Pastoral

I think of Nevil Shute as an old-fashioned storyteller. His books aren't really very long. They have a lot of detail about characters' everyday lives. And many of his stories are set back in WW2 or just after. There's a leisurely kind of narration that is kinda different from a lot of today's books. This is a story about a RAF pilot who falls in love with a WAAF Signal Officer who's stationed on the same base. He's certain almost right away that She is THE One; she's not quite so sure. She had other plans for her life. And right there is my biggest quibble with the book. (view spoiler)[ After he asks her to marry him, she tells him she's not in love with him, and they should stop seeing each other. His performance as a pilot falls WAY off. His crew gets lost returning from a bombing raid and barely survives. She BLAMES HERSELF for this, and lets him basically bully her into hanging out with him for a month before she decides ABSOLUTELY not to marry him. ::rolleyes:: (hide spoiler)] Okay, other times, other manners, sure, but still... There's a big dramatic event toward the end. I'll tell you honestly, I was so worried about what was happening, I had to put down my knitting and just listen for a while. It's a good book. It's got romance, but it's subtle and gentle enough for my I-can't-really-abide-romance sensibilities. And there are a couple of small, subtle things that Shute does with other characters that tug your heartstrings too. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Frank Muller on Scribd. He is a very excellent narrator. I loved this book.