[.ca] A Town Like Alice (ISBN 0345353749)

Oh my word, this is a wonderful book!:
This is a beautifully written story, cleverly and very poignantly told from the point of view of a 70-something man - a careful, considerate London solicitor who is the trustee (with broad discretionary powers) of a will that leaves a considerable sum of money (but not a lump sum, due to the conditions of the will) to a young woman. Jean Paget is that young woman, and she is an extraordinary person, making her story very compelling reading. The weaving of the threads of her life - her WWII experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese in Malaya; her fateful encounter with Australian Joe Harmon; the inheritance that allows her to leave the mundane working world; her interaction with solicitor Noel Strachan; and her search for her true destiny - is done in the most masterful way. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is deeply satisfying reading. It is everything a novel should be.

One of my favourite ever books:
I found this in a secondhand bookstore whilst travelling for a year in Australia, and spent three "rest-up" days on a hostel porch near not-very-exciting Bundaberg in Queensland, oblivious to everyone & everything but the unfolding events in this book. I picked it up because I had seen the excellent mini series with Bryan Brown many years earlier and hoped the book would prove an even richer experience. I was right. Quietly compelling & beautifully told, this novel made my heart ache to be leaving Australia whilst I was still there! This was one I selfishly took home with me, rather than the usual (and wonderfully welcome) backpacker practice of leaving books on hostel bookshelves for the next weary, and word hungry traveller.

Fantastic Storyteller:
Nevil Shute is a magician with the written word. Jean Paget is a true heroine, and somebody that I aspire to be some day. Joe Harman is the hunky Aussie cowboy. They are both heroes. This is a must read!!!! I guarantee you will love this book. It has all the essentials of a good story.

A classic will they- won't they tale with a nice twist.:
This book opens in Malaysia during WW2, with descriptions based on Shute's own experiences in Indonesia during the war. In a chance encounter an English Girl and an Australian soldier meet and feel something special exists between them. After the war, each attempts to contact the other. They travel the world to find out if their memories of that defining moment are real, or were a personal illusion, not held by the other person. A real heart rending tale of true romance set in a passionate backdrop of war and the aftermath, and the wild spaces of central Australia. This is not just an Australian classic, it is a classic! A relly good memorable read.

A book you cannot forget:
I have listened to many of Nevil Shute's books, and this is my favourite. The book's starting-point is a real story that happened during World War II: When the Japanese invaded Sumatra, they captured 80 Dutch women and children. The prisoners were forced to walk along the roads for 2 1/2 years, and by the end less than 30 were alive. Shute's novel takes place on Malakka, because he knew this island better than Sumatra. His main character is an English-woman called Jean Paget. In a touching way he describes how the women have to fight for their survival. When the war ends, Jean is told that she has inherited some money, and decides to go to Australia to meet a man she cannot forget