Trustee from the Toolroom
by Norway, Nevil Schute - 1889-1960
pub. by Queens House, Forest Hills, NY 1976       isbn 0-89244-016-3 (later edition) - - LCCN 76-18891
earlier edition published by Morrow, NY
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The Chapters in this book are laid out each describing a part of the story. They do not have individual titles -
It starts out in post WWII England, probably in the early to mid 1950s. All of the action seems to take place in a single year.
Our protagonist, Keith Stewart, is married and living a comparatively humble life as a miniture model maker and writer. His wife works in a store.
He has a sister who married slightly above her social class to a British naval officer, John McDermott. They have one child.
At the time of this story the child is about 10 years old.
The sister and brother-in-law sail off in a small yacht to eventually settle in western Canada.
They leave their daughter with the Stewarts, who are very willing to have her, until the McDermotts settle.
The McDermotts make it into the Pacific and wreck and die in the Tuamotus during a hurricane/typhoon.
They have on secreted on board their family fortune, smuggled out of England which has wealth export restrictions.
Keith Stewart resolves to recover the family fortune (diamonds in a small sealed box) from the wreck.
The very readable and informative of the era part of this book involves Keiths flying from England to Hawaii in a DC 6 freighter airplane
and then sailing to Tahiti in a small yacht - followed by another - retrieves what he intended and returns to England.
All this involves several well placed adventures and links to people which he friended by correspondence about model building.
This is the most interesting and satisfying fiction read that I have read in over 30 years.
~ 2024-02-27 ~

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