A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute is one of my absolute favourite books, so when I started decluttering my books and had to think about which books I really love, this one was always going to be a keeper! I get it down periodically to read, and the declutter reminded me it was time for a re-read.
If you haven’t read this book, then let me start by saying it’s a story of courage, survival against the odds, and ultimately it’s a love story.
The story is set during and after World War 2,and tells the story of two people who met whilst prisoners of the Japanese Army. Jean Pagett and Joe Harmon are very different. She’s a working class girl from the UK, who went out to work as a secretary in Malaya before the war. He’s an Australian soldier who normally worked on a cattle ranch in the outback. Whilst he is held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the war, when she is captured, there aren’t any camps for women, and the group of women that she is a part of are marched daily across the country. It is survival of the fittest, as many women die on the road. When they meet, Joe feels sorry for the women, and tries to help. I won’t say much more than that, as I wouldn’t want to spoil the story.
If you’re going to read it, make sure that you allow plenty of time, and have tissues at the ready. Once you start reading this book, you won’t be able to put it down. Some parts of the book are hard to read – I really don’t like violence – but once you get past that part, the story goes from good to great.
It’s a timeless classic for a reason. 🙂
Take care for now
Karen x