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.

Timely story

Where does A Town Like Alice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good for young women. Powerful story. I would recommend this book to anybody

What about Robin Bailey’s performance did you like?

brilliant TIFOS narrator Kate Rudd is my favorite female voice and Robin Bailey is now my favorite male narrator. Don't ask me why, I have no idea

LOVED LISTENING TO THIS BOOK!

Loved re-listening to this book...read approx. 10 years ago. your narrator was very good...able to capture each character separately. A great companion to my knitting. However, finished in one sitting. May not be able to afford my passion at this rate. 😬

Great Suprise

I loved A Town Like Alice, it was well written and I really enjoyed it.

An Australian Classic

This book was beautifully read and was an thoroughly enjoyable experience. The story is so well crafted between England, Malaya and Australia. It is dated in the way Aborigonals are refered to but paints a beautiful picture of outback Australia. The story of women captured in Malaya was inspiring and presented in a gentle and unassuming way.

Wonderful storyteller

The narrator takes a good tale and creates a great story. I enjoyed every minute listening to him.

A Well-RoundedStory

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

No, I don't listen or read stories twice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters were well developed, likable and interesting.

Which character – as performed by Robin Bailey – was your favorite?

Joe Harman, the Australian rancher.

Who was the most memorable character of A Town Like Alice and why?

Jean Paget the heroine who sets out to find a answers and love.

Any additional comments?

The story had everything, history, adventure, romance, suspense. The plots were believable except for the one where they search for each other and they were "ships that passed in the night".

What an adventure

Loved the story and it all sounded like it could have all happened. Enjoyed the main characters determination and bravery. She helped so many people and I do love the ending as she finally got a happy ending.

What a great story

One of Chute's best, it deals with some long and arduous circumstances and how persistent people handle them, without bogging down or moving too slowly.

An all time favorite I have read many times...

If you have never read Nevil Shute, you are missing an opportunity to revitialize your personal outlook on life. This is a extraordinary story of a women who has the mental capacity and spiritual drive to do something special with her life. Become immersed in the spectacular images and prose of an English born aeronautical engineer who served during both world wars, eventually becoming an author and settling with his family in Australia. As one of his seven books, you will experience a simple story that serves as an introduction to his later, more powerful, works. Free from political commentary or nuance, you will find this a story that impels us to look beyond the mundane, and perhaps prompt us to visualize our own lives as an opportunity to better the world as our abilities and situations permit. In Mr. Shute's other six books you will discover his uncommon world view which is sure to enrich your own.

Better still in Audio form

This is a gentle and genteel adventure story, beautifully told, and even more wonderfully read. Robin Bailey hits the exact right note for every one of the many voices in this tale, and where I might have grown tired of reading this excellent book in print form (I love literature but have been spoiled by good audiobooks), it rolls along at a perfect pace for listening.

The book itself is somewhat dated, and the casual racism of 1950s Australia is acknowledged and dismissed without further comment, but read in the context of its times it is a spirited pioneer story, a love story and tempered venture into feminism. One of the few audiobooks I will save for another listen in the future.