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A Town Like Alice

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A Town Like Alice

By: Nevil Shute
Narrated by: Robin Bailey
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About this listen

Jean Paget is just twenty years old and working in Malaya when the Japanese invasion begins. When she is captured she joins a group of other European women and children whom the Japanese force to march for miles through the jungle. While on the march, the group run into some Australian prisoners, one of whom, Joe Harman, helps them steal some food, and is horrifically punished by the Japanese as a result. After the war, Jean tracks Joe down in Australia and together they begin to dream of surmounting the past and transforming his one-horse outback town into a thriving community like Alice Springs...

©1989 The Trustees of the Estate of the Late Nevil Shute Norway (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Fiction Genre Fiction War & Military

What listeners say about A Town Like Alice

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Fantastic all round

I read this book as a paperback many times over the years and loved the story. I thought I might be disappointed with the audio, especially a male narrator as it is essentially a woman’s recollection but I wasn’t. The narration was good and I thoroughly loved it and will listen to it again. I highly recommend it. 😊

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just brilliant!

absolutely love it. always loved the series too. typical of the outback and it's people to make a go if things.

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What a gem!

Full of beautiful language on Malaysian and Australian landscape. A great story about human spirit in the hardship of war and barren land. The narrator did an excellent job in bringing the characters, and the twists and turns of the story through time and space,
to life through audio.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Never gets old!

I have loved this book for over 40 years!! First time as an audible reading. What a read 😃. Of course I now cringe at some of the language and attitudes but stand by that it was just a book of its time.

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Feel good.

Most enjoyable easy listening. Very descriptive of the Englush scenes, then rhe Malay adventures and finallt the outback way of life.

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The narrator gets it spot on!

Given the book is from the view of a 1950’s law partner I felt the storyteller was spot on!
I think I’d read the book when I was young but never finished it but so pleased I revisited through this audible, thoroughly enjoyed the saga of Jean Padget!
Nevil Shute paints such a wonderful narrative picture of the Malay peninsula and the Aussie outback, you can almost feel the heat whether humid or dry! Highly recommend. Well done on the performance!

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Love the development of the story and the community development aspects throughout.

Some parts of language would now be considered, not appropriate but I think are valuable in understand what it was like almost 70 years ago

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Good comes out of bad

Very good post second world War storyline. The setting of Australia was different and interesting

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Enjoyable well read listening of a great book

I enjoyed the whole reading there was nothing to dislike a great book well read great listening

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Beautiful trip down memory lane

Read the print book when I was a kid. First time listening as an adult. The story was beautifully brought to life and was wonderful rehearing the story.

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