Ride the Volcano
| Author | Peter Pinney |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Angus and Robertson |
Publication date | 1960 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 209 |
Ride the Volcano is a 1960 novel by Peter Pinney. It was Pinney's first novel.[1][2] Pinney called it "fiction, but it has drawn much of its colour from my own experiences."[3]
Premise
Kappick, owner of a schooner, impulsively takes an American girl, Little Bit, with him on a trip to Panama. He has contraband on his boad.
Reception
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote Pinney's "descriptions of scenes are always vivid but his descriptions are contrived and his two main characters never quite gel."[4]
The Australian Woman's Weekly wrote "Intriguing background, pace, and unusual situations make this book highly readable."[5]
The Bulletin wrote "there is too much descriptive fact for it to be a novel and too much fiction for one to be able to call it a travelogue. He must carry on with his usual factual writing or completely escape from a world of smugglers, primitive Indians, ruthless criminals, strong seas and the violence of the elements. That is, if he wishes to be a novelist."[6]
Adaptations
The novel was adapted for Australian radio in 1961 with Leonard Teale starring.[3]
References
- ^ "New fiction is plentiful". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 1960. p. 37.
- ^ Richard White and Claire Petrie, 'Pinney, Peter Patrick (1922–1992)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/pinney-peter-patrick-18951/text30565, published online 2016, accessed online 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Author's own adventures background to AW drama". The Age Radio TV Supplement. 7 April 1961. p. 3.
- ^ "Reviews in brief". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 January 1961. p. 14.
- ^ "YOUR BOOKSHELF with JOYCE HALSTEAD". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28, no. 42. Australia, Australia. 22 March 1961. p. 67. Retrieved 23 November 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Where White is Black", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 23 September 1961, nla.obj-701063826, retrieved 23 November 2025 – via Trove
External links
- Ride the Volcano at AustLit