43 pages 1 hour read

Nevil Shute

On the Beach

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1957

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

On the Beach by Nevil Shute follows a group of people in Melbourne, Australia, as they confront the inevitability of death due to radioactive fallout from a nuclear war that has obliterated the Northern Hemisphere, facing their final days with various degrees of denial, hope, and acceptance. The story contains depictions of death by euthanasia in adults and children.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Nevil Shute's On the Beach is lauded for its poignant exploration of human resilience in the face of global catastrophe, with many praising its emotional depth and character development. However, some find its pacing slow and its tone overly melancholic. Overall, it remains a powerful, thought-provoking narrative on the human condition.

Who should read this

Who Should Read On the Beach?

Readers who appreciate apocalyptic fiction with profound emotional depth will enjoy Nevil Shute's On the Beach. Fans of Cormac McCarthy's The Road or George Orwell's 1984 may find this poignant exploration of human resilience and the finality of global catastrophe particularly compelling.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Genre

Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

Classic Fiction

Themes

Society: War

Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Relationships: Family

Topics

Military / War