''The Rainbow and the Rose'' is the kind of story that only Nevil Shute could write--a superbly readable novel, steeped in the love of flying, and peopled with characters worthy of affection and respect. Johnny Pascoe, a veteran pilot who has never had much outward success, lies dying after a crash landing on the coast of Tasmania. Ronnie Clarke, an airlines captain who learned to fly from Pascoe, volunteers for the difficult rescue attempt. In the three days of the rescue, Clarke comes to know Pascoe's story--the glamorous marriage to an actress that ended in bitterness, the intensely passionate affair with Brenda Marshall who bore him a daughter, and Pascoe's quiet courage in the face of all that life could do to break him. And finally, in young Peggy Dawson who shares with Clarke the dangerous rescue flight, the secret of Johnny Pascoe's life is revealed.
