Keith Stewart, a retiring and ingenious engineer, could not have been happier in his little house in the shabby London suburb of Ealing. There he invented the mini-motor, the six-volt generator, and the tiny Congreve clock. Then a chain of events sweeps him into deep waters and leads him to his happiest discovery yet.
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"One of the best books I've read recently. The characters are amazing and the story, while a fairly simple tale, is filled with perspective and descriptions that actually had me visualizing various scenes! I am going to seek out Nevil Shute books and see if his other books are equally enjoyable!"
— Cher (5 out of 5 stars)
“Enormously popular, possibly the best-liked of all Shute’s novels.”
— Daily Express" This is a classic Nevil Shute story, well worth listening to. It would make a lovely movie re-make. "
— Margeemax, 9/26/2021" One of my favorite books of all time. The most uplifting, inspiring, admirable "everyday" hero that I can recall in literature. "
— Amy, 2/16/2014" I think that's enough Nevil Shute for me. This book was a good story, considering I don't know anything about (nor care to learn anything about) sailing, model making/engineering, or the lumber industry. And I actually find those things boring. So bravo, Nevil Shute, for getting me interested in a story that had pretty much no way in for me. Except maybe the idea that people who love what they do can be satisfied with a small life and the chance to keep doing what they love. Or that you don't know the effects you're having on people, and being kind can result in kindness done to you in circumspect, unpredictable ways. So be good at what you do, and share that with others. I can get behind that. But still no real likeable women characters. They sometimes get to drive the plot forward, but mostly not. They're helpless or funny or tragic, but always a sideline. Sigh. "
— Miriam, 2/9/2014" A nice quiet little book with heart. They don't write books like this anymore or at least not often. "
— Pam, 1/31/2014" Little know Shute. I listened to it in a Blackstone Audio, read with sonorous voice. Great detail, the main character with his little model engine, parlaying that into air trips around the world. "
— Alan, 1/26/2014" Not the best Nevil Shute book. On the Beach and A Town Like Alice are much better. It is an interesting study on how a 'little' man can be happy with his little life even after sailing to Tahiti and making corporate decisions. The grass is not always greener... "
— Cindi, 1/12/2014" I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I did think the end was weak compared to the rest of the book. "
— Cindy, 12/29/2013" This one will definitely go on the re-read list, along with as many other Nevil Shute titles that i can find. Finally a story that isn't about the baser side of people and life. "
— Peregrina651, 12/21/2013" 4 stars for the warm fuzzy memories from childhood "
— Sawan, 11/30/2013" This is one of my all-time favorites. Metaphorically, Norm Abrams meets a variety of adventure characters. "
— Josephspransy, 9/2/2013" Absolutely loved this book. Published in 1960 and a British main character, it took me to another place and time--and I loved the characters. "
— Tommy, 2/13/2013" My dad gave me a Neville Shute to read when I was in my early teens. I then proceeded to read all of them. I remember the story line and really liked this book. It took a very ordinary man and took him on an incredible journey. A very pleasurable read. "
— Philip, 10/4/2012" torture - couldn't finish "
— Joanne, 9/15/2012" This is my all time favorite book! "
— Jeffery, 9/13/2012" A rather gentle story of a man who underestimates his abilities and his influence on other people. Some of the detail was a little boring but it fitted with Keith's desire to understand how everything works. "
— Miette, 5/8/2012" I can understand why my Grandpa loved this book. I enjoyed the characters but it would not rank as a favorite of mine. "
— Jan, 3/14/2012" Other reviewers marked this story down because of all the technical stuff, but on audio that doesn't bother me. I'm usually doing something else at the same time. You fall a little in love with the main character (reminded me of Harold Fry) and love that there's a happy ending. "
— Amara, 2/13/2012" One of my favourite Nevil Shutes. Has there ever been a more admirable ordinary man than Keith Stewart? "
— Peter, 2/1/2012" Charming! Obscure unassuming lives, profound character. "
— Tom, 11/8/2011" This might be one of my favorites, because in it he travels as far as Seattle. His descriptions of places and cultures are always so good that I enjoyed seeing my town out of other eyes in another century. "
— Sally, 11/5/2011Nevil Shute (1899–1960) was an English novelist who wrote twenty-three novels and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name, Nevil Shute Norway, in his engineering career, and Nevil Shute as his pen name to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels. He is most well-known for his novels On the Beach, a novel about post–nuclear war which is taught in high schools around the country and which was twice made into a movie, and A Town Like Alice, which was filmed as well as serialized for Australian television and dramatized for BBC radio, winning a Sony Award in 1998.
Frank Muller (1951–2008) was an Audie Award–winning narrator. A classically trained actor, Frank appeared on both television and the stage. His credits include Hamlet, The Crucible, The Taming of the Shrew, The Importance of Being Earnest, Law & Order, All My Children, and many, many more. In 1999 Frank was awarded the AudioFile Lifetime Achievement Award, the top honor in the audiobook community. He has also won twenty-three Earphones Awards.