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Landfall
A romantic World War II adventure about the strength of true love and how it can overcome any obstacle. A British air reconnaissance officer falls for a pub waitress, but finds his lift in chaos when he accidentally bombs a British submarine, mistaking it for a German U-boat. What begins as a romantic fling develops into true love as Mona fights to present the evidence she has discovered about this tragedy in the hope that it will absolve her lover.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
75 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Nevil Shute
99 books1,319 followersNevil Shute Norway was a popular British novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer.
He used Nevil Shute as his pen name, and his full name in his engineering career, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.
He lived in Australia for the ten years before his death.
He used Nevil Shute as his pen name, and his full name in his engineering career, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.
He lived in Australia for the ten years before his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
February 23, 2019
Reading it for the second time hasn't changed my mind. It's a good and clever story. I read it for the first time when I was in my teens and I didn't expect to remember any of it, but after a few pages it all came back to me. How satisfying! I did have to put my 1940's specs on to enjoy it to the fullest :)
March 26, 2022
Nevil Shute was both a novelist and an aeronautics engineer. His flying experiences and his technical knowledge ground the story, but the technical details do not overload the reader. They create a sense of reality, that what we are reading is the real thing not purely a creation of the imagination. What is delivered is down to earth and reflects how people actually do behave.
The characters are good decent people. This is refreshing and it makes us want to root for them. They are ordinary people--they play out their jokes, their weaknesses are clearly visible, but they have their strengths too. It is their ordinariness that makes them easy to empathize with.
The setting is the beginning months of the Second World War. The central character, Jerry, is stationed at an aerodrome near Portsmouth on the Channel. His job is to guard the Channel. He is to spot and bomb foreign submarines. He spots one and destroys it only to discover that it is claimed to be British! Is it? Circumstances surrounding the event are unclear. The event becomes a point of contention between the air force and the navy.
A love story is woven in too—between Jerry and a sandwich-bar waitress. She is of a class markedly lower than his own. He is an officer and who is she? A nobody. She proves to have a head on her shoulders even if she is a Miss Nobody.
You feel happy when you read this story. It makes you feel good. It remains stuck in reality and so is believable.
The audiobook is narrated by Chris Rowe very well. His intonations vary according to the person speaking. Very realistic and not too exaggerated. A barmaid is not going to sound like an air force officer, and they don’t here.
And there is humor too. I started the book with a smile on my face as I enjoyed the funny situations and lines. I closed the book happy too, knowing full well that what is described is not up in the clouds but actually possible. The story circles around an airplane pilot but is anchored in the earth.
********************
*The Far Country 4 stars
*Landfall 4 stars
*Beyond The Black Stump 4 stars
*Pied Piper 3 stars
*Ruined City 3 stars
*Trustee from the Toolroom 3 stars
*The Rainbow and the Rose 3 stars
*Requiem for a Wren 2 stars
*Pastoral 1 star
*The Chequer Board TBR
The characters are good decent people. This is refreshing and it makes us want to root for them. They are ordinary people--they play out their jokes, their weaknesses are clearly visible, but they have their strengths too. It is their ordinariness that makes them easy to empathize with.
The setting is the beginning months of the Second World War. The central character, Jerry, is stationed at an aerodrome near Portsmouth on the Channel. His job is to guard the Channel. He is to spot and bomb foreign submarines. He spots one and destroys it only to discover that it is claimed to be British! Is it? Circumstances surrounding the event are unclear. The event becomes a point of contention between the air force and the navy.
A love story is woven in too—between Jerry and a sandwich-bar waitress. She is of a class markedly lower than his own. He is an officer and who is she? A nobody. She proves to have a head on her shoulders even if she is a Miss Nobody.
You feel happy when you read this story. It makes you feel good. It remains stuck in reality and so is believable.
The audiobook is narrated by Chris Rowe very well. His intonations vary according to the person speaking. Very realistic and not too exaggerated. A barmaid is not going to sound like an air force officer, and they don’t here.
And there is humor too. I started the book with a smile on my face as I enjoyed the funny situations and lines. I closed the book happy too, knowing full well that what is described is not up in the clouds but actually possible. The story circles around an airplane pilot but is anchored in the earth.
********************
*The Far Country 4 stars
*Landfall 4 stars
*Beyond The Black Stump 4 stars
*Pied Piper 3 stars
*Ruined City 3 stars
*Trustee from the Toolroom 3 stars
*The Rainbow and the Rose 3 stars
*Requiem for a Wren 2 stars
*Pastoral 1 star
*The Chequer Board TBR
June 7, 2020
Nevil Shute was an amazing storyteller in addition to being an aeronautical engineer, pilot, owner of an aircraft company that developed planes for the RAF in WWII and inventor of secret weapons for the war effort. How he did this and managed to write novels at the same time is mind boggling to me.
Landfall is a war story and a love story detailing the experiences of a young RAF pilot during the early years of the war. It was published in 1940 and takes place in 1939. Shute was simultaneously writing this book while working for the British Admiralty developing secret weapons to sink German U-boats that were wrecking havoc in the Channel and the Atlantic. Shute's experiences seemed to have strongly influenced his story line.
Shute describes the monotony of patrols over the Channel, the details of the flight deck and the conditions endured by the pilots and crew with such specificity that he must have taken part in some of these flights. He also goes into the conflicts that existed between the RAF and the British Navy over who should be in charge of flight patrols and other tensions that existed between the branches.
Shute manages to weave all these threads into an exciting war story that has us cheering for the young pilot, Jerry Chambers and his love interest, Mona Stevens, a barmaid at the Royal Clarence Hotel. As in his other books, Shute addresses the class system which made it difficult for an officer to marry someone from a "lower class" as Mona would have been considered. It reminded me of the movie, An Officer and a Gentleman.
I thoroughly enjoyed Shute's page turning book. It most certainly would have been a morale booster to the British public in the early years of the war. In 1949 Landfall was made into a film, but I can imagine it would have been very popular during the war years.
Landfall is a war story and a love story detailing the experiences of a young RAF pilot during the early years of the war. It was published in 1940 and takes place in 1939. Shute was simultaneously writing this book while working for the British Admiralty developing secret weapons to sink German U-boats that were wrecking havoc in the Channel and the Atlantic. Shute's experiences seemed to have strongly influenced his story line.
Shute describes the monotony of patrols over the Channel, the details of the flight deck and the conditions endured by the pilots and crew with such specificity that he must have taken part in some of these flights. He also goes into the conflicts that existed between the RAF and the British Navy over who should be in charge of flight patrols and other tensions that existed between the branches.
Shute manages to weave all these threads into an exciting war story that has us cheering for the young pilot, Jerry Chambers and his love interest, Mona Stevens, a barmaid at the Royal Clarence Hotel. As in his other books, Shute addresses the class system which made it difficult for an officer to marry someone from a "lower class" as Mona would have been considered. It reminded me of the movie, An Officer and a Gentleman.
I thoroughly enjoyed Shute's page turning book. It most certainly would have been a morale booster to the British public in the early years of the war. In 1949 Landfall was made into a film, but I can imagine it would have been very popular during the war years.
October 23, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up.
Landfall was written in 1940 so this is another Nevil Shute novel which deals with an aspect of WWII in England. It does not have Shute's trademark structure with the main protagonist, a "regular guy" (or gal), put in an unusual situation and asked to do something very difficult. Nor is the story narrated by the main protagonist; it is told from many POVs. Despite it not feeling like a Nevil Shute story, it is still a well-told story with terrific characters and it held my interest from start to finish.
Our main protagonist is very endearing, upbeat and humorous. He is a pilot (of course). He finds himself in precarious situations in his job which initially involves ocean patrol but changes over the course of the story. I don't want to say more. There is also a love story and a mystery solved by an unlikely "detective."
Altogether, a good read but not among Shute's finest efforts.
Landfall was written in 1940 so this is another Nevil Shute novel which deals with an aspect of WWII in England. It does not have Shute's trademark structure with the main protagonist, a "regular guy" (or gal), put in an unusual situation and asked to do something very difficult. Nor is the story narrated by the main protagonist; it is told from many POVs. Despite it not feeling like a Nevil Shute story, it is still a well-told story with terrific characters and it held my interest from start to finish.
Our main protagonist is very endearing, upbeat and humorous. He is a pilot (of course). He finds himself in precarious situations in his job which initially involves ocean patrol but changes over the course of the story. I don't want to say more. There is also a love story and a mystery solved by an unlikely "detective."
Altogether, a good read but not among Shute's finest efforts.
November 16, 2015
I’ve never been one for reading much in the way of novels, historical or contemporary; but thoroughly gripped, I read Nevil Shute’s “Landfall”, a Naval story (first published in 1940) at one sitting, totally immersed, utterly engrossed, barely noticing day change into night.
The topology given for the Hampshire coast between Southampton and Portsmouth reads believably. The plot and characters likewise stand up remarkably well. Over-the-top heroics, bathos, sulking, none of those unattractive traits form any part of the storyline of this book. Instead a positively chivalric love is given and received with trust, honour and respect; there’s no twenty-first century giggling or shallow ‘mwaah. mwaah-ing’ or sex on the second date here (how positively boring that would be); yet the sustained heights to which deep, palpable emotions are stirred, are such that at times this reader had to consciously remember to breathe! Did Nevile Shute develop his plot from an incident in real life? It seems tantalisingly believable that he could have. I’m tempted to see what I can research through Hampshire Library services.
An uncorroborated opinion may be found at http://www.nevilshute.org/nl060401.html [see John Anderson’s contribution]. But then the WWW is more akin to the Wild West. What can one believe? Whether Titchfield and Emsworth aerodromes ever existed in real life I’ve no idea; but RN Hospital Haslar (1796-2009), certainly did: it attended to the injured of the British Navy, and later also to the RAF, Army and even the odd National Health Service patient here & there. But I digress.
All in all, for those who love the stories and films that came out of WWII, from the relative safety of peacetime in 2015, Nevile Shute’s “Landfall” (1940) is a deeply moving and warmly satisfying read indeed.
The topology given for the Hampshire coast between Southampton and Portsmouth reads believably. The plot and characters likewise stand up remarkably well. Over-the-top heroics, bathos, sulking, none of those unattractive traits form any part of the storyline of this book. Instead a positively chivalric love is given and received with trust, honour and respect; there’s no twenty-first century giggling or shallow ‘mwaah. mwaah-ing’ or sex on the second date here (how positively boring that would be); yet the sustained heights to which deep, palpable emotions are stirred, are such that at times this reader had to consciously remember to breathe! Did Nevile Shute develop his plot from an incident in real life? It seems tantalisingly believable that he could have. I’m tempted to see what I can research through Hampshire Library services.
An uncorroborated opinion may be found at http://www.nevilshute.org/nl060401.html [see John Anderson’s contribution]. But then the WWW is more akin to the Wild West. What can one believe? Whether Titchfield and Emsworth aerodromes ever existed in real life I’ve no idea; but RN Hospital Haslar (1796-2009), certainly did: it attended to the injured of the British Navy, and later also to the RAF, Army and even the odd National Health Service patient here & there. But I digress.
All in all, for those who love the stories and films that came out of WWII, from the relative safety of peacetime in 2015, Nevile Shute’s “Landfall” (1940) is a deeply moving and warmly satisfying read indeed.
January 5, 2023
Good old story of an English pilot at the start of WW2 and the girl he likes. He gets blamed for a bombing accident. About the fifth book I have read by this author. They have all been good!
May 14, 2021
The more I read his work, the more I love the writing of Nevil Shute. His book, Landfall, written in 1940, falls into his 'war' period of writing. In its simplest form, you could call it a war story. Flying Officer Jerry Chambers is a pilot of Angus aircraft. His mission is flying over the English channel with his crew of 3 and, following a grid, tracking ships sailing up and down the Channel and also looking for German U-boats that might present a threat to allied shipping. One mission he sees a U-boat and sinks it.
This incident will greatly affect Jerry as it turns out that the submarine might not have been a German ship. There is an investigation and Jerry is transferred to a squadron that instead flies over Germany, dropping propaganda materiel. He does ultimately get another transfer, to an experimental unit that works out of the same area as his first squadron, working for to help a scientist with unnamed experimental work that might help shift the war effort in the Allies favour. This is very dangerous work.
So that's the war story aspect. On another level, you have a romance between Jerry and barmaid, Mona, a sensible young lady who gradually falls in love with Jerry; the feeling is mutual, by the way. When Jerry is transferred, things are definitely put on hold. The interesting side-note to this romance, and it becomes key to the overall story is that the bar where Mona works is frequented by British sailors and airman. In the course of her work, she hears tidbits of information, that put together might mean the results of the original enquiry were erroneous.
It all seems kind of convoluted as I present it, but Shute is such an excellent writer. The story is presented in a gentle, logical manner and as you read through, everything fits together nicely. The characters are sympathetic, especially Jerry and Mona, both lovely people who are bound together, as many seem to have been in the War. The story is a pleasure to read, another example of Shute's ability to write interesting stories that strike a chord in your heart; everyday people doing impressive things, people you'd love to meet and know. The ending was satisfying and touched a bit of a nerve with me; leaving me nicely choked and happy. (4 stars)
This incident will greatly affect Jerry as it turns out that the submarine might not have been a German ship. There is an investigation and Jerry is transferred to a squadron that instead flies over Germany, dropping propaganda materiel. He does ultimately get another transfer, to an experimental unit that works out of the same area as his first squadron, working for to help a scientist with unnamed experimental work that might help shift the war effort in the Allies favour. This is very dangerous work.
So that's the war story aspect. On another level, you have a romance between Jerry and barmaid, Mona, a sensible young lady who gradually falls in love with Jerry; the feeling is mutual, by the way. When Jerry is transferred, things are definitely put on hold. The interesting side-note to this romance, and it becomes key to the overall story is that the bar where Mona works is frequented by British sailors and airman. In the course of her work, she hears tidbits of information, that put together might mean the results of the original enquiry were erroneous.
It all seems kind of convoluted as I present it, but Shute is such an excellent writer. The story is presented in a gentle, logical manner and as you read through, everything fits together nicely. The characters are sympathetic, especially Jerry and Mona, both lovely people who are bound together, as many seem to have been in the War. The story is a pleasure to read, another example of Shute's ability to write interesting stories that strike a chord in your heart; everyday people doing impressive things, people you'd love to meet and know. The ending was satisfying and touched a bit of a nerve with me; leaving me nicely choked and happy. (4 stars)
April 20, 2022
The story is set during the opening months of World War II and it concerns a young pilot, Roderick 'Jerry' Chambers, who is part of an air patrol unit guarding the southern coast of England—around Portsmouth. One day, Chambers sees a submarine and, believing it to be German, attacks with his weaponry and bombs. The submarine is sunk.
Aviation and engineering provide the backdrop for many of Shute's novels.
Free download available at FadedPage
5* A Town Like Alice
2* On the Beach
4* Pied Piper
4* Landfall
TR The Rainbow and the Rose
TR Trustee from the Toolroom
TR The Chequer Board
TR No Highway
TR Requiem for a Wren
Aviation and engineering provide the backdrop for many of Shute's novels.
Free download available at FadedPage
5* A Town Like Alice
2* On the Beach
4* Pied Piper
4* Landfall
TR The Rainbow and the Rose
TR Trustee from the Toolroom
TR The Chequer Board
TR No Highway
TR Requiem for a Wren
November 20, 2021
Another winner from my favourite author. Shute comes up with the most interesting plots. In this case, a young RAF pilot accidentally bombs one of his own submarines -- or does he? There is growing tension as the story unfolds. The unlikely character who finally unravels the mystery where the navy and air force combined could not is a bar maid who is in love with the pilot. Shute was an aeronautical engineer and his books include lots of technical details, of which are fascinating, but he also had a gift for human drama. His romances are totally believable and heartwarming. It's the best of both worlds.
September 1, 2016
I actually rather enjoyed this book as it was nicely balanced between the action and horrors of war, the romance between Chambers and Mona and the despair he felt after the sinking of the submarine and the politics that followed as the RAF and Navy tried to blame each other. The writing is easy to read and engaging, bringing the characters and story to life while leaving just enough for the reader to build on from their own imagination. At first I wasn't particularly keen on Mona but she really came into her own as the story continued and she began to uncover the truth behind what really happened and she shows some really backbone pushing forward to get herself heard. A fab read that I just burned through.
August 18, 2015
Typical of Shute's work, the story revolves around aviators and their cohorts during WW2. Rich in detail concerning military aircraft and military life in general, it celebrates the character of fairly ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. The rigid class structure of early 20th century Britain, while slowly being eroded still pervades society -- for example the idea that a young officer's military career would be compromised by a marriage below his class is being challenged but is still very much an issue.
Nowhere near as compelling as Shute's best work, but still a pleasant read.
Nowhere near as compelling as Shute's best work, but still a pleasant read.
April 15, 2019
Engrossing World War Two Aviation/Love Story:
Warning spoiler alert.
An intriguing story of a young British pilot on coastal patrol who is given specific instructions not to bomb submarines within certain guidelines. He winds up bombing what he thinks is a German submarine outside the specified zone. This causes massive distress to all parties and to the pilot when signs that the sub had been British are found floating in the English Channel. The pilot is disgraced and sent away while the Navy fumes. The girl who the pilot has fallen for, though somewhat beneath his station, sticks by her man.
Warning spoiler alert.
An intriguing story of a young British pilot on coastal patrol who is given specific instructions not to bomb submarines within certain guidelines. He winds up bombing what he thinks is a German submarine outside the specified zone. This causes massive distress to all parties and to the pilot when signs that the sub had been British are found floating in the English Channel. The pilot is disgraced and sent away while the Navy fumes. The girl who the pilot has fallen for, though somewhat beneath his station, sticks by her man.
September 29, 2020
A pilot and a barmaid begin to date in the beginning of WWII in England. The pilot bombs an
unidentified submarine, later to be believed it was an English one. The young couple's love affair suffers as he is transferred somewhere else. The barmaid is resolved to help him reclaim his good name.
It's a short gem by Nevil Shute and is definitely worth your time.
unidentified submarine, later to be believed it was an English one. The young couple's love affair suffers as he is transferred somewhere else. The barmaid is resolved to help him reclaim his good name.
It's a short gem by Nevil Shute and is definitely worth your time.
March 4, 2020
Als der 2. Weltkrieg beginnt, ist Roderick "Jerry" Chambers bei der Royal Air Force an der Südküste Englands stationiert und schiebt dort unaufregenden Dienst - bei den Routinepatrouillen über dem Ärmelkanal gab es bisher noch nie etwas Spannendes zu entdecken. Das Aufregendste in seinem Leben sind eigentlich die Abende, an denen er tanzen geht und sich kurzzeitig mit dem einen oder anderen Mädchen amüsiert. An etwas Ernstem ist er bisher nicht interessiert gewesen.
Auch als er Mona näher kennenlernt, die in seinem Stammlokal bedient, sucht er zunächst nichts Festes, aber irgendetwas hat sie an sich, das ihn anzieht. Nachdem es bei einer seiner Patrouillen zu einem fatalen Zwischenfall kommt und man Jerry zur Last legt, ein britisches U-Boot abgeschossen zu haben, ist sie diejenige, die ihm Trost und Verständnis entgegenbringt.
Trotzdem ersucht er infolge seines schrecklichen Fehlers um Versetzung und meldet sich dann freiwillig als Testpilot für ein geheimes militärisches Projekt, während Mona mehr oder weniger zufällig auf Informationen stößt, die Zweifel daran wecken, dass der U-Boot-Vorfall sich tatsächlich so abgespielt hat, wie man es Jerry vorgeworfen hat.
Das Interessanteste an diesem Buch war für mich, einen Roman zu lesen, der ganz kurz nach der Zeit entstanden ist, die er beschreibt (Erscheinungsjahr 1940). Das macht die Atmosphäre besonders authentisch.
Die Geschichte selbst verläuft eher schwankend, von einem sehr ruhigen Beginn zu einer tollen Spannungsspitze, um dann wieder abzuflauen und erneut richtig spannend zu werden. Zwischendurch plätscherte es für meinen Geschmack ein bisschen sehr dahin bzw. wurde mir zu sachlich und technisch. Die Nebenfiguren hatten auch größtenteils eher wenig Kontur. Man merkt durchaus, dass es sich um ein frühes Werk des Autors handelt.
Was er aber wirklich immer wieder gut macht, ist eine eher indirekte Charakterisierung seiner Hauptfiguren. Er hält sich nicht groß mit Beschreibungen oder Gedankengängen auf, sondern zeigt sie Personen in bestimmten Situationen und lässt uns dadurch wissen, was wir wissen müssen, um sie richtig einzuschätzen. Sehr schön eingefangen fand ich Jerrys Gewissensbisse nach dem Unglück, Monas Einsatz, um Jerry reinzuwaschen, und den feinen Humor, der bei aller Ernsthaftigkeit des Themas zwischendurch für etwas Leichtigkeit sorgt.
Auch als er Mona näher kennenlernt, die in seinem Stammlokal bedient, sucht er zunächst nichts Festes, aber irgendetwas hat sie an sich, das ihn anzieht. Nachdem es bei einer seiner Patrouillen zu einem fatalen Zwischenfall kommt und man Jerry zur Last legt, ein britisches U-Boot abgeschossen zu haben, ist sie diejenige, die ihm Trost und Verständnis entgegenbringt.
Trotzdem ersucht er infolge seines schrecklichen Fehlers um Versetzung und meldet sich dann freiwillig als Testpilot für ein geheimes militärisches Projekt, während Mona mehr oder weniger zufällig auf Informationen stößt, die Zweifel daran wecken, dass der U-Boot-Vorfall sich tatsächlich so abgespielt hat, wie man es Jerry vorgeworfen hat.
Das Interessanteste an diesem Buch war für mich, einen Roman zu lesen, der ganz kurz nach der Zeit entstanden ist, die er beschreibt (Erscheinungsjahr 1940). Das macht die Atmosphäre besonders authentisch.
Die Geschichte selbst verläuft eher schwankend, von einem sehr ruhigen Beginn zu einer tollen Spannungsspitze, um dann wieder abzuflauen und erneut richtig spannend zu werden. Zwischendurch plätscherte es für meinen Geschmack ein bisschen sehr dahin bzw. wurde mir zu sachlich und technisch. Die Nebenfiguren hatten auch größtenteils eher wenig Kontur. Man merkt durchaus, dass es sich um ein frühes Werk des Autors handelt.
Was er aber wirklich immer wieder gut macht, ist eine eher indirekte Charakterisierung seiner Hauptfiguren. Er hält sich nicht groß mit Beschreibungen oder Gedankengängen auf, sondern zeigt sie Personen in bestimmten Situationen und lässt uns dadurch wissen, was wir wissen müssen, um sie richtig einzuschätzen. Sehr schön eingefangen fand ich Jerrys Gewissensbisse nach dem Unglück, Monas Einsatz, um Jerry reinzuwaschen, und den feinen Humor, der bei aller Ernsthaftigkeit des Themas zwischendurch für etwas Leichtigkeit sorgt.
October 10, 2011
Nice little book.
I couldn't understand much about the nature of the dangerous experiment the hero was involved, but that did not affect much my understanding and enjoyment of the story.
It's not the best of his books, but certainly worth reading.
I just love in Shute books how he describes the era. The language, the places, and people changed so much since the days of the 2nd world war.
I couldn't understand much about the nature of the dangerous experiment the hero was involved, but that did not affect much my understanding and enjoyment of the story.
It's not the best of his books, but certainly worth reading.
I just love in Shute books how he describes the era. The language, the places, and people changed so much since the days of the 2nd world war.
September 5, 2012
A splendid story! This is the sort of book that people who read for pleasure should have. A story of two young people who meet and fall in love in England in wartime. One is an aviator who sinks a submarine while on a reconnaissance patrol and later finds out it might have been an English ship. Very much a "feel good" story.
January 5, 2015
Not Shute's best work - but worth a read. After some Boy's Own action sequences the plot concentrates on the determination of Mona - waitress in a café - to fight to expose an injustice which blighted the career of her pilot boyfriend. Shute is a bit variable in his portrayal of women and but Mona is one of his stronger female characters.
August 21, 2012
As with all by Nevil Shute, the characters are vivid and believable. This story has Naval and electrical engineering stuff in it, too. A WWII story set in England, I wonder who reads this stuff anymore ...
May 5, 2013
In order to make them last longer, I've decided to only read Nevil Shute books that I find in used bookstores, rather than trying to track them all down thru interlibrary loan.
This one was from the SFPL Friends of the Library bookstore.
This one was from the SFPL Friends of the Library bookstore.
May 29, 2012
This is a book I read years ago and I enjoyed it immensely. I’ve read all of Nevil Shute’s books. The best by far is “A Town Like Alice.”
April 13, 2015
Superbly done... Mr Shute has a penchant for weaving a great story with all the necessary atmosphere and deft characterisation...
May 7, 2023
Not top echelon Shute but like most Shute works a good yarn. Serves my purpose which is a easy read audiobook on AirPods after lights are out set on timer. Usually get 15-30 minutes per night.
February 6, 2022
Nevil Shute writes about war. This book was published in 1940, before the modern Air Force or Naval flying squads. The book focuses on an excellent young pilot. Because someone is sick, he is forced to fly (during WW2) without his usual first mate, who is another pair of eyes in the cockpit, but who also is the navigator, the man with the maps. The shifts are long and tiring doing the same thing - flying over a designated area, looking for anything amiss. He is always notified when British or allied ships are in the area so he will not accidently shoot them. On the fateful day, he does not see the designated ship but just as he is finishing his final turn, almost dark, really just dusk, he sees a submarine on the surface of the water of a river. He whips around, flies over the ship, cannot see any British or allied markings and checks off what he should see for a friendly ship. He does not see it. All this happens in a moment, just as a sudden auto accident happens in a moment. No time to think it over, digest it, come up with alternatives, he shoots - and blows up the submarine. He turns and heads back to the base. Only to be awakened in the night - he has shot a British submarine that was supposed to be in the area much earlier. He is taken before a military court. But he is certain that it was not a British vessel. Before the fateful day, he had been dating a very pleasant bar maid. She was very aware that she was below his status/class but they enjoyed each other. This is a story of war, of dating, maybe love, certainly liking, and of the class system that existed in Britain at that time. They are both certain that he is not guilty but he is new to the base, does not have close friends and she is the only one he can talk to. Remember - war time, a long time ago, before all the military psychology existed and people understood that war is hell. This is a lovely book, not as good as his best, A Town Like Alice, but a good read.
January 18, 2024
Landfall is perhaps one of the sweetest, gripping, heart-warming and heart-wrenching novels I have read. It is not particularly complex, and some of the military talk would bore people. There's something so dreary about the setting, but underneath it all, there is an ever-present note of hope and brightness that outshines it all.
What really stood out to me was that it brought to light some of the dullness officers and other young men serving in the military might've felt in the early years of the war. It reminded me of my own great-grandfather, who, after his training in Canada, was sent to England for further training (and I know not what), and would subtly complain to his mother in letters about how dreary and boring it would get. Just like Jerry, he saw his action a bit later on.
And to branch off of that, the plot has you on the edge of your seat. At least, it did with me. It made you question assumptions you made about what happened, and surprised you in a certain ways, too. All in all, you know Jerry's a good guy... and so, you're rooting for him the whole time no matter what. The humour in this novel is very refreshing, just as the romance is between Jerry and Mona. It isn't cheesy or risqué but a pure, pleasant genuine love story between the two, not just based off of words but actions.
I would recommend this to anyone - but particularly fellow history-buffs like myself who are happy to curl up with a good piece of historical-fiction like this story. It has definitely become a comfort novel to me.
What really stood out to me was that it brought to light some of the dullness officers and other young men serving in the military might've felt in the early years of the war. It reminded me of my own great-grandfather, who, after his training in Canada, was sent to England for further training (and I know not what), and would subtly complain to his mother in letters about how dreary and boring it would get. Just like Jerry, he saw his action a bit later on.
And to branch off of that, the plot has you on the edge of your seat. At least, it did with me. It made you question assumptions you made about what happened, and surprised you in a certain ways, too. All in all, you know Jerry's a good guy... and so, you're rooting for him the whole time no matter what. The humour in this novel is very refreshing, just as the romance is between Jerry and Mona. It isn't cheesy or risqué but a pure, pleasant genuine love story between the two, not just based off of words but actions.
I would recommend this to anyone - but particularly fellow history-buffs like myself who are happy to curl up with a good piece of historical-fiction like this story. It has definitely become a comfort novel to me.
May 1, 2024
A delightful read, full of daring do, mystery and the inevitable romance. I don’t believe this was picked up and made into a war time film, perhaps due to the negative impact in terms of propaganda the idea that an RAF pilot could possibly sink one of their own submarines.
The protagonist was an enjoyable character, endlessly sarcastic and pushy in his career and pursuit of the opposite sex - in this case a common barmaid whose relationship develops and is integral to the fate of our hero.
Very much appreciated the rarer focus on the early part of the far and in particular coastal commands role along with the oft’ forgotten Avro Anson getting some recognition as a recon and light bomber (I confess, I didn’t know the Anson could even carry bombs, thinking it was mainly used for transport of officials).
Other aspects that were well highlighted - the tensions and rivalry between the RAF and Royal Navy were ever present, the collaboration between forces. The boffins and experimentations of new technologies and weapons. The bureaucracy, paperwork and the core of the story - the court case / investigation in the middle which adds plenty of drama.
The protagonist was an enjoyable character, endlessly sarcastic and pushy in his career and pursuit of the opposite sex - in this case a common barmaid whose relationship develops and is integral to the fate of our hero.
Very much appreciated the rarer focus on the early part of the far and in particular coastal commands role along with the oft’ forgotten Avro Anson getting some recognition as a recon and light bomber (I confess, I didn’t know the Anson could even carry bombs, thinking it was mainly used for transport of officials).
Other aspects that were well highlighted - the tensions and rivalry between the RAF and Royal Navy were ever present, the collaboration between forces. The boffins and experimentations of new technologies and weapons. The bureaucracy, paperwork and the core of the story - the court case / investigation in the middle which adds plenty of drama.
May 14, 2019
Having recently abandoned two supermarket-fiction books (by Mark Haddon and Edward St Aubyn) halfway through for being too flip and hip, I turned to Nevil Shute as an author who believes in his characters unironically and makes sure we care about what happens to them. This one is set in the early days of the war and has none of Shute's trademark gimmicks (end of the world, view of the future, etc) but is fuelled by his usual fury at "the idiocy of the system".
This edition is riddled with errors, especially in the last few chapters when Commander Sutton suddenly turns into Commander Foster, who is also a character in the book but a surgeon who we meet very briefly and who certainly wouldn't be sitting in on the naval meetings at the end. Editors, wake up.
The ending was unusual. Having read a few Shute novels I expected him to go another way. No spoilers, but I'll say that it surprised me and it worked. Which is what you want in a good novel.
This edition is riddled with errors, especially in the last few chapters when Commander Sutton suddenly turns into Commander Foster, who is also a character in the book but a surgeon who we meet very briefly and who certainly wouldn't be sitting in on the naval meetings at the end. Editors, wake up.
The ending was unusual. Having read a few Shute novels I expected him to go another way. No spoilers, but I'll say that it surprised me and it worked. Which is what you want in a good novel.
April 11, 2022
This is the second Nevil Shute that I've read, and I'm starting to get an impression of him as a workmanlike writer who tells a good story. His prose is a little clumsy. I couldn't tell you how many times Professor Legge was referred to as "the civilian", or how many times the hero's car's engine was described as "worn". I was left particularly bewildered by an odd paragraph in which Shute inexplicably appears to break the fourth wall and writes in first person singular about encountering some secret material regarding the protagonist Chambers.
Shute makes up for his shortcomings with his profound technical knowledge, his ability to convey it to the reader, and his gift for stringing together a good plot. Quotable he isn't, but the stories stick. In this case he has got me very interested in going to look at the Avro Anson on display at an aircraft museum near me.
The acid test is: will I read another Shute? Sure I will.
Shute makes up for his shortcomings with his profound technical knowledge, his ability to convey it to the reader, and his gift for stringing together a good plot. Quotable he isn't, but the stories stick. In this case he has got me very interested in going to look at the Avro Anson on display at an aircraft museum near me.
The acid test is: will I read another Shute? Sure I will.
May 30, 2020
RAF pilot Jerry Chambers destroys a submarine while on patrol of the English Channel during the early months of WWII. When British clothing is recovered from the site, it appears that he made a horrible mistake even though he’d seen no markings on the sub to identify it as British. He shares part of the story with his girlfriend and she believes him even as the Court of Inquiry considers him at fault. Can he move past this or will it permanently mar his record?
I think this is one of my favorites of all the books of his that I've read, which is most of them to this point. The first few pages when his car seems to break down on a road at night with his girlfriend, I was thinking "o come on" but it moved quickly past that into what become the events of the story.
I think this is one of my favorites of all the books of his that I've read, which is most of them to this point. The first few pages when his car seems to break down on a road at night with his girlfriend, I was thinking "o come on" but it moved quickly past that into what become the events of the story.
December 28, 2020
This time around Nevil Shute manages to (mostly) rein in his rather alarming attitudes to women. Mona his main female character manages to save the career of her wartime air force lover who has become embroiled in a brouhaha regarding the sinking of a submarine which may or may not have been British or German. Ooh the suspense! Love conquers all despite the class structure that is beginning to crumble due to wartime exigencies. So even though women are dumb as hens, need a spanking when circumstances demand and being beaten at home by dad is a possibility, our plucky barmaid wins the day. Written 80 years ago now Shute's pacing is fine and the suspense is reasonably well done, it's definitely a novel of bygone times (thankfully).
June 2, 2023
This is a very simple, classically Nevil Shute story: War. Areoplanes. Detailed logistics.
The blurb: A British air reconnaissance officer falls for a pub waitress, but finds his life in chaos when he accidentally bombs a British submarine, mistaking it for a German U-boat. What begins as a romantic fling develops into true love as Mona fights to present the evidence she has discovered about this tragedy in the hope that it will absolve her lover.
Landfall is very much of its era but less problematic than many of Shute's books. There's a bit of an exploration of class which, to a 21st Century reader, goes of the rails at the end. Although I doubt that's how it was intended.
Overall, I enjoyed it.
The blurb: A British air reconnaissance officer falls for a pub waitress, but finds his life in chaos when he accidentally bombs a British submarine, mistaking it for a German U-boat. What begins as a romantic fling develops into true love as Mona fights to present the evidence she has discovered about this tragedy in the hope that it will absolve her lover.
Landfall is very much of its era but less problematic than many of Shute's books. There's a bit of an exploration of class which, to a 21st Century reader, goes of the rails at the end. Although I doubt that's how it was intended.
Overall, I enjoyed it.
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