Pied Piper

Rating:
Summary: A Great WW II book; would make a great movie
Review: "The Pied Piper" is a gripping and human story of evacuation of lost children during WW II. I am surprised that Amazon.com does not have more Neville Shut books. There are a number in print in Europe. He is of course famous for "On the Beach" (book and movie) and "Town Like Alice" (book and TV Movie). These books led me to Pied Piper and many other Neville Shute Norway books in the last few years. I believe they would sell very well today. If no one else re-publishes them, I will when I get a chance. Other NS fans please let me hear your opinions, Yours truly, Thomas B. Reed

Rating:
Summary: A Respite from Sex and Gore
Review: A somewhat earlier Shute novel that again reveals his positive orientation toward people and life. Shares with many other novels the preposterous notion that some Nazis were humane and thoughtful (I'm thinking of Steinbeck's "The Moon is Down" for one), but I don't hold that against the work. We would all do exactly the same things the old man did to save the children, so there develops a great sympathy for him during the course of the reading. And the book is squeaky clean, one that provides some welcome relief from the current onslaught of, say, two females having sex in the toilet stall in "Bright Lights, Big City." We're way far away from that here. And thank goodness.

Rating:
Summary: Pied Piper the Greatest
Review: I have long known of Neville Shute from his ON THE BEACH and TOWN LIKE ALICE books and movies. In the last two years I have read most of his other ~20 books - very hard to find. I am considering republishing some of them in my small press. The PIED PIPER is a great WWII story, far out of the ordinary, concerning an elderly gentleman, caught in Southern France at the outbreak of the war. By the time his adventures are through he has a dozen children that he is taking to England, including an SS officer's son. Riveting! (Recently published in paperback in Europe). I'd be interested in corresponding with any fans of Shute's. ...... TOM REED

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable!
Review: Nevil Shute wrote stories about regular people thrown into extraordinary circumstances. He doesn't seem to attract much attention in college literature classes, perhaps because he writes about ordinary people. It's a shame because every book of Shute's is a great read. His characters will remain with you long after you've read the book. This tale of a grieving father who became a true hero is one of his best.