" On the Beach was an example of one author's idea of how most of humanity would act, knowing that they were going to die via the inescapable fallout of nuclear wars. I agree with another reviewer that many people would not have reacted so lightly to this news, if not a few people, taking the impending doom without attempting to survive elsewhere. There was an idea that was brought up to (view spoiler)[go to the Arctic and try to survive where the winds were less affected by radiation, but not much action is taken to either help other people, find other people, or explore far away areas to find a place with a livable amount of radiation (hide spoiler)]. I just think that these authors - when attempting to assume how different people will react, they need more to glean from than just their own experiences and/or imaginations. Let more people into the mix, and get more povs. In the instances Shute did cover, reaction and coping wise, it was very eyeopening, interesting to follow and think about. Warning: If you like happy endings - look elsewhere. There were times when Dwight and Moira where the only characters I cared about and would have loved to put the book down otherwise.
Bottom Line:
Positive - I do believe that this book accurately depicts many "surviving survival" techniques and can be emotionally stirring
Negative - Some of it reads like a military account (many words/phrases you may have difficulty following). Not enough POVs; many reactions were too rational with too little emotional frenzies. "
— Hanna, 1/26/2014