A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

A town like Alice was written nearly 60 years ago by the English Author Nevil Shute. I first read it and fell in love with it when I was about 14. I have read it many times since and have always found something new in my rereadings. It is a tale of three parts. We start with the heroine Jean Paget working in England as a clerk, she is left a sum of money by a distant uncle. The solicitor involved is trying to help her determine what she wants to do with the money. She being a mere woman is not entrusted with the money directly, it has to be managed for her. Jean recounts to him the story of her capture by Japanese troops in Malaya and ...  Read the complete review

A tale of triumphant spirit, in the face of much adversity. A town like Alice is a book of two halves. The first half, told in flashback, is the story of the heroines role in world war 2. Jean, an English secretary in Malaysia, was captured by the Japanese early on in the war, with many other English women and children. They were then marched around Malaysia for 3 years, being sent from camp to camp. Many of the women and children died from malaria. During this incredible journey, they met some Australian prisoners, who were driving trucks for the women. One of these, Joe, started a close friendship with Jean, which ended in disaster. We then move ...  Read the complete review