On the Beach

Beautifully written, it reminded me of the Great Gatsby and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The narrative was gentle and slow, but didn't drag. The characters were genuine and were introduced at a very natural pace. Instead of formulaic, predictable, or forced writing, Nevil Shute produced a touching narrative that flowed very sincerely. The premise was realistic and heart-wrenching and I just thoroughly enjoyed the book.

On the Beach is a post-apocalyptic story written by Nevil Shute in the 1950’s, at the height of the Cold War. It is a story of people facing inevitable doom, how they cope, the values that support them, and their final pleasures. It is thoughtful and low-key, though the intensity of their is always there, boiling up and threatening to overcome them. It is at once, sad and hopeful. It is NOT Mad Max.

The driving situation, and principal antagonist, in On the Beach is the aftermath of nuclear war. In a brief introduction, Mr. Shute provides the background of a nuclear war having snuffed out all life in the northern hemisphere and the radiation now moving slowly south. His story focuses on a few survivors in Melbourne, Australia who are waiting for the inevitable. How they handle that waiting drives the story.

Mr Shute’s prose is simple, making this book an easy read. In fact, I think it reads like a screenplay. I don’t know if that was Mr. Shute’s intent, but two movies were made from his book. But then, the easy prose does highlight the common lives of the characters as they face an uncommon horror. Taken that way, the writing emphasizes the story’s everyday elements much as the writing in McCarthy’s The Road emphasizes that story’s bleakness. On the Beach is not bleak, though it is sad.

The characters are depicted as was common for popular storytelling of the time—square-jawed, heroic men and brave, supporting women. Mr. Shute goes beyond these stereotypes, though, by placing them in a situation that heroics and personal grit can’t save. That point is brought out in several ways, one of which is the general cluelessness about where the nuclear war came from and why. Even the military men don’t understand it. As the submarine captain says:

‘I’d like to read a history of this last war.’ said the American. ‘I was in it for a short time but I don’t know a thing about it. Has anybody written anything?’

And so the inevitability of death is aggravated by the senselessness of it. It is this theme that makes this story, in my opinion, so very relevant.

A modern version of this novel would be longer. The action does span the globe in that the submarine travels far and wide over the northern hemisphere checking war damage and radiation levels. Mr. Shute abbreviates all that. Today it would probably be expanded into subplots that switched between the submarine and the folks back home in Melbourne. I can even imagine the introduction of a political aspect that could make the story a thriller. All that would be a detriment to the storytelling, however, if it took away from the dynamic of people facing the end of everything.

In these days when political leaders push for war and consider nuclear exchanges “winnable,” On the Beach makes its subtle point: common, everyday people suffer for the insane actions of their shadowy rulers. Such suffering coming from nuclear war would likely be worse than Mr. Shute imagines, but his point is well made that it is the final result of unbridled ambition and greed empowered by doomsday weapons.

This powerful book woke me up at night forcing me to examine how I would handle the knowledge of sure death! Shute's writing in timeless. Written sixty year ago, On The Beach, engages still engages the modern reader, making us care about the characters. It is on my list for my ten year old to read when he turns sixteen. In fact, it should be required reading for all high school students not only because it well written but also because it explores the wide ranging implications of nuclear war. A must read...for so many reasons!

timeless, realistic story of the end of the world. I think it could take place today, but in the same location. The movie is closely based on the story with a few deviations of course. I guess I was in the mood to be totally depressed, because it is sad. I read it is a realistic depiction of how nuclear holocaust could be.

I was skepical about reading this book, as science fiction is not my thing. But this book was captivating. As the "dust settles" over the whole earth and death is immenient for all, it is interesting to see how various people respond to their fate. But there is a bigger message to this book. You'll have to read it to find out!

In 1959 when the movie came out, we were soldiers working on nuclear products, We were presented a classified form to sign, with questions and answers to questions people might ask about the movie. This era has since been de-classified.

Nevil Shute writes well about the people of Australia (plus the crew of an American nuclear submarine) who wait calmly for the end of the world due to the spreading radiation poisoning from a nuclear war in the northern hemisphere. Some block the future, others don't believe it can happen, but most simply go about their lives as they wait for the end.

A well written and thought provoking story written at the hight of the Cold War. The consequences of unrestrained conflict resonate acutely with contemporary issues today. Interactions between people in the book illustrate vividly how much things have changed in the last half century. We'll worth reading (or re-reading).

Someone should send a copy to North Korea... Beautifully written with common, every day experiences with ominous undertones.

I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but the characters are already very much alive and touching. Too bad newer novels don't focus so much on character development as they do on dialogue!

Great book that should be re-read by everyone born after Ronald Regan was President. The book describes the dark cloud all of us had over our heads following the Cuban missile crisis. With Nukes in the middle east now, this book describes our demise worldwide if we are not vigilant.

Someone should send a copy to North Korea... Beautifully written with common, every day experiences with ominous undertones.

I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but the characters are already very much alive and touching. Too bad newer novels don't focus so much on character development as they do on dialogue!

Great book that should be re-read by everyone born after Ronald Regan was President. The book describes the dark cloud all of us had over our heads following the Cuban missile crisis. With Nukes in the middle east now, this book describes our demise worldwide if we are not vigilant.

I read this book after reading One Second After as this book along with Alas Babylon were resources Dr. Forstchen listed as the inspiration for his writing. I recommend all three. On the Beach is a good read I had a little trouble with some of the phrases and it is of course somewhat dated but I still like it.

No matter what causes it, our world is very fragile. The mind set of the characters as they face the inevitable end of the world is a study in contrast. Concerns of planting gardens, landscaping, buying presents for children already dead. Makes me wonder how I would react in the same situation.

A weird adaptation of the original -- almost as if it was translated, literally, to another language and then translated again, literally, back to English. I wouldn't recommend purchasing this, but finding the original version that Nevil Shute wrote.

Yes, it's possible. If someone attacks his neighbour with nukes, as in a worst-case scenario in the Middle West, the other side will certainly retaliates and the rest of the world will suffer its consequences... Everyone should read this book and think about it.

An interesting insight into how Australian society was perceived during that time period, the threat of nuclear devastation, and how people react in particularly difficult and unique circumstances. This novel made me think on so many different levels and question how I would handle the same or similar situations.

No giant rat creatures or bands of ugly-chic warriors. No heroic action sequences. No great battles for humanity.
Just the end of hope, the end of the future, the end of life. This is a depiction, stark and realistic and unromantic, of how humans deal with the knowledge that the end of life on Earth has come, that they are going to die and leave nothing behind.
Quite possibly the most depressing post-apocalyptic work of them all, but a real tour de force. A vivid work that stays with you long after you've finished.

This is one great book - it should be required reading in elementary, middle, and high school to give students a perspective on what uncontrolled aggression, combined with nuclear arms, can do to our world. Perhaps with the proper understanding of what can happen if renegade powers are allowed to develop nuclear weapons those renegades will be frustrated by rational people, with more than talk. It is simply a matter of making it clear to those who would be adversely affected by an irrational nuclear attack that it is foolish to weaken ourselves to the point of vulnerability. Our Citizens must be made aware of the consequences of "playing nice" with renegade powers and individuals. That doing so poses a dire threat to the whole world. This book is a perfect primer for the youth of our Country to help them come to an understanding of what's at stake if we become complacent about the issue and drop our guard.

Whenever later in life you decide what books you enjoyed and yet can't quite get the old internal memory organ to improve intellectually but you know somehow you enjoyed the read more than most - that is just the book you should read again. I recall this novel as a great emotional, sobering journey made in my middle years. That first read was surely exaggerated by experiences of sticking my head under a school desk during nuclear war drills at grade school. Ok, so you have to be a "boomer" to remember this but guess what, given the recent political charade what comes next could be the chance of a nuclear winter as Shute describes not in scientific detail but in human frailty and heroism. Existing leaders who only think about increasing the size of their weapons should read this novel and re-read like I just have. Not only is it a well written story full of emotion and surprises but it is also a warning. It was true when written and still seems to be just on the surface of truth because our way of life has been and still is threatened by our way of life! Full of humor in the face of disaster and the common humane nature of men who lean on each other for strength even at the step of final and terrible death makes the reader stay faithful. These characters are endurable, likable, familiar even when inevitably terminable. Shute doesn't leave us much but maybe one or two survived, somehow - one can hope. Remember, this is fiction - yes? Thank you Mr. Author.

Another excellent Scute book. This one portraying the aftermath of a nuclear attack and told with wonderful characters and a story filled with detail and depth. Knowing the ending doesn't change the impact of this book.

The story itself was interesting and very unnerving given the times we are living in right now. Radiation poisoning throughout the world, (from a radio active bomb) could certainly happen. I just thought the story moved very slowly.

This book is all about how each character deals with the crisis that they can't escape from. The author's writing is engaging and reader really comes to know and love the characters. This is both amazing and sobering because their fates are already sealed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for the goodness of human spirit.