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.

Great reading of a classic

This is a powerful story. One of my all-time favorite reads. Don't miss this one.

England to Australia via Malaysia

I enjoyed this book very much. It has three very intriguing main characters, the solicitor Noel Strachan being my favourite. The narrator, Robin Bailey, was an excellent choice. The writing is great and was able to engage me in a way only a really excellent story can.

I knew nothing about the book before I started reading it, and that made for some interesting surprises. That made the experience extra enjoyable for me. Stop reading here if you want that experience.

“A Town Like Alice” tells the tales of an old English solicitor, a young English typist, and a young Australian ringer (cowboy), and of how their lives intersect. The action takes place before, during, and after WWII in England, Malaysia, and Australia. Each character is interesting and has his/her own compelling story woven into the larger story. The story is a romance, but interestingly there is a strong business and economic development theme that runs through it as well.

The author’s descriptions of places and weather were so compelling they almost make me feel like I was there. I enjoyed that. It was also interesting to read about events in Malaysia during the Japanese occupation. I recently read “Tears in the Darkness” which concerned events in the Philippines during Japanese occupation and the two seemed to sync up quite nicely.

I’m not generally a reader of romances, but this one tells a great story well. So I recommend the book on that basis and because I found the narration very well done.

PS: It was refreshing that the lawyer character in the story was not a barrister (courtroom lawyer), but a solicitor (advisor/document drafter). So, don't expect any dramatic courtroom scenes. This time a solicitor's pen-welding skills are the basis of some plot elements in the story, albethey fittingly modest plot elements.

One of Shute's Best

This is one of Shute's very best. He is an overlooked writer, whose characters are usually unforgettable.
Jean is an ordinary girl, who goes to work in Malay as a secretary before WWII. She is a girl of simple wants, who doesn't stand out as extremely noble or heroic. Yet when she and a number of other women and children are captured by the Japanese during the war, she shines. In her quiet way, she takes charge and becomes a person she would never has expected.
The Japanese guard who ends up guarding the dwindling group as they wander through the jungles is really sort of lovable in a way, and is a great touch.
When the women meet a group of Australian prisoners, the really interesting part begins. But the war ends, and Jean goes out to Australia to say thank you to her Ausie soldier,'s family, as she thinks he died trying to help her and the other women and children. Finding him alive brings the story to a new level.
The story is told by Jean's solicitor (lawyer) who follows her story closely, and becomes like part of her family. It is told with attention to detail, but with little aggrandizement of the main characters.
I love Shute's characters, because they are ordinary people who must rise to challenges they never thought to face. He writes with a gentle humor and a great understanding of people.
Robin Bailey was a bit tough some times as the narrator. He did a lot of breathing, but the story is so wonderful that I got past it. He actually turned out to be not too bad. I'd really give him about a 3.7, but couldn't do that in the ratings. This is a book I've read twice and will likely read again. There is romance, but like all of Shute, it is understated.
One learns a lot about Australia in the late 1940's, and it is fascinating. Shute was an Englishman who grew disgusted with his country's socialism post war, and moved his family to Australia in the early 1950's. His love for his adopted country is obvious.

I still find myself thinking of this book

I haven't written a review of this book and I don't know why. I listened to it over a year ago and I still find myself thinking about it. I've recommended it dozens of times. Here's all you need to know: push through the beginning. It's slow to come around, but once it does, you'll be so glad you stayed with it. It's a beautifully written, beautifully narrated story that drew me in slowly but once I was within the spell, it occupied me completely. One of the few books I'd listen to again.

The reader makes this such a good cozy story

If you want to snuggle up with a good story this is it
The reader is wonderful
The story is uplifting

Classic story, well told

This is one of Shute's best, narrated vividly and warmly. A love story set in and after World War II, spanning the globe. A warm story of maturity, caring, and trying to be the best for those around us.

A great summer read

The book was an enjoyable and refreshing change from the usual true crime/serial killer books that I prefer. A nice story that can be played while in the company of children. Never had to hit the "off" button while listening to this tale on the way to the beach.

great business book

Would you listen to A Town Like Alice again? Why?

I say this only tongue in cheek, its a lovely book and a well written story. The thing I loved about it was the way the "second act" of the story revolved around the economic revitalization of a small Australian town. Great book!

A 95 on a scale of 1 to 100.

There is just something special about this book. The story alone is wondrous and delightful. A strong female protagonist who neither strives nor pushes to be either.
I love the historical and geographical references as well as the culture and sociological aspects.
It won’t blow your socks off, but it may become part of your soul.

Great characters

I hadn't read Nevil Shute since high school , and cannot believe what I've been missing. "On The Beach"was required reading in my Catholic School. Perhaps if it had been this novel, I would have continued on to read the rest of Nevil Shute's novels. This was an excellent novel that illustrates the life & times of an extraordinary woman & her life experiences. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.