The Road To The River and Other Stories

by Antony Trew

This is a collection of twelve stories on a variety of themes. There are sea stories, and there are tales set in South Africa - where the author was born and lived for many years - and there are others about strange situations which arise in everyday life, some dramatic, some mysterious, some near to farce, but all tales of the unexpected. As a whole, the collection reflects the lifetime of wisdom, humour and compassion garnered by the storyteller.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Antony (Francis) Trew was a South African naval officer and writer. In World War II he served with the South African and Royal Navies in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Western Approaches. As such he was in command of the escort destroyer HMS Walker. He also served on the Arctic Convoys and was awarded the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross). After World War II he resumed his work with the AA (Automobile Association) of South Africa as Director General.

(source wikipedia)

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly enjoyable random find. Surprisingly, because I’ve never heard of the author, there were no reviews and it’s from a company that tends to find seemingly arbitrary titles by barely known authors to publish. And yet…these tales of social mores, mysteries and adventures, set both in Colonial Africa and England were very enjoyable indeed. From the very first (eponymous) story you’re drawn into a world that seems distinctly bygone and yet simultaneously strangely timeless. Even the stories set in the more recent past of the 90s have that ageless grace that makes appearance of modern technology positively discombobulating. The author is from South Africa and the stories set there alone make this worthy of a read, he writes of the colonial divide and casual injustice with great understanding and compassion, those are by far the most emotionally engaging, devastating even, stories. The English set stories often take on a much more jaunty jocular tone and thus provide a nice counterbalance the volume. But every story is compelling in its own right and it made for a very enjoyable read. Nothing flashy, just quiet well written narratives and many with a twist. Glad I found this one. Glad to be the first to review it, maybe it’ll lead to this collection finding some readership. Recommended.