Customer Reviews

Pastoral (New Windmills)

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Nevil Shute seems to be a very underrated author. After his On the Beach and A Town Like Alice, the rest of his works are almost totally ignored by both the critics and the public, which is a pity as almost all of his works are finely written and have something worthwhile to say.

Pastoral was written during WWII, and from a purely British viewpoint, unlike so many of the war books that were written long after the conflict by so many Americans. As such there is a totally different atmosphere to this book, a quietness, an acceptance of the conditions and requirements of the war as just something that is there, part of the daily routine. And it is within this atmosphere that Neville constructs a fine love story between the very experienced bomber pilot Peter Marshal (at age 22!) and a W.A.A.F signals officer, Gervase Robertson.

As perhaps is typical for war-time love stories, the war itself provides the conflict, the friction between the lovers, as Peter is duty-bound to continue flying bombing missions, and Gervase believes her own duties are important to the course of the war, and should not be given up merely to get married. Her decline of Peter's offer of marriage sends Peter into a mental tail-spin, seriously impacting his efficiency as a flyer. How this conflict is resolved and the events that happen because of this conflict form the main portion of this book. Before reaching that point, however, we are treated to a view of English morality and customs of the day, a code that says one mustn't go off alone with a member of the opposite sex, that married woman are expected to keep house, not have jobs, where the woman must defer to the man. A view that might seem dreadfully stifling and old-fashioned to a reader of today's world, but it shown in such a non-obtrusive way that the reader can accept it without question. Until, that is, the reader finishes the book, and realizes that Neville has been quietly showing (and mildly satirizing) both the good and bad qualities of such a code. This is typical of Nevil's writing - his points are made far more by showing, rather than telling, always a mark of a fine writer. Also noteworthy is the attitude towards the war that is displayed by all the characters here - that death is an everyday happening, but it won't happen to me, it only happens to someone else. An attitude that seems to belong to every young person.

Nevil's prose style tends towards the descriptive, especially of the countryside and everyday actions. His dialogue in this book is loaded with English slang, very typical of actual speech patterns of the day, but this does at times make it somewhat hard for the poor modern American reader to decode what is being said. And some of Nevil's expertise as an avionics engineer shows in his descriptions of the aircraft and the functioning of various parts of these machines, at times obviously assuming that reader knows more about aircraft than is normally the case. These, however, are very minor negatives, almost totally subsumed by the engagement of the reader in the story of these two very well realized characters.

One decided negative that has nothing to do with Nevil's writing ability is the production quality of the hardbound reprint edition. The typeface used is very close to an old typewriter font, with thin serifs and a fairly small point size, and the printing press seemed to have severe difficulty with maintaining an even ink flow - at places the print fades to near illegibility. This all makes for a very rough impact on your eyes. A pity that this fine work has such a botched job of production.

Regardless of the quality of the printing, however, this book deserves a look, if nothing else just to see how a romance really should be written, as opposed to the material that passes for 'romance' on the book racks of today.

I have 3 favorite novels which I reread every couple of years. Like old friends, I know that I can always turn to them and be sure of several hours of deep pleasure. This is one of those novels. PASTORAL was written during World War 2 and concerns two young people who are serving in the military, but as the title indicates, this is not your typical war novel. Peter Marshall is a veteran pilot of an RAF Wellington bomber, even though he is still a very young man. The flying scenes are excellent, filled with suspenseful atmosphere and excitement. But when he is not in the air, he is the kind of person who takes delight in the simple pleasures of life, rambling over the countryside and fishing with his crew. And after he meets a lovely WAAF officer, Gervase Robertson, who has just joined the signals staff at his airbase, it doesn't take him long to fall in love for the first time. The love story of these two rather innocent and ordinary young people is as real as you'll find in literature, perfectly tracing the progress of their attraction and growing feeling for each other, all intensified by the immense conflict in which they play their small part. True to that time, this does not mean that they are in bed by the second date--no, these are typical, decent youngsters who accept the idea that that sort of thing must wait until marriage. Gervase does not want to give up her part in the war effort to get married, and the tension begins to affect Peter's flying and his relationship with his crew. As one of the senior officers complains exasperatedly, "The great adventure on this station isn't bombing Germany. They don't think anything of that. Falling in love is the big business here." Eventually we see that maybe falling in love is the big business after all, as the young people come to exemplify all that is best, all that is worth fighting to preserve. Nevil Shute wrote several excellent novels, but I believe that this is his best. It is a shame that it is so hard to find, but used copies are available--and well worth the hunt.

This is, in my opinion, Nevil Shute's best book, surpassing even such justifiably popular titles as "On the Beach" and "A Town like Alice". With restraint and a simple, moving style Nevil Shute brings out the best in human spirit by telling this story of young people rising to the dangers and challenges of war and prevailing through dedication, comradeship and love. Why is a book like this out of print when bookstore shelves are full of stories about addicts, perverts and criminals? We desperately need more people like Nevil Shte's characters to serve as role models.

'Pastoral' brings a personal touch to the concerns of my father's generation during one of most difficult and eventful periods of the 20th century; when our parents went to war, lost spouses, found spouses, shared a tragic and memorable time of their and others' lives. This book give a birds-eye view of the daily lives of one subset of these heroic people; men and women. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly for those who enjoy character development, subtle humor, and good, realistic drama.

What is most remarkable about Pastoral is the way it manages to blend love and tragedy in an almost seamless manner. What would have been a rather conventional love story is transformed into something very different by the ever-present risk of death. RAF pilot Peter Marshall and WAAF signals officer Gervase Robinson go through an awkward and sometimes amusing courtship seemingly unconcerned about the fact that each one of his bomber missions over Germany could very easily be his last - indeed, some of the characters we meet during the story are lost over Germany. That they are able to function in a reasonably normal manner in the most terrifyingly abnormal of circusmstances is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. In a way, this foreshadows Nevil Shute's much later book On the Beach, in which people are able to function day-to-day despite knowing that the world is soon coming to an end. A lesser writer than Shute probably would have made Pastoral heavy-handed and preachy, but there is almost none of that. All in all, a superb book, a truly timeless story despite its setting.
As an aside, the last few paragraphs of the story make me wonder whether it is based on true events.

... and bringing it to the flight station marks the unusual beginning of an exquisite and delicate love story between RAF pilot Peter Marshall and flight officer Gervase Robertson.

The story takes place in the midst of world war II terror and describes, in spellbinding detail, the flight missions over Germany, the dangers of cross fire and courage, during times when others have fear.

Peter's cockiness (not always at the right times), competence (in dodging enemy fire and bringing his crew home), and courage (in face of danger) win the reader's heart and make him a hero at his home station, even though he comes very close to losing is all: his aircraft, his crew and Gervase.

A marvelous story, despite its unusual start: catching a fish!

Perhaps this is Nevil Shute's best; his detail about the cold technicalities of cockpit war activity, set against the depths of an unforgettable love story makes "Pastoral" stand out above anything to be imagined. He just never ceases to surprise his readers!

Set against the backdrop of a British bomber station during the Second WW, this story charts the life of a pilot, his girlfriend and the crew of his Wellington bomber, 'M for Mother'. The crew have safely flown over 50 missions together but then things start going dangerously wrong. Is it simply the enforced absence from their favourite pastime, fishing, or is there a deeper reason? As the story reaches its gripping climax the human face of conflict is starkly portrayed. You WILL be moved by this story !

This is a lovely novel set on an RAF station during the war. Peter Marshall is a pilot who has made over 50 missions, making him one of the "old men" of the station at the age of 22. He meets a girl, who is a WAAF officer working on radio communications with the bombers during their missions. Her job is similar to that held by the WAAF character in Herman Wouk's great novel The Winds of War. In this case, the story is about two people and the stresses placed upon them in war. Shute has written other novels on the same theme, such as Most Secret, which concerns naval officers and commandoes. In this story, the title comes from their lives when not on missions. The young men in Marshall's crew find fishing in nearby streams to be a diversion and the early part of the story is about the fish they catch. Soon, he becomes quite fond of Gervaise, the young woman, but she still is highly motivated to do her duty in the war and gently tries to rebuff his affection. He is hurt by this and his relations with his crew suffers. Finally, on a mission, his distraction leads to a serious mistake in navigation and they are very nearly lost.

With considerable luck, and his flying skill, they manage a crash landing at another station. While their plane is repaired, Peter and Gervaise come to an understanding. She realizes that her rebuff has hurt him deeply. The wing commander and squadron commander realize that their senior pilot, one they depend upon to steady the young newcomers, is distracted by his failed romance. Even the battleaxe WAAF senior officer, called the "Queen WAAF" by the others, becomes interested in the affair. There is a tender scene with an old lady whose home has a fish pond, stocked with trout by her brigadier son for his return.

The story has, as another reviewer noted, a sort of melancholy but peaceful tone that must have been common in England as she fought for her life. Shute was too old for combat service at the time and worked in military matters as a reserve officer. The novel Most Secret is supposed to be based on much of this. He was an aircraft pioneer and engineer plus he was a sailor, owning his own yacht before the war. I have read about a dozen of his novels and have yet to find one I disliked. This is one of his best, fit to be placed with A Town Like Alice, Most Secret, The Far Country, No Highway and Trustee From the Toolroom. On the Beach came out when I was in college and scared me so badly that I still cannot read it again. It is excellent and the horrific future it predicted has faded from reality so this generation should enjoy it.

I definitely recommend this book. He has three phases of his writing; pre-war, wartime, which this novel is an example of, and post-war. The last phase is mostly about Australia although Trustee is set in England, Hawaii, Tahiti and America. I have read all his post-war novels and they are all excellent. The war-time books I am working my way through and have read this one and Most Secret. They are also excellent. I would recommend those books (Those I named) as the place to start if you are unfamiliar with his work. They all tend to be about technical subjects like flying and to have romance. They are also sentimental and usually have happy endings although On the Beach is the great exception. There is a reason why his writing is still popular nearly 50 years after his death. His character development is far superior to 95% of modern writers of popular fiction.

I should add that I found a very nice used copy that must be an early edition with leather binding. It is even bound with a small ribbon as a place mark.

This is a really touching story, set during the war, and very hard to put down!

This is one of the most moving and enjoyable books I've ever read. I can't improve on my fellow reviewers -- just to say that I was ready to re-read it as soon as I got to the last page.

I think I'm a pretty hard case and tears came to my eyes at least a dozen times during this book.