Rainbow and the Rose

by Nevil Shute

Book Overview

When Johnny Pascoe attempts to rescue a sick girl from the Tasmanian outback his plane crashes leaving him dangerously injured. Ronnie Clarke, who was trained by Pascoe, endeavours to fly a doctor in to help but this proves more difficult than he imagined. As he waits overnight at Pascoe's house in order to try again the next day Clarke revisits the past of this unusual man - and reveals the shocking and tragic secrets that have influenced his life...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345322517
• ISBN13: 9780345322517
• Release Date: April 1985
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Rainbow and the Rose; Revisited

I read The Rainbow and The Rose , along with most of Nevil Shute's novels, many years ago. Interestingly, I've never read On The Beach. I have, however, recently begun buying copies of Shute's novels for rereading. I wish to see if my sixty year old personna interprets them differently than I did as an eighteen year old. At the time I first read The Rainbow and The Rose, I thought it as good as A Town Like Alice. I could not wait for Ron Clarke to become airborne once again, as he made his way across Australia, so that he would continue to experience the visions that were some sort of gift to help him sort out his feelings toward the woman he once loved and the man who'd won her heart so many years ago. I thought back then, and I think today that the book would make a wonderful movie, if done correctly and with the right people. I urge anyone with even a passing interest in Shute's work to read The Rainbow and The Rose.

Lovely

I was going to give this book four stars until I reached the end and it moved me almost to tears, hence 5 stars. Live many of Shute's books the feelings he invokes are beautiful and powerful, all coming from rather controlled, unemotional characters. "The Rainbow and the Rose" is about lives twined and brought around in a full-circle effect. There are no surprises in the plot, but there doesn't need to be. It works even as you know what's coming. There is a great deal of detail on flying and airplanes that may or may not appeal to you--I enjoyed it. Shute writes those sorts of technical details very smoothly so they integrate into the characters' traits. Not Shute's best novel, but decidedly worth reading.

Rainbow and the Rose

Totally enjoyed this book as I have many others by Neville Shute - he truly can tell a story with wonderful detail and intrigue that keeps the pages turning!