Round the Bend

 

by Nevil Shute (read by John Telford)

annual re-read

 

 

 

 

Prophet: a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God

 

Some of Shute's later books get a bit mystical or spiritual.  In Round the Bend, Shute  gives us the story of a 20th century prophet and explores the relationship between man and the divine.  At the same time,  Shute gives us a rollicking good time with the story of the narrator,  a hardworking working class pilot and ground engineer who builds a small air freight business in the Middle East following World War II -- and breaks all social expectations in the process of building a very successful business. The book isn't just about the divine, it is also about the evils of imperialism and racism in the early 20th century (not that it has gotten any better since then, mind you).

Four  stars, in spite of being a bit hokey in places, it is a tale well told.