Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable
Review: In college I went to a used book store to buy Shute's "On the Beach". They didn't have it, so I bought "Pied Piper" as a consolation. I've read it three times since. Tremendous novel. An aeronautical engineer by training, Shute was a gifted storyteller and writer. Piper is well paced, has many stories within the story of bringing the children back to England - a man coping with old age, feelings of uselessness, the loss of a son; the formation of a deep friendship with the woman his son left behind, and so forth. Shute hits on the timeless themes of courage, fortitude, self-sacrifice, forgiveness etc. without ever coming close to being maudlin. There are no unnecessary speeches from men standing on a hilltop talking about "what it's all for". As John Howard says, while in custody, to the German officer who tells him he must be a very brave man, "No, not a brave man. Just a very old one." For the record, I think it was made into a movie twice. Once with Monty Wooley playing Howard and then again for television - mid eighties, perhaps - with Peter O'Toole playing the role. Still, as the story is so marvelous, it should be done again for the big screen. Considering Anthony Hopkins's performance in "The Remains of the Day" (which was superior to the entertaining but far less nuanced Hannibal Lecter), I think he would be perfect to play Howard, putting the perfect cap on his career.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable
Review: In college I went to a used book store to buy Shute's "On the Beach". They didn't have it, so I bought "Pied Piper" as a consolation. I've read it three times since. Tremendous novel. An aeronautical engineer by training, Shute was a gifted storyteller and writer. Piper is well paced, has many stories within the story of bringing the children back to England - a man coping with old age, feelings of uselessness, the loss of a son; the formation of a deep friendship with the woman his son left behind, and so forth. Shute hits on the timeless themes of courage, fortitude, self-sacrifice, forgiveness etc. without ever coming close to being maudlin. There are no unnecessary speeches from men standing on a hilltop talking about "what it's all for". As John Howard says, while in custody, to the German officer who tells him he must be a very brave man, "No, not a brave man. Just a very old one." For the record, I think it was made into a movie twice. Once with Monty Wooley playing Howard and then again for television - mid eighties, perhaps - with Peter O'Toole playing the role. Still, as the story is so marvelous, it should be done again for the big screen. Considering Anthony Hopkins's performance in "The Remains of the Day" (which was superior to the entertaining but far less nuanced Hannibal Lecter), I think he would be perfect to play Howard, putting the perfect cap on his career.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive Storyteller
Review: It always amazes me how Shute can pack so much detail about characters in so short a book. He is a wonderful story teller because I am still thinking of this (and many of his other) book three years after reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive Storyteller
Review: It always amazes me how Shute can pack so much detail about characters in so short a book. He is a wonderful story teller because I am still thinking of this (and many of his other) book three years after reading it.
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.
Rating:
Summary: subtly gripping
Review: Nevil Shute's love of humanity and storytelling ability are displayed at their best in this deceptively slow-starting tale of escape from the Nazis in early World War II. An elderly Englishman becomes the improbable -- but utterly believable -- guardian of a group of children trying to reach England from France ahead of the advancing Germans. There are no wild action scenes, no gunshots in the night, none of the trappings of the contemporary suspense novel. But there is tension in large doses as Shute draws the reader in to his tale with careful portraits of ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they simply have no choice. Even minor characters come alive with Shute's vivid writing. All in all, this is one of the most satisfying books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking drama that sneaks up on you.
Review: Neville Shute is a master of flashback. Who would think that this old man - who didn't even speak French -was capable of herding a dozen children out of wartime Europe? The author draws the reader into his story slowly, making this near-implausible adventure all the more believable by its every-day storytelling. The only recent novelist who comes close to this unique style is Mark Halprin, in his "Soldier of the Great War". Reading Shute reminded me of the paucity of really great story tellers among popular novelists.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest novels to come out of WW II.
Review: The author takes a commonplace occurance - an old man on vacation in Switzerland - and walks the reader through war-torn Europe. The basic premise that an old man can rescue so many children and do so unintentionally is an amazing mechanism for a tension-filled plot. This book should be re-published
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