A Town Like Alice

By: Nevil Shute

Narrated by: Neil Hunt

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Eight hundred women and children begin a 1,200-mile journey on foot across Japanese-occupied Malaya. At journey’s end, only 30 will still be alive. This is the story of one woman, of her ordeal, and of how she was saved by the sacrifice of an Australian soldier. It is a story of rare individual courage in the face of certain death, and hope in the face of despair.

©1950 William Morrow & Co, Inc. (P)1990 Recorded Books

Loved this!!

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

Top 5. I loved everything about this book and presentation!

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Town Like Alice?

When Jean begins to think about making shoes.

Which character – as performed by Neil Hunt – was your favorite?

The "Trustee" who narrates the story.

Any additional comments?

Neil Hunt did a fabulous job on this. I would listen to this again!!

Sensitive rendition

I read this book as a teenager and remember being impatient to get to where the main characters reunite and must have skimmed over so much wonderful detail. This is a slow burn, very satisfying and beautifully read. I actually laughed and cried throughout, and couldn't help empathize with the narrator, there is nothing so heartbreakingly sad as unrequited love.

a great read

if this story is BAS ed on what happened, it is extraordinary. the book is a page-turner and it reminds us of the goodness of human beings and the strength of human beings under incredible pressure. marti

Engaging

Nevil Chute was recommended by a friend. I first read On The Beach, then started listening to this title on a long road trip with friends. We were all drawn into this story! It is so very well done all around. The characters are knowable. The situations and settings are descriptively and understandably drawn. The narrator does a phenomenal job and really makes this book come alive. Our trip ended with 3 hours of the book left to go so I immediately purchased my own audible copy and will be telling all my friends to listen. Now I’m going to search out my next Nevil Chute read.

Lovely!

Lovely story! So heart warming and very enriched characters. So sad to finish cause you wish it could continue. Told by such a warm voice, like an idealistic grandpa.

Do not believe the synopsis

Would you consider the audio edition of A Town Like Alice to be better than the print version?

Did not read the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Town Like Alice?

The end of the Malayin section very heart wrenching

What about Neil Hunt’s performance did you like?

Very good

Any additional comments?

It MAKES ME MAD that audible allows such misleading and erroneous synopses to be used. In real life there may have been 800 BUT in the book it was 37 all English! To my thinking that is an outright lie!! I got this book as a historical fiction of the Second World War in Malay. BOY WAS I MISLEAD! Happily the book was very good but a love story not a historical novel.
I have suspected for some time now that the audible reviews are actually plants by audible to "direct" sales of certain books. BASICALLY THE REVIEWS CAN NOT BE TRUSTED.....VERY SAD!

Highly recommended

The story begins with a heartbreaking tale of war and its affects on those involved. Then gives rise to warm relationships and positive influences on a community and leaves you feeling grateful to have Read it.

This book is a winner

Story keeps your attention throughout. I listened to this book in one day, didn't want to stop. The narrator is outstanding capturing all the character' accents perfectly. I will recommend this book to my friends and family

A charming story of fortitude and hope

This is a story about people who did the best of things in the worst of times. Weaved through the fabric of this tale is a story of hope, love, and resurrection. You will be charmed by the beauty of the characters and the delightful way in which the story is seen through the eyes of the narrator.

Definitely read

This is a lovely epic story of character, strength, resilience, and bring gifted with that elusive quality, grit. it's well worth reading.

Caveat: The book cover is almost totally unrelated to the book's contents. There is no Asian protagonist. While the story begins in Southeast Asia during WWII, it is not the setting for the entirety of the book. This is a story about two White adults from different English speaking countries who are brought together by war. I find the cover offensive in a reverse racism manner.