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The Far Country
- Narrated by: Julie Maisey
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Nevil Shute wrote this prophetic novel just before the start of the Second World War. In it he describes the devastation that results from an aerial bomb attack on Southampton that destroys the city's infrastructure and leaves the inhabitants at the mercy of cholera and further assaults. The story follows the trials and tribulations of the Corbett family as they struggle to get to safety.
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I’ve listened to this book 3 times already and am about to embark on a fourth .
- By Lisa kelly on 13-03-21
Summary
A young English woman leaves her ageing parents to visit friends living in the Australian outback, where she quickly falls in love - both with the country and with Carl, a doctor and Czech refugee. Brought together through dramatic encounters and strange twists of fate, their relationship hangs in the balance when Jennifer is called back to England.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dr
- 24-08-18
Superb story , with brilliant narration and very moving story-line
My wife recommended this book, after re-reading the paper version, and I am so pleased that she did. This is my first experience of Nevil Shute, but it won’t be my last. The narrator, Julie Maisey, has an amazing range of voice characters, from the Demure gentile English Lady, to the rough Australian Lumber men, mixed with Charlie Zlinter’s mellow Czek-English. This audio book is in my top ten, and I have hundreds to pick from. If you have never tried Nevil Shute, you are really missing out. This one is a definite winner, and I have already selected In The Wet, for my next listen.
9 people found this helpful
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- B. Deverell
- 22-08-18
Incredible!
This might be the best book I have EVER listened to and I don’t say this lightly. The atmosphere conjured up by his words made me want to leave for Australia immediately (and I hate bugs!). I could almost listen to it again right away. The characters will live with me for a very long time. I’m almost bereft now I’ve finished!
4 people found this helpful
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- jayne massey
- 09-12-20
Presently!
I really can't carry on with this book, I know it sounds ridiculous but I have never heard the word PRESENTLY so many times! I told myself that if I heard it once more within 2 minutes I'd give up on the book...now deleting from my device.
3 people found this helpful
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- vasco444
- 23-02-21
A lovely story
A really lovely story, well narrated, which I found very hard to put down. As is so often the case with Nevil Shute, his writing is beautifully descriptive so that the reader could almost be there. A strongly recommended book.
2 people found this helpful
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- Nicky Ramone
- 22-12-20
Similar to A Town Like Alice - romantic, well-written, a pleasure!
This is only the second book I have read (listened to) by Nevil Shute. This had a similar feel to A Town Like Alice except it takes place a few extra years after WW2 ends. The portrayal of Attlee’s Govt policies was interesting and the book was publish in 1952, shortly after and probably written during it. That is a tiny part of the book however. The main part, after describing postwar England as its privations is about thriving, optimistic Australia and Jennifer’s three week adventure there, and of course the man she met there.
The narrator was absolutely perfect, the accents she chose did not grate at all and in fact added to the book. She did an excellent job.
I loved the book and loved the narration.
2 people found this helpful
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- Stuart Smith
- 15-01-21
Great listen
Such an way listen for any age. Great book, a time capsule of a former era.
1 person found this helpful
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- hayley keating
- 08-08-22
Equals “Alice”
I listened to “A Town like Alice” earlier this year ( my first Neville Shute) and loved it. I started “The Far Country” last week and finished it about 2 o’clock this morning as I couldn’t sleep! I looked forward to it but doubted that it would surpass Alice.
I adored The Far Country. Absolutely adored it! Talk about an advert for Australia!! My Word!! ( see what I did there??!)
I’ve both read and listened to many many books and it’s hard to bring to mind one that captivated me so completely from the very start. I felt so invested in the characters and cared about them very much. This is down, I’m sure, to the utterly BRILLIANT skills of the narrator. Her accents were bang on and I was easily able to distinguish the different characters. ( granted some of the Australian men sounded very similar but still, it was an impressive line up!)
Australian, Irish, Czech, even Leicestershire!
The story was quaint and right up my street. A love story really. The rich descriptions of the Aussie landscape had me yearning to go there and actually on many occasions it felt like I WAS there!
The hero for me was of course Karl Zlinter and if I’m honest I fell a bit In love with him. I loved Julie Maiseys portrayal of him. He is a beautiful character, clever gentle and kind.
The conversation where he told Jenny he was marking off each day on his calendar until his nine months as a lumberman were up genuinely made me feel quite emotional and I had a real tear in my eye.
For me, the mark of a great book is connection with the characters and feeling transported and I definitely have experienced that. I wanted to listen to it again immediately even at 2 in the morning
I know 100% I will listen to this again.
Can’t recommend this enough. Read it!
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- Jane Law
- 28-04-22
evocative story
Having had many family members emigrate in times earlier than the time of this story, but contacts maintained, this is a very evocative tale true to its time. It is beautifully read with great characterisation making it easy to imagine the different characters. The descriptions of post-war UK compared with Australia are very accurate and pertinent to the story. I will listen again.
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- Amazon Customer
- 19-03-22
Wonderful
Loved this interesting story, so descriptive and fantastically narrated. Similar to A Town like Alice - 100% recommend
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- Sue W.
- 21-10-21
Old fashioned story
Good narration but a little slow storywise. Glad I listened though as like Nevil Shute.
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- BikeMeister
- 11-02-13
Great Story!
A really great novel about Britain and Australia after the Second World War. Lots of insight into the economic situations of both countries and the opportunity many Brits saw at the time in Australia. Great characters, very intelligently written and always good natured.
14 people found this helpful
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- A
- 24-07-13
Oldie but goodie...
I have to admit that as far as popular fiction goes, I prefer stuff that was written in the middle of the 20th century--like Nevil Shute, Graham Greene, Dick Francis--and so I found this story written by Nevil Shute in the early 1950s about life in Australia and post war England to be a most enjoyable read. The plot is simple and it beats 'historical fiction' because it wasn't trying to recreate anything. If you are looking for an action-packed adventure with lots of dialogue and very little description, you have come to the wrong place.
10 people found this helpful
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- Dianne
- 30-06-14
Beautiful story
Julie Maisey is an amazing narrator, bringing all the characters, whether English, Australian, or Czech to life vividly. The story is lovely with colorful depictions of post-war Australian lifestyle attempting to adapt to the influx of Europe's displaced persons. Interesting and touching..
9 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 30-10-14
Just a perfectly lovely novel
Would you consider the audio edition of The Far Country to be better than the print version?
Never read the print version
What did you like best about this story?
All of it. I loved the descriptions of the country, the relationships between the natives and the newbies. My wife and I moved from Boston to a small town in the center of Montana and know exactly how the characters interacted. It was very sweet.
What about Julie Maisey’s performance did you like?
She did a great job with the male voices. She was not in the least bit distracting. Just a great job.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Extreme reaction? Oh, no. It was just a delicious listen and both Sonia and I wished it could have gone on even longer.
Any additional comments?
Can't go wrong with any of Mr. Shute's books or any book narrated by Ms Maisey
6 people found this helpful
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- RCMSLC
- 22-04-18
Story & Narrator superb
I would like Julie Maisey to narrate all Shute's novels. She does all the accents- British (Yorkshire and others), Australian, Czech and American- well. And her voices for males and females are all believable. You're never taken out of the story by thinking of the narrator. It wasn't until I listened to another Shute novel that I appreciated her fully. I looked for other books she's narrated but they all seem to be written for a female market. Audible- please use her talents more broadly! This is the first review I've written, inspired by a desire to hear her narrate more of the types of books I like.
3 people found this helpful
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- Kathleen Yarrington
- 14-07-17
Very nice love story.
Very well written and I listen to it again. The soft and gentle story of post war couple meeting in Australia.
2 people found this helpful
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- L
- 04-08-15
Let's all move to Australia!
After "A Town Like Alice" and "Trustee from the Toolroom", I had great hopes for this book. However they were not realized. The story is thinner, yes, but Shute's gung-ho chauvinism toward Australia truly trips up the story. Surely not *everything* in England is hopeless and *only* Australia offers hope and opportunity? However, that is how this story is written -- and it's not even subtle. He keeps knocking you over the head with it; everything from cars to kitchen appliances is better down under. (And I really like Australia!) If you can get past this element the story is decent, mild and unsurprising, and has at its core two likable characters.
It should be noted that the narrator is much better than one would think from the sample clip. She handles male voices well and does a very good job with the Czech doctor. She actually improved my perception of the story; had I been reading as text it I probably wouldn't have finished it.
4 people found this helpful
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- Kerr506
- 22-08-19
Not Nevil Shute's Best
My husband and I have been enjoying listening to Nevil Shute books for long road trips. This book is very well narrated but the writing is choppy and repetitive. However the story itself, though a bit predictable, is still a good one. We are big Nevil Shute fans and enjoy seeing his familiar themes throughout the story. But more editing would have helped. A girl trapped in the miseries of London skeptically visits Australia and falls in love with it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Gretchen A. Newton
- 26-06-19
I didn’t want it to end!!!
I have loved A Town Like Alice for so long and have read and reread it more times than I can count. Finally, I decided to try another book by Nevil Shute and I wasn’t disappointed! The story is lovely and so precious. The narrator did a fine job with all the accents and making the story flow along. You won’t be disappointed at all! I was just so sorry when it ended!
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 31-10-21
Far Country
Enjoyed it so much. Almost as good as A town like Alice. Nevil Shutz is the best.