; the dramatic arc

Which scene was your favorite?

Too many to pick one

If you could take any character from A Town Like Alice out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Noel Strahan (sp?), Jean's solicitor

Any additional comments?

The PBS television production (1981?) was superb and actually improved the dramatic arc of the story in an important change from the book regarding a conflict between Jean and Joe.

Darn good yarn

Shute did another masterful job of spinning a tale. Enjoyed it more than some of his other works even.

Could not quit listening

This was my first audiobook (book-on-tape in those days); I asked Audible to provide it and was pleased to see it recently appear. Thanks, Audible!

On re-listening, it was even better than the first time. It is TERRIFIC. The story is spell-binding, somewhat historical and absolutely riveting. The narrator is simply superb. I can't imagine anyone from pre-teen age onward who would not be spellbound by the combination of narration plus superb writing plus story.

MOST highly recommended.

Continental adventure worth the ride

This is the second book that I have listened to by Nevil Shute, and it inspired me, once again to follow his work. Shute’s stories are both entertaining and informative; simple and grand at the same time. It is so easy to picture the narrative and dialogue, excellently narrated by Robin Bailey. This story, written in the 1950’s, would have been the “Indiana Jones and How the West Was Won” type of story for the time. It is about personal struggle, character, adventure, and romance across continents and countries that included, England, Malaya and Australia during WWII. Great storytelling!