A Very Private War

A Very Private War
First UK edition
AuthorJon Cleary
LanguageEnglish
PublisherCollins (Australia/UK)
William Morrow (US)
Publication date
1980
Publication placeAustralia

A Very Private War is a 1980 novel by Australian writer Jon Cleary about coastwatchers during World War II.[1]

Plot

Mullane, an American coast watcher in New Britain, goes on a mission to uncover the camouflage of the airstrip of a Japanese base. He is accompanied by an Australian officer and captured Japanese officer. Mullane gets the chance to avenge the death of his Japanese wife, killed prior to the war.[2][3]

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "Cleary is neither a stylist nor a profound writer. He is essentially a storyteller, and very good one, most at home in the fields of action and adventure, as A Very Private War demonstrates", calling it "a straightforward, uncomplicated tale of wartime derring-do."[4]

Proposed Film

In 1981 there were reports a film version was in development with the Queensland Film Corporation[5] but no movie resulted.

References

  1. ^ "Satisfying Escapism". The Canberra Times. 22 November 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ Warga, Wayne (4 July 1980). "Author! Author!: Upwardly Prolific Down Under". Los Angeles Times. p. e2.
  3. ^ "Timestyle". The Canberra Times. 19 July 1981. p. 8. Retrieved 18 October 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ Harriott, Gary (31 May 1980). "A Very Private War by Jon Cleary Collins, $14.95". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 21.
  5. ^ "Timestyle Television Chess Crosswords TV and Radio Programs – Soap-opera fans not keen on interruptions". The Canberra Times. Vol. 55, no. 16, 676. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 May 1981. p. 17. Retrieved 19 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  • Austlit — A Very Private War by Jon Cleary[1]

See also


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  1. ^ "Austlit — A Very Private War by Jon Cleary". Austlit. Retrieved 20 December 2023.