Tom Cutter is in love with airplanes and has been from his boyhood. He can remain in England, an employee in another man's aviation business, or he...
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Jan 20, 2008
Yvor
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Nevil Shute is one of my favorite authors. Round the Bend is an adventure/romance novel set in the first half of the 20th Century. It explores the themes of friendship, the early days of civil aviation, discrimination & prejudice, and how humanity might respond to a new Prophet or Manifestation were he to appear in the middle of the 20th century. My personal preference is the unabridged audiobook version. But Nevil Shute is not a difficult author to read and I am sure my friends would enjoy this
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Jun 29, 2011
Taly
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This is the fourth book of Nevil Shute that I have read. The three others being Pied Piper, A town like Alice and No Highway. Shute is a wonderful writer and story teller and his books are so intelligent and wise. As in many of his books, this one also revolves around airplanes and the aviation world. It is worth reading this book because it can give the reader an understanding of the world after the 2nd World War. The book was written in 1956 and it is incredible how things have changes in not
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Jul 17, 2009
Jon
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I confess I don't know how Nevil Shute does it. This novel, written about 1951, purports to be the autobiography of an airline entrepreneur after WWII. He starts in England with a single small plane and gradually builds an airfreight empire centered in Bahrain. He has no interests other than his business, and he achieves success by pluck, unremitting hard work, sinking every penny back into the business, and hiring the best people as mechanics, engineers, and pilots, even if they aren't white Eu
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Jan 18, 2008
John R.
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Nevil Shute is a great writer and much more subtle and seductive than might be expected. A plain-spoken man tells his life story which includes the story of his dealings with a life-long friend and a transcendent spiritual experience is the result. No one who has ever read the book on the basis of my recommendation has ever expressed disappointment.
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Mar 23, 2010
Charlotte
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This was so totally lovely. I didn't even know it was actually a book about religion, or really, about God more than religion, thank goodness, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have thought I'd like it much. But I did. There's something I love about the just post-war novelists--this style was a bit similar to Jessica Mitford or Somerset Maugham, not in any tonal way, but in the sort of clipped dialog, and passages of very matter of fact description, and some of the lovely British slang of th
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Jun 19, 2010
Jenne
rated it:
I can't remember who recommended this to me but it's a great read! The copy I got didn't have a cover, so I had no idea what it was going to be about when I picked it up, and I think that's a good way to read it.
Very broadly, it's about an English guy who starts up an air charter company in Bahrein in the late 40s, but that's also not what it's really about.
I think that at the time it was actually trying to be racially progressive, but nowadays it reads as Orientalist an More...
Very broadly, it's about an English guy who starts up an air charter company in Bahrein in the late 40s, but that's also not what it's really about.
I think that at the time it was actually trying to be racially progressive, but nowadays it reads as Orientalist an More...
Feb 14, 2011
Tatiana
rated it:
Just finished rereading this one, and it's my favorite Shute novel and one of my favorite books of all time, notwithstanding the sexism of the era and the rather quaint and patronizing view taken of "Asiatics". For the time it was entirely enlightened.
Nevil Shute was a great writer and a wonderful person. Aviation in his time did for those few people who pursued it what the internet does in ours for everyone: makes the world into our own small neighborhood. Connie is one of More...
Nevil Shute was a great writer and a wonderful person. Aviation in his time did for those few people who pursued it what the internet does in ours for everyone: makes the world into our own small neighborhood. Connie is one of More...
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Sep 24, 2008
Tim
rated it:
This reviewer cannot be objective when it comes to N. Shute. I love his work. I have all 22 of the books he wrote from 1920 to 1960. He is probably best known for On the Beach, a post nuclear war doomsday story. Popular at the peak of the Cold War. This story, however, is a great read. I find his work very intense. It is one of those kind of books that you'll be 50 pages into before you know it. I LOVE those kind of books. This is about a mystic in a modern world. Down to earth. Simple. Yet deep
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Sep 15, 2009
Bea
rated it:
Actually first published in 1951 - one in a fairly long line of excellent adventure stories by Nevil Shute, whose work was wildly popular mid-twentieth century. Some were filmed - though not this one, I think. It's about an aviation mechanic who forms a charter business in the East, and how his head mechanic becomes a revered religious figure.
Apr 23, 2010
Jennifer
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I am shocked that most readers gave this book 4 stars- had this not been for book club this book would have been in the bin! Just amazingly boring, it was like reading a journal, but the lacklustre was over the top, it did not want you to feel anything. The story line had potential, but that is about it-
sorry Nevile!!
sorry Nevile!!
Aug 17, 2011
Mary Frances
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I love Neville Shute. His tone and characters appeal to me. This book is unusual in that it has a spiritual theme. Shute's recreation of post-war, post-colonial England, and his appreciation of Asia and it's people is so rich. This was an audio book.
Jan 30, 2012
Alicia
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Like his other novels, this is very interesting, epic in scope, and a pleasure to read. It deals with airplanes, life, love, and religion--you could say that it's got it all. I prefer A Town Like Alice, but this is a close second.
May 18, 2009
Kim
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This is a mesmerizing tale of East meets West. This is the second time I've read this book and I realized during this reading what a fantastic story-teller Mr. Shute was. I highly, highly recommend this book.
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Nov 26, 2011
Henry
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I was really quite moved by this book. But the perspective is one of its time - can one imagine today a non-Muslim teaching Muslims about their faith? But this sort of theme is what gives the books its charm.
May 01, 2010
Peg
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Another fine story about an aircraft mechanic in the Far East whose devotion to his work makes him a kind of messiah to ones who know him. Shute manages to make a thrilling story every time he writes.
Jun 08, 2011
Mhbright
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Nevil Shute at his best: wonderful story and wonderful characters. What a joy to read!
Apr 13, 2008
Stuart
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My favorite Shute book. A no-nonsense engineer grapples with the disturbing possibility that his best airplane mechanic may in fact be an incarnation of the Messiah. Imagine Richard Bach’s “Illusions,” except not written by a drugged-up hippie. Now visualize “Atlas Shrugged," except not written by a fascist propagandist. Mix non-violently and you have this weird, compelling, unique fable about a man trying to reconcile Modernism with Mysticism, finding spiritual value in technical precision
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Dec 22, 2011
April
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Wonderful story about England and the Middle East and a tale of mysticism
Feb 22, 2010
Bettie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 20, 2008
Mike
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This book was an integral part of my awakening over 25 years ago. The story drew me in as one of the adventure of a free spirit. The lessons the author skillfully weaves into the tale have had a resonant impact on my life. I travel to the Middle East quite often and am reminded of those lessons every time. Everyone's beliefs deserve respect. Pass this book on.
Jan 08, 2008
Alan
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Wonderful read, in Shute's methodical style. Yes, it gets a little spiritual, but that rings true. I had an engineer friend who worked on projects in east Africa. The town used to gather in silence to watch him practice tai chi in the morning, because they thought he must be a holy man.
Jan 03, 2008
Patrick
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This remains one of my favorite of Shute's books, and highly recommended to anyone thinking about starting a business (regardless of discipline) or a religion. I would place it well before almost any (other) book on how to manage teams.
Sep 09, 2010
Curtiss
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The story of the second-coming of the Messiah, in the form of an aircraft mechanic who preaches the doctrine of preforming excellent work as a form of salvation.
Nov 06, 2008
great,one of the few that alks about work as worship,the character is so beeatifullly brought out,strongly receommended
Jul 10, 2008
Lindsay
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Interesting book. The characters were easy to identify with and the story line was thought provoking.
Feb 11, 2012
