Publication
Vintage, c1959
Collection
Status
Available
Description
When Tom Cutter hires Constantine Shaklin as an engineer in his air freight business, he little realises the extraordinary gifts of his new recruit. Shaklin possesses a religious power which inspires everyone he meets to a new faith and hope for humanity. As Cutter's business grows across Asia, so does Shaklin's fame, until he is widely regarded as a unifying deity. Though he struggles to believe Shaklin is indeed divine, the friendship will transform Cutter's life.
User reviews
LibraryThing member sonora.anne
I think this is Nevil Shute's greatest work (and so did he, I've read). In addition to being a well-told, intriguing story about people, airplanes, and exotic locales, it give the reader an inkling of how a person like Jesus might have become deified by his own contemporary followers (whether he
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was God or not). Show Less
LibraryThing member aliciamalia
Like his other novels, this is very interesting, epic in scope, and a pleasure to read. It deals with airplanes, life, love, and religion--you could say that it's got it all. I prefer A Town Like Alice, but this is a close second.
LibraryThing member johnnyd48
One of my all-time favorite books. A first person narrator tells the story of his life in aviation and the strange turns that it has taken, the strange and wonderful places it has taken him and the interesting and amazing people he has met, worked and lived with. Step by step, a very mundane story
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told by a very normal, down-to-earth man moves from day-to-day decisions to world changing events. Show Less
LibraryThing member thorold
This is an oddity: I've read it two or three times, and I can never quite make my mind up whether I like it or not. Most of the novel is a very straightforward tale told by a very straightforward young man of how he became an aircraft ground engineer and then a pilot, and set up a successful
Slipped in between all that, and gradually taking over as the main thread of the novel, is the rather strange story of another ground engineer, the narrator's friend and employee, who becomes a celebrated religious teacher, drawing together Hindus, Buddhists and Moslems in a rather conveniently Samuel Smiles, Victorian-capitalist sort of cult in which salvation is obtained by doing a good job for one's employer. Zen and the art of aircraft maintenance. Sounds like hocum, and it is, but the conjunction of the saintly Shak Lin with the supremely materialist Tom, with the use of Tom's first person narrative, does allow the author to do some interesting things. How would an ordinary, modern Englishman set about writing a gospel?
At the more mundane level, the early chapters of the book are interesting for their first-hand description of life with Sir Alan Cobham's flying circus in the early thirties, which Shute knew well. On the opening page of the book, the narrator makes a passing reference to one of Cobham's planes being "a new type of aircraft, the Airspeed Ferry" - but doesn't mention that the author in his day job had been managing director of Airspeed at the time and had designed that plane for Cobham!
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airfreight business operating out of the Persian Gulf in the 1940s. There's a lot of stuff about types of aircraft and cargoes, the financing of small businesses, demurrage (now there's a word you don't find in many novels...), spare parts, general overhauls, airworthiness certificates, hire purchase, and so forth. Slipped in between all that, and gradually taking over as the main thread of the novel, is the rather strange story of another ground engineer, the narrator's friend and employee, who becomes a celebrated religious teacher, drawing together Hindus, Buddhists and Moslems in a rather conveniently Samuel Smiles, Victorian-capitalist sort of cult in which salvation is obtained by doing a good job for one's employer. Zen and the art of aircraft maintenance. Sounds like hocum, and it is, but the conjunction of the saintly Shak Lin with the supremely materialist Tom, with the use of Tom's first person narrative, does allow the author to do some interesting things. How would an ordinary, modern Englishman set about writing a gospel?
At the more mundane level, the early chapters of the book are interesting for their first-hand description of life with Sir Alan Cobham's flying circus in the early thirties, which Shute knew well. On the opening page of the book, the narrator makes a passing reference to one of Cobham's planes being "a new type of aircraft, the Airspeed Ferry" - but doesn't mention that the author in his day job had been managing director of Airspeed at the time and had designed that plane for Cobham!
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LibraryThing member JudithProctor
Thanks to Coth for giving me my copy.
"Round the Bend" is a curious book in many ways. To me, it actually has a flavour of science fiction. It's writing about a world very different to mine - the world of my parents.
Technology is very different. Aviation is still taking off. It takes a couple of
Racial prejudice is a basic fact of life. The idea of marrying someone of another race is inconceivable - not in the sense that it is terrible, but because you literally would never conceive of doing so. People of non-white races get lower wages as a matter of course, or may be banned totally from working in some places.
Set against this background, what we actually have is a novel about people of different races and faiths working together in harmony. It's the world of aviation pilots and engineers, where the shared fascination with planes leads to respect and friendship.
It's also a world (which reminded me a little of 'Stranger in a Strange Land') where one man can start a new form of religion.
What I like about Shute is that he tells the story. He never rants on (and nor do his characters) about things being good or bad - they live their lives and deal with things as they are. He doesn't try to manipulate the reader.
His characters are seen through the eye of the engineer.
Shute isn't big on description - his characters travel over a large part of Asia, but if you're looking for, say, a detailed description of a Hindu temple, then you won't find it. His character visits a temple and is entertained by it, but that's all you learn. He saves his love for airstrips and engines. The odd thing is that the descriptions of long flights and the navigation checks, etc. don't become boring, rather, they help to set the pace of the novel.
The story is told in the amount of time that is right for it. It doesn't rush through its plot in the way some more modern books do. Shute is not the man for gangland shoot-outs and madcap stunts. His tales are of more ordinary people.
Sometimes, ordinary people achieve the extra-ordinary - while still remaining themselves. This is Shute's strength as a writer.
"Round the Bend" is a curious book in many ways. To me, it actually has a flavour of science fiction. It's writing about a world very different to mine - the world of my parents.
Technology is very different. Aviation is still taking off. It takes a couple of
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weeks to travel half-way round the world in a small plane. The world is still a large place and people have very little knowledge of what life is like in other countries.Racial prejudice is a basic fact of life. The idea of marrying someone of another race is inconceivable - not in the sense that it is terrible, but because you literally would never conceive of doing so. People of non-white races get lower wages as a matter of course, or may be banned totally from working in some places.
Set against this background, what we actually have is a novel about people of different races and faiths working together in harmony. It's the world of aviation pilots and engineers, where the shared fascination with planes leads to respect and friendship.
It's also a world (which reminded me a little of 'Stranger in a Strange Land') where one man can start a new form of religion.
What I like about Shute is that he tells the story. He never rants on (and nor do his characters) about things being good or bad - they live their lives and deal with things as they are. He doesn't try to manipulate the reader.
His characters are seen through the eye of the engineer.
Shute isn't big on description - his characters travel over a large part of Asia, but if you're looking for, say, a detailed description of a Hindu temple, then you won't find it. His character visits a temple and is entertained by it, but that's all you learn. He saves his love for airstrips and engines. The odd thing is that the descriptions of long flights and the navigation checks, etc. don't become boring, rather, they help to set the pace of the novel.
The story is told in the amount of time that is right for it. It doesn't rush through its plot in the way some more modern books do. Shute is not the man for gangland shoot-outs and madcap stunts. His tales are of more ordinary people.
Sometimes, ordinary people achieve the extra-ordinary - while still remaining themselves. This is Shute's strength as a writer.
Show Less
LibraryThing member F.Langman
Tale of a man who starts an air charter service in the East after the war.His best friend has a spiritual attitude to the work and inspires all those around him regardless of their denominations. A great read and one of Nevil Shutes best novels.
LibraryThing member JenneB
I can't remember who recommended this to me but it's a great read! The copy I got didn't have a cover, so I had no idea what it was going to be about when I picked it up, and I think that's a good way to read it.
Very broadly, it's about an English guy who starts up an air charter company in Bahrein
I think that at the time it was actually trying to be racially progressive, but nowadays it reads as Orientalist and colonialist and so on, which is sometimes a little hard to take. Still, the bones of the story are really enjoyable--up to you how much of that you can stand.
Very broadly, it's about an English guy who starts up an air charter company in Bahrein
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in the late 40s, but that's also not what it's really about.I think that at the time it was actually trying to be racially progressive, but nowadays it reads as Orientalist and colonialist and so on, which is sometimes a little hard to take. Still, the bones of the story are really enjoyable--up to you how much of that you can stand.
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LibraryThing member Alhickey1
There's something about Nevil Shute's prose that is quite beguiling. It's not poetic or florid; more it's a quality of the way he scrutinises the emotions of his characters. His narration is cool, but much lies under the surface. The usual mood is reserve, endurance. But under that quiet exterior
The narrator of Round The Bend is Alan Cutter, an aircraft engineer, pilot and entrepreneur who starts an air freight business in Bahrain. The story is the account of his friendship with Connie Shaklin, an engineer who founds a new religion.
This is the second novel of Shute's that I've read. The first was the most famous; On The Beach. As with On The Beach, Round the Bend begins slowly and in an unassuming way. But this quality of observation is just acute and intelligent enough to keep you reading. And then something happens that strikes a lightning bolt through the life of the narrator.
Shute reminds me of another of my favourite novelists, Andrew Miller. They share the same quality of tenderising you. Their characters' interior landscapes draw you into a place of sensitivity. Shute's characteristic flavour is emotional burdens such as guilt or yearning, and especially missed opportunities. This book's plot is quiet, but you are still gripped by a sense of increasing pressure. Despite its title it is not meandering.
One of the triumphs of this book, for me, is the setting. It has great charm. The Bahrain airstrip is a stripped-down place of sand, hangars and engines. The main characters hop between the continents, delivering goods, setting up more export bases, leaving behind personnel who spread Shaklin's infleunce. Shute would never be so clumsy as to make the comparison with angels, these people who spend so much time in the sky in their machines, but you are drawn to entertain yourself with the idea. A charming, haunting story. Tom Cutter is in love with airplanes and has been from his boyhood. He can remain in England, an employee in another man's aviation business, or he can set out on his own. With little more than personal grit and an antique aircraft, Cutter organizes an independent flying service on the Persian Gulf. He sees opportunities everywhere, also dangers. "In Cutter's growth from provincial conservative to worldly entrepreneur, Shute brings us a fine portrayal of a man willing to accept pain and danger in his search for personal growth." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
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there is turbulence indeed.The narrator of Round The Bend is Alan Cutter, an aircraft engineer, pilot and entrepreneur who starts an air freight business in Bahrain. The story is the account of his friendship with Connie Shaklin, an engineer who founds a new religion.
This is the second novel of Shute's that I've read. The first was the most famous; On The Beach. As with On The Beach, Round the Bend begins slowly and in an unassuming way. But this quality of observation is just acute and intelligent enough to keep you reading. And then something happens that strikes a lightning bolt through the life of the narrator.
Shute reminds me of another of my favourite novelists, Andrew Miller. They share the same quality of tenderising you. Their characters' interior landscapes draw you into a place of sensitivity. Shute's characteristic flavour is emotional burdens such as guilt or yearning, and especially missed opportunities. This book's plot is quiet, but you are still gripped by a sense of increasing pressure. Despite its title it is not meandering.
One of the triumphs of this book, for me, is the setting. It has great charm. The Bahrain airstrip is a stripped-down place of sand, hangars and engines. The main characters hop between the continents, delivering goods, setting up more export bases, leaving behind personnel who spread Shaklin's infleunce. Shute would never be so clumsy as to make the comparison with angels, these people who spend so much time in the sky in their machines, but you are drawn to entertain yourself with the idea. A charming, haunting story. Tom Cutter is in love with airplanes and has been from his boyhood. He can remain in England, an employee in another man's aviation business, or he can set out on his own. With little more than personal grit and an antique aircraft, Cutter organizes an independent flying service on the Persian Gulf. He sees opportunities everywhere, also dangers. "In Cutter's growth from provincial conservative to worldly entrepreneur, Shute brings us a fine portrayal of a man willing to accept pain and danger in his search for personal growth." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780099530152
Original publication date
1951