The Far Country in Retro Reads

Jun 11, 2019 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, australia

This 1952 book by Nevil Shute (author of A Town Like Alice and On the Beach) contrasts the bleakness of post-war London and Great Britain, especially the ongoing food rationing and general lack of prosperity, with the bright, roomy country of Australia, where massive meals are the order of the day, everyone (almost) has financial security, and the landscape is awe-inspiring.

description

Merrijig, Australia

Against that backdrop, we have the adventures and romance between Jennifer Morton, a British young woma This 1952 book by Nevil Shute (author of A Town Like Alice and On the Beach) contrasts the bleakness of post-war London and Great Britain, especially the ongoing food rationing and general lack of prosperity, with the bright, roomy country of Australia, where massive meals are the order of the day, everyone (almost) has financial security, and the landscape is awe-inspiring.

description

Merrijig, Australia

Against that backdrop, we have the adventures and romance between Jennifer Morton, a British young woman visiting her relatives in Australia and deciding whether to make her life there, and Carl Zlinter, a Czech doctor who's working as a lumberman in Australia and loves the country ... even though he's not (because of laws) allowed to practice medicine there. But in the lumber camps there's often a need for first aid, and people turn a blind eye when he performs minor surgeries. And then one day there's a major accident ...

The story begins with some scenes from the life of Jack and Jane Dorman, a couple in their 50s who moved to Australia many years ago. Jane, a British woman from an upper class family, married Jack years ago against her parents' wishes.

She was too young, too immature to be able to stand up and state her conviction that there was solid stuff in this young man, the substance for a happy and enduring marriage; she felt that very strongly, but she could never get it out in words.

Jane's Aunt Ethel was her sole supporter. Now, after many years of financial struggles on their Australian sheep ranch, Jack and Jane finally are making a lot of money. Jane, reading between the lines of Ethel's latest letters, gets worried and decides to send Aunt Ethel a gift of ₤500. Meanwhile, back in Great Britain, Ethel's granddaughter Jennifer gets an emergency call about Ethel, and rushes to her home.

Carl is an unusual character for the love interest, with a thick accent and a somewhat timid manner with Jennifer. He's a good guy and a talented surgeon, though, and I ended up really liking him. Ethel was a distinctive character as well, a relic of a bygone era with pride and a deep wish not to be a burden or charity case. Compared to these two, Jennifer is somewhat less memorable, though appealing; a plucky British young woman.

Nevil Shute has a lot to say about the relative merits of post-war England vs. Australia, and it's clear on which side of the fence he stands. I don't know how accurate his portrayal of these countries in the early fifties is, but he does draw Australia as kind of the Promised Land, a place of great opportunity for people both rich and poor. There were a lot of European refugees who emigrated to Australia in the aftermath of WWII, called the "New Australians," and this book talks quite a bit about the Australian immigration program and the work requirements for immigrants. Interesting stuff. Shute's views on colonialism are dated, though that's understandable for a book that's nearly 70 years old.

The Far Country isn't as memorable as A Town Like Alice, one of my favorite comfort reads, and the ending left too many loose threads for my taste. I really wanted an epilogue or a few more chapters! But I enjoyed it and downed the whole thing in one evening.

June 2019 buddy read with the Retro Reads group. ...more

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Jun 14, 2019 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-classics

4.5★

Back in the day, I read a few of Shute's novels. I don't remember any of them clearly, but I know I enjoyed them at the time.

This one is no exception!

Shute (an immigrant to Australia himself) explores some very interesting themes - "New Australians", the waste of qualified people working in unskilled jobs because their qualifications aren't recognised in their new country (although fairly recent events in many countries have proved it is a good idea to have very stringent checks to make sure ...more

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Feb 28, 2023 Julie Durnell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another Nevil Shute winner-loved the characters, story, and setting!

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Nov 25, 2019 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Another good title by Shute which shows a love for the countryside of Australia.

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Jun 17, 2019 Elinor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I love Nevil Shute novels and this one was excellent as usual. I'm deducting one star because of the pacing. It began with a long, slow buildup describing a young Englishwoman's decision to visit Australia. After she arrives to stay with her relatives on a sheep ranch, and meets the Czech doctor who is clearly the love interest, the action begins to speed up. There is a terrible accident, and then a plot twist which has the heroine return to England. But everything seems to accelerate too quickl ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-with-gr-groups

I really enjoyed this book, brought to my attention by the Retro Reads group; I’ve never read Shute before, but had seen A Town Called Alice years ago on public television.

In this book, set mostly in post-WWII Australia, we meet several wonderful characters, including Jack and Jane Dorman - he’s Australian, and she was a well-off young English woman when they met and fell in love during the First World War while Jack was stationed in England. Jane’s family didn’t approve and gave the couple a ha I really enjoyed this book, brought to my attention by the Retro Reads group; I’ve never read Shute before, but had seen A Town Called Alice years ago on public television.

In this book, set mostly in post-WWII Australia, we meet several wonderful characters, including Jack and Jane Dorman - he’s Australian, and she was a well-off young English woman when they met and fell in love during the First World War while Jack was stationed in England. Jane’s family didn’t approve and gave the couple a hard time - all except Jane’s Aunt Ethel.

As this story opens, Jane has corresponded with Ethel for decades, and fears the old lady might be struggling; Jane and Jack married, worked hard for thirty years raising sheep, and a family, in the abundance of Australia. Their hard work has paid off and wool is fetching high prices - the couple can finally treat themselves to a few luxuries. There has always been food enough in Australia, but rumors from England of the hardships of ongoing rationing have prompted the Dormans to send care packages of dried fruits and little treats to Aunt Ethel, but the old lady dies basically of starvation- her pension had run out, she was a widow living alone, she didn’t understand the new postwar government or the safety net available to her.

Her granddaughter, Jenny, is shocked and saddened; before the old lady dies, she receives a check from Jane is Australia, and she tells Jenny she should use it to go for a visit. In a very touching scene, the old lady tells her granddaughter about the lovely, comfortable life she lived in England as a young woman before the wars - she thinks Jenny’s life would be much improved in Australia, away from the rationing and belt-tightening of England. Jenny goes to Australia, meets the Dormans, and falls in love with the country and Carl, a Czech doctor come to Australia as a refugee, and working his required two years as a laborer in a lumber camp. He also tends the wounds and injuries of the men, despite not being a licensed doctor in Australia.

This was a lovely, romantic, touching story, with great characters, descriptions of Australian life after the war, and the beautiful Australian countryside. I enjoyed it very much, and look forward to reading more of this author’s books. ...more

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