Jean Paget is a young English woman working in Malaya when the Japanese invade during World War II. Forced with other women and children prisoners to march for months, Jean Paget develops inner strength and the ability to lead. In A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute the story of Jean Paget will follow her home to England and then on to the outback of Australia.
With spare prose, Nevil Shute is a fabulous story teller. He keeps nicely to the action and the development of his courageous and admirable yet human characters and doesn't get mired in the meticulous details of the landscape. I was completely enamored with Jean and her tale of survival, strength and love and devoured this novel.
I was a bit disappointed by the brevity of the ending, however. The development of Willstown takes center stage over the human characters. After so much passionate build up between the characters, it feel flat by the conclusion.
In spite of this complaint, I thoroughly loved A Town Like Alice and would highly recommend it.
I just read this book last week! That is so funny. I liked it. Easy, charming read - a nice distraction from packing :). See you guys soon!
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