Requiem for a Wren [Hardcover]

Nevil Shute (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: HEINEMANN @ (1967)
• ASIN: B000V60Y6S
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,778,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nevil Shute Norway was born in 1899 in Ealing, London. He studied Engineering Science at Balliol College, Oxford. Following his childhood passion, he entered the fledgling aircraft industry as an aeronautical engineer working to develop airships and, later, airplanes. In his spare time he began writing and he published his first novel, Marazan, in 1926, using the name Nevil Shute to protect his engineering career. In 1931 he married Frances Mary Heaton and they had two daughters. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons. After the war he continued to write and settled in Australia where he lived until his death in 1960. His most celebrated novels include Pied Piper (1942), A Town Like Alice (1950), and On the Beach (1957).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CASUALTIES OF WAR, March 12, 2005

By 

Scorpio69 (Hawaii, America's Paradise) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem for a Wren (Paperback)

Nevil Shute's gentle and very clever way of telling a story really shines here. This one sneaks up on you as you slowly find yourself caught up in the emotions of the characters, all of whose lives have been forever shaped and scarred by their experiences in WWII. Masterfully told in partial flashback, the mystery of the suicide of a parlourmaid at an Australian sheep station turns out to have profound implications for everyone involved in her life. A deeply moving and haunting novel, Mr. Shute deftly shows us how "Like some infernal monster, still venemous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it's all over."

This is a stunning novel by a master storyteller. Highly recommended.

NOTE: This is also published as 'The Breaking Wave'

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great WWII love story set in Australia/ironic twists., September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Requiem for a wren ([His Complete works])

One of Nevil Shute's best stories, second only to Town Like Alice -his greatest book (and wonderful film!) Story is during and after WWII, with lots of good descriptions of the desolate center of Australia interlaced with a beautiful love story of two people trying to find each other. The two main characters are very likeable, you root for them - but there is a very unpexpected twist towards the end of the book. The "wren" is not a bird, but a Royal Naval Nurse. I have read this book 3 or 4 times over 25 years and I highly recommend it, although it is difficult to find outside of England. It is easy to read, and would be a good book to take on a vacation or plane trip Another good Nevil Shute book is "Trustee from a Toolroom" - guys would enjoy this one, gals would like "Requiem for a Wren".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Nevil Shute; one of his best!, May 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Requiem for a Wren (Paperback)

The story of Alan Duncan begins with his return to Coombargana, a sheep farming station in the Western District of Australia. On the day before his return, the trusted parlour maid on the station, of whom his parents were very fond, died in her room unexpectedly, causing an awkward homecoming

Beginning with the pursuit of a law degree at Oxford University, the years of Alan's absence from family and homeland taught him very much, very quickly. Not surprising, he is drawn into World War-II action as a fighter pilot, risking all he has in life, just like his younger brother Bill.

Also like his brother, he is attracted to the same English girl, Janet Prentice, a WREN on active duty, assigned to maintenance of ordinance used in preparation of the D-Day invasion. The terrible war has left each one with terrible losses, of which the consequences carry the reader through Alan's quest to find Janet in the years that follow its ending in 1945.

In London, Viola Dawson, Janet's friend, is Alan's greatest source of information to lead him through his search. Where will he ultimately find her in this world that both separates and binds together those on opposite sides of the globe?

A terriffic story, beautifully written; also published under the title "The Breaking Wave."