Trustee from the Toolroom

By: Nevil Shute

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Keith Stewart, a retiring and ingenious engineer, could not have been happier in his little house in the shabby London suburb of Ealing. There he invented the mini-motor, the six-volt generator, and the tiny Congreve clock. Then a chain of events sweeps him into deep waters and leads him to his happiest discovery yet.

©1960 Heather Felicity Norway and Union Trustee Company of Australia, Ltd. (P)1988 Recorded Books, LLC

Good story but not what I expected

What made the experience of listening to Trustee from the Toolroom the most enjoyable?

The story is set around a simple man in England in the late 1950's, and his determination to handle the affairs of a deceased sibling, even if he has to travel around the world to do it. It was a good story, good ending.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Trustee from the Toolroom?

People pitching in to help the engineer on his quest.

Which character – as performed by Frank Muller – was your favorite?

All.

Who was the most memorable character of Trustee from the Toolroom and why?

Jack.

Any additional comments?

No.

Lovely story - great telling

What a warm and loving book. I fell in love with the characters. The emotion built as the story went along.

The author was fair in the differences of his characters- not glossing over human characteristics but showing their value

Terrific reading as well. What a joy!

A total feel-good.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it well written, stylistically very much like Dickens, and a total feel-good. The characters are uniformly all nice people and the chief protagonist is a humble engineer on an altruistic mission. It takes place in London, Ann Arbor, Hawaii, Puget Sound and has a trans-Pacific sailing adventure. Included is a character from Oregon named Jack Donnelly—a woodworking fisherman--and a Univ. of Michigan history professor.

5 Stars is such a cliche, but ...

I quite like a story that builds slowly. One where the point, the key action, is not immediately revealed. One where the story itself, the writing that makes the story real, takes over. Plus, I like to learn something. In this case I learned about daily life in England in the first half dozen years after WWII, although Trustee has nothing to do with the war. And the way I learn about it is the author's living through the period.

While I read and like my share of shoot-em-ups, there is not a single murder as a part of the story. Oh, my.

So, what is Trustee about? Well, it starts with a man who makes ever part of very small, but fully working, machines and with his sister, who marries well and loves her husband. Hubby retires early, they sail off into the sunset, and our machinist is left to get on with things ... things about which we ask: "What happens next?" Although, if you really wanted to, you could probably figure out most of the plot after the first fifty pages.

Why do I give the story 4 stars and the overall performance 5 stars? Perhaps because the "hero" is a bit too naive ... right up until the end, when ...

Oops, I just changed the rating back to 5 stars because this is a book I will recommend to others who only read in print.

Wonderful book!

This is one of my favorite books of all time. A humble man thrust into extraordinary conditions finds that others think him, not ordinary, but extraordinary. Wouldn't we all like to find that out about ourselves?

Subtle low action story

This is a story of a lower middle class Scottish engineer becoming trustee for his orphaned niece's estate. He is an extraordinary person but is almost entirely unaware of this. The story is simply this insular person doing the right thing despite the risks and challenges.

There is very little action, very little tension, and a lot of technical discussion.
The character development is very subtle and almost unnoticeable.
The story is entirely predictable.
Yet, I think I will remember this simple story for years to come.
The prose are excellent which makes everything else work.

The narration was straightforward and clear which was perfect for this novel.

If you crave action, tension and adventure this book is not for you.

Very nicely done

This book was very pleasant. It was clean, concise and intelligent. If I were an engineer, I imagine it would have been even more enjoyable. As a lay person, the engineering descriptions were not overly complex or daunting. The author did a wonderful job bringing the reader/listener into the main character's world and conveying a positive side of humanity, a refreshing break from the murder, suffering and deception that seem to dominate modern stories.

One of Most Pleasant Books in My Library

Would you consider the audio edition of Trustee from the Toolroom to be better than the print version?

Do not have the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

It is uplifting. To me it is about people with good character, helping others that are worthy. Hard to find a book like that without a lot of tragedy and violence mixed in.

Which character – as performed by Frank Muller – was your favorite?

The main character, Keith, the engineer.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When they were helped out of a tight spot in Tahiti by the captain of the yacht.

Here's one you can share with your great aunt.

I get my share of murder and mayhem from other authors. It's such a nice change to listen to something that's not so raw, but still interesting. This is a wonderful little story about people doing the right thing. It's simply lovely - and one book you can share with your grandma without risk of embarrassment.

I love the way Nevil Shute weaves his knowledge of engineering into his books. I always learn something new. It's engaging for me and takes this out of the realm of mindless fiction.

Really Good Yarn; Wonderfully Read

Neville Shute knew how to take ordinary circumstances, turn them into extraordinary plots, and people them with the most peculiar of characters....and turn out a memorable story that stays with you long after you close the book. This one may seem to be a little slow in the beginning, but readers who stay with it are in for a truly memorable treat. Do yourself a big favor, and read it.