Rating: 
Summary: After 25 years, this book is still in my mind
Review: While looking for new books on this website, I came upon the reviews of "On the Beach," which I first read 25 years ago. It amazed me to find several negative reviews as I found it one of the most compelling and memorable novels I've ever read. In the late 70s, I casually picked up the book while visiting my aunt. With no review or introduction in mind, I started reading. The book begins in such a normal fashion with no hint of the coming apocalypse. When I realized what was happening, I was stunned -- almost sick to my stomach. I'm still amazed that Neville Shute also wrote "A Town Like Alice," which is equally compelling, yet totally different.
Rating: 
Summary: A chore to read
Review: Mr. Shute had a wonderful scenerio for the end of the world in his book. Now if only he had given the idea to an author who knew how to write. This novel moved excrusiatingly slow and his repetitve australian dialect added nothing to help; if not hurt it. Out of all the books I have read, I would have to say that this one ranks among the top 10 worst in language usauge and sentence structure.
Rating:
Summary: understandably a classic
Review: There is no question in my mind why On the Beach is considered a classic in the sci fi genre and the sub-genre, apocalyptic fiction. This book had an interesting spin on it because of the way the world ends. The northern hemisphere has destroyed itself in nuclear war. The radiation slowly drifts down to the southern hemisphere. This book takes place in southern australia, one of the last places to get the radiation. It's not so much about the end of the world, but how you deal with the knowledge that you are going to die, and you know roughly when and how. Excellent book, even if you aren't a fan of sci fi or end of the world/nuclear holocaust stories, this one should be picked up because it is more a story of human nature than science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Save Yourself, Don't Read This!
Review: This Book, if you can call t that, was absolutely horrible. It took me over a year to finally get through, and I hated every last minute of it!I have read otehr "End of the Worlld" novels, including Larry Niven's "Lucifer's Hammer" which was grand, but this book was just boring and non-climatic. Sure, while an interesting view of the possible end of the world is shared with us, it was boring, meticulous and just plain rather acking any interesting plot line. If you have been drawn in to reading this book, stop now, don't even consider buying it, it's really not worth it! You can have my copy if you want to read it that bad!
Rating:
Summary: an all time favorite
Review: Although the movie is also great, this book remains one of my alltime favorites, first read 40 years ago. There's no time gap - it still seems current and still as real and touching. Highly recommended, as are most of his books
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This book was absolutly bad, bad, & bad. I would recomend this book to NOBODY. This book was the biggest waste of time! Don't even bother!
Rating: 
Summary: This is the way the world ends...
Review: "On the Beach" was published in 1957 at the height of the Cold War. Set in the near future (the early 1960's), people in Australia are waiting with dignity for radioactive fallout to kill them. A nuclear war in the northern hemisphere has already destroyed everything there. In a few months the same will happen here.I read "On the Beach" in 1989. That same year I had seen "The Day After" and "Testament". For some reason I had a morbid fascination with the end of the world, and what might happen after. "On the Beach" might seem a bit dated now. The consequences of nuclear war have been speculated upon for several years. In 1983 scientists came up with the nuclear winter theory, where all the dust and fallout from the explosions would block out the sun and cause the world to freeze over. It sounds plausible enough. Once the winter was over the ozone layer would be damaged and the planet saturated with ultaviolet light from the sun. Others argue that people would survive somewhere, not everyone would die from radiation. Whatever the case, "On the Beach" is still a powerful book. It makes you wonder how you would feel, knowing how you were going to die and when. The Australians are fortunate in that they are offered suicide pills for when the pain becomes too much. People aren't so worried about nuclear war any more. But on the news this morning I saw Boris Yeltsin remind Bill Clinton that they still have a nuclear arsenal. This was after Clinton threatened Russia with sanctions if Russian forces attacked Grozny... But we've managed to avoid nuclear war up until now, so there's probably nothing to worry about. Is there?
Rating:
Summary: A Gentler end of the world
Review: On the beach is a novel set in the late 1950's about the end of humanity following a nuclear war. This type of story always brings to mind horrible tales of mutant and roving gangs of looter. That is were this book differs from most shock tales of it's kind. Simply put, it's the story of the last survivors of a nuclear war as of yet untouch by the devistation, waiting for the deadly radioactive fallout. To the end they try to put thier affairs in order, prepare for thier fate and maintain thier dignity and humanity.
Rating: 
Summary: A very interesting and possible take on a nuclear apocalypse
Review: This novel gives a very possible, and frighteningly probable, view of the way things could easily end up, as small and unstable countries enter the growing club of nuclear armament. The most eery (yet unfortunately difficult to swallow) aspect of the book is the refusal by many of the supposedly intelligent characters to truly absorb the reality of the situation. Bit by bit, over the space of a couple of years, radiation is slowly drifting across the equator from the heavily bombed, destroyed, and radioactive northern continents, to invade and kill the southern half of the globe in turn. But people continue to plan for the future, and act as though that future will come. Unfortunately, the characters are so 2-dimensional, and act such trite and ordinary roles, that they failed to come alive for me. I never could quite believe in their reactions, either. That they could so fully split their consciousness of the approaching radiation from the actions of their daily life boggled my mind, and blew my suspension of disbelief. Sorry. Great concept, unconvincingly executed.
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: This book is not for seniors in high school. Educators need to find more interesting things to read about.
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