Beyond the Black Stump

Rating:
Summary: Nevil Shute's Australia
Review: "Beyond the Black Stump" may be the weakest of the novels set in Australia, but it is still an enjoyable book to read. There are no mystical elements here ("In the Wet") nor has his ability to write dialogue for American English improved any. Having said that, the book has a quickly moving plot, some excellent character development and lots of Shute's dry, killingly funny sidelights. You don't want to miss the Chinese cemetary. And there is a fine twist to the d?noument.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond the black stump
Review: The gentle and very English urbanity of Nevil Shute comes through strongly in this work. It is obvious he likes Australia and is not exactly rapt in the US.
His characters, similar to many of the others he has used, vary from the earthy but wise Irishmen who run the station, to the brash yet sensitive young Americans who come to work the oil rig. Central to it all is Shute's archetypal heroine, the English/Australian lass brimming with common sense who gets the heart of the good man...in the end. In the process, our heroine discovers there is more to materialism than meets the eye.
Shute writes lovingly of the Austraian outback, and knowledgeably of airline travel in the fifties. Although his writing is detailed, it is never dull, and he weaves a believable web.
I have most of Shute's work and consider this one of his best; though what an American would think of it is open to question! Buy it and find out.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, characterizations
Review: The story of an American man (Stan Laird) who falls in love with a Western Australian girl (Mollie) in the 1950s, but how their cultures can't really allow them to stay together. I'm not so sure I agree with the idea that the theme was materialism vs. spiritualism. For me, it was more, perhaps, the idea that civilization comes with a price tag. That while it can and will bring nicer material things and formal marriage etc, it can also detract from the human spirit as well. The Americans Mollie meets must maintain a certain amount of hypocrisy, apparently, to cope with life. But as Mollie wisely perceives, they shouldn't be judged too harsly for that because civilization has made things more convenient for them, both physically and emotionally. I liked very much her (Schute's) perception that the Americans of 1955 Oregon probably wouldn't welcome the Oregon settlers of 1890 in their homes because, like the contemporary outback Australians, they'd find them too coarse and vulgar.

Schute is a remarkable writer. Traditional, I suppose, but compassionate and insightful. His women characters are very well drawn and, unquestionably, the wisest, toughest and the most admirable ones in the book. Although I found it hard to sypathize with Stan Laird because he seemed like kind of a philistine, Schute showed empathy for him too. A good read.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, characterizations
Review: The story of an American man (Stan Laird) who falls in love with a Western Australian girl (Mollie) in the 1950s, but how their cultures can't really allow them to stay together. I'm not so sure I agree with the idea that the theme was materialism vs. spiritualism. For me, it was more, perhaps, the idea that civilization comes with a price tag. That while it can and will bring nicer material things and formal marriage etc, it can also detract from the human spirit as well. The Americans Mollie meets must maintain a certain amount of hypocrisy, apparently, to cope with life. But as Mollie wisely perceives, they shouldn't be judged too harsly for that because civilization has made things more convenient for them, both physically and emotionally. I liked very much her (Schute's) perception that the Americans of 1955 Oregon probably wouldn't welcome the Oregon settlers of 1890 in their homes because, like the contemporary outback Australians, they'd find them too coarse and vulgar.

Schute is a remarkable writer. Traditional, I suppose, but compassionate and insightful. His women characters are very well drawn and, unquestionably, the wisest, toughest and the most admirable ones in the book. Although I found it hard to sypathize with Stan Laird because he seemed like kind of a philistine, Schute showed empathy for him too. A good read.

Rating:
Summary: This book brings out the difference between various cultures
Review: This book is an exceptionally crafted one and affected me profoundly.It brings out the disparity between materialism and spiritualism.The characters in this book are very vivid and this helps in the readers' involvement with the story.