Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - 4 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - 4* - My Review

Keith Stewart is an unassuming engineer living in England with his wife. His hobby is model making, and he writes about it for a magazine. His life is rather uneventful until a tragedy strikes. The tragedy leads him to undertake a long journey. Along the way, he receives help from people who have enjoyed his magazine articles. It was published in 1960 and reflects the technologies of the time period. Nevil Shute is skilled at portraying “regular people” with positive character traits. Keith Stewart is one such individual. He is a man of integrity doing the best he can with few resources for a good cause. It is easy to root for him to succeed. This is a feel-good story, and a nice break between heavier reads. It contains many details about sailing and engineering. These topics add texture to the story without overwhelming it. It reads almost like a fairy tale or a myth featuring a regular guy rather than a “hero.” There are a few elements that seem rather far-fetched, but it is engaging and entertaining.

[Robin P]

I loved this book, which was the first one I ever read by Shute. It is typical in having ordinary people as the focus of the story. The audio was read by the great Frank Muller, who died too soon.

I love how Keith thinks he is unimportant, with a small life (he even works with miniatures) and how he finds connections literally around the world. It is a sort of fairy tale but one I like to believe in.

Many of Shute's books are centered on WWII and even then he manages to have lots of good people. For instance, the Nazi in Pied Piper turns out to be a decent guy with a granddaughter. Even in A Town Called Alice, there is only one really cruel person. Some people are unhappy with the words he used to refer to the indigenous people of Australia in that book, but they reflect the times. In several other books, Shute makes a specific point of acceptance, even interracial romance, as a positive thing. The only book I won't read by Shute is On the Beach, where he got discouraged by the new nuclear age (though from the movie, it's clear he still writes about ordinary people even in extraordinary situations.)

[Joy D]

Robin P wrote: "I loved this book, which was the first one I ever read by Shute. It is typical in having ordinary people as the focus of the story. The audio was read by the great Frank Muller, who died too soon. ..."

I enjoy his writing too. I loved A Town Like Alice. I've read On the Beach as part of my "apocalyptic" reading and appreciated it (though it feels a bit dated now in some ways). Another of my favorites of his is A Far Country.

[Robin P]

A couple of my other favorites are Pastoral, a sweet romance with exciting flying scenes, and The Chequer Board, which has the issues of racism highlighted. And A Town Like Alice, though, it's sort of 2 books - the war and immediate aftermath, and the building up of Australia.

At least one of his books talks about efforts to encourage immigration to Australia after WWII, when the immigrants are called "New Australians" and welcomed. I'm sure everyone didn't feel that way, but it's a very Nevil Shute way to see it.