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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The horror of human conflict laid bare,
By Tom Museth (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: ... His Book (Paperback)
Set amid the long, brutal campaign in New Guinea in 1945, The Long Green Shore details the exploits of a battalion of young Australian soldiers and their gutsy contribution in the push to drive the Japanese forces northward.There's been plenty of books written about almost every single engagement, little or large, during World War II, and probably no shortage of stories about the New Guinea campaign. But it's not so much Hepworth's description of action and events that shines through here; more his delving into the lives and minds of the individual soldiers, and his juxtaposition of the horror of the conflict with the alien beauty of the tropical environs. At times his style melts into a dreamy stream of consciousness that echoes the fragmented thoughts of the soldiers, then re-emerges seamlessly into a harsh, formal narrative, detailing the most horrible aspects of battle in the jungle in a heartfelt but devastatingly honest tone. Hepworth avoids cliches deftly. The subject matter dictates that this book could have so easily degenerated into a run-of-the-mill wartime tale of heroism and heartbreak, and I'm optimistic enough to assume that Russell Crowe has enough nous and creativity to avoid churning this story out into a formulaic Hollywood-style blockbuster. Hepworth has written a moving, seamless story with tangible, desperately human characters, wonderful contrasts between the mind-shattering terror of battle and the pacific charm of the tropical setting, and a profound grasp of man's courage in overcoming adversity, no matter what the odds. "Heppy" wrote this book back in 1949 as an entry into a Sydney Morning Herald literary competition, and had it turned down for publication numerous times - apparently Macmillan gave him a concerted "thanks but no thanks" because the market for war stories was well and truly saturated at the time. It wasn't until 1995 that the book was published, and the author only learnt of the deal being set in stone a few weeks before his death from lung cancer - a tragic and wholly unfair turn of events. Nonetheless, he could be assured that his legacy had a profound effect on at least one reader.
3.0 out of 5 stars
The mundanity of war in the South Pacific,
By Richard (Gibraltar) - See all my reviews
This review is from: ... His Book (Paperback)
In the aftermath of heavy fighting in New Guinea and the islands, the Australian army inherited a 'clean up job' towards the end of WWII, when tens of thousands of Japanese troops were left stranded, starving and ill equiped around the south west Pacific.Generally seen at the time as a pointless war (the Japanese were cut off and were surely no threat anymore), some desperate and bitter fighting followed in the hostile 'paradise' of PNG. John Hepworths book was written shortly after the campaigns and his experiences were fresh in his mind. He relates the thoughts, feelings and fears of his comrades as they prepare for and move into enemy territory. Young men, and a few old, cross rivers, climb through jungles and over mountains - nervously expecting the encounter, the sudden burst of enemy machine gun fire.. The book is short and sweet. Anyone who read and enjoyed this should without any doubt also read Peter Pinney's fantastic New Guinea trilogy: Signaller Johnston's Secret War. These stories, in my humble opinion, would make a far beter film or television series.
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