Pastoral (1944) - Nevil Shute

Written by Nevil Shute
Read by Frank Muller
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
Release date: 10-19-11
Publisher: Recorded Books Audio
Originally Released: Jan 1, 1986

She was from the hills of Yorkshire, country born and bred. He was a city boy. By the stream where they fished they were two young people falling in love. Overhead, the bombers roared, threatening to blow their idyllic world, so young, so fresh, to smithereens.

World War II pilot Peter Marshall leads the most successful bombing crew at his airbase, having survived an unusual number of extremely dangerous missions over Germany. However, when Peter falls hopelessly in love with an attractive WAAF officer—one who insists that wartime duties should take precedence over emotions—his concentration begins to suffer. Soon it looks as though his perfect run of successful missions may be at risk—along with the lives of Peter and his men—unless she can be persuaded to relent.

Reader’s comments….”PASTORAL is a nicely paced love story between an RAF officer pilot and a WAAF officer—a big ‘no, no’ in the military at that time. We are kept wondering if this is all going to turn out well. Nevil Shute cinematically describes tense bombing raids over Germany, making us feel as though we are there in the Wellington bomber with Captain Peter Marshall and his crew. Shute obviously knows not only about his main subject—aeroplanes, but fishing too, which he throws into the mix as a restful diversion. This story tells of how the Brits were letting Hitler have some of his own back.”

”During the London Blitz, my own father was a twenty-five-year-old fireman who saw terrible things and lost many friends. He came home at least twice to find his family home flattened. Fortunately, the neighbors raced out to tell him the family was safe in a shelter. But those must have been heart-stopping moments. I thoroughly recommend this book to those looking for a great author of many wonderful books inhabited by believable, likable characters you will become invested in.”

“Gals, remenber this book was written over 70 years ago. Don’t expect Gervase to be a crusader for women’s rights.”

Trivia….”In 1979, Henry Trentman founded Recorded Books and hired Muller as its first narrator to record its first book, The Sea Wolf by Jack London.”