Bryce CourtenayCritiques

I haven't read a lot of war related books so I can't really say where it is in that spectrum of books in that manner, but it painted a very hard hitting and sometimes harrowing picture of how the usage of chemical warfare had a lasting effect on anyone that had encountered it on all sides, as well as the emotional state of the soldiers upon return and how that affected them and their families. Was well written as all Bryce Courtenays books are but seemed much more of a political statement on the abysmal treatment of the Vietnan soldiers upon their return that just so happened to have a storyline in the background of it the whole plot climax and resolution hurriedly summed up in the last quarter of the book. Not bd by a long shot but definitely could have used more.

Coming-of-age

Friendship

Romance

I tried. I gave it 180 pages (out of about 500), but the whole concept left me cold, and there are plenty of other books I could be reading.
What a wise and other-worldly eleven (or twelve, who knows?) year old is Sylvia. THe wonderful singing voice I can accept, but the trick with birds? It all became too much for me. And the Pied Piper of Hamelin; a crusade that might or might not (probably not) have happened; and miracles, or at least events being mistaken for miracles.
Enough.½

Not bad to read when going through a rough patch with Manda. Re-read.

I have seen the movie numerous times, and love it. And i'm really glad that i already loved the movie, because if i'd read the book first, i'm fairly certain i would not have liked the movie. Too many differences, although the feeling of the book and the movie are quite similar.

The book was awesome. I'd recommend it to just about anyone who likes to read.

Did I thoroughly enjoy a book where boxing is featured...remarkably yes. A boys journey from the horrors of boarding school to apartheid South Africa. With many stops in between that are worth the ride.

Fantastic novel. BIG novel. But, an easy read that's difficult to put down. If you loved [b:The Power of One|122|The Power of One (The Power of One, #1)|Bryce Courtenay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388184360l/122._SX50_.jpg|649656], you'll love this one too. More adventures of PeeKay! And, Tandia is great in her own right.

My all-time favorite novel. Reading doesn't get much better than this. I could never forget Peekay. This novel develops so many memorial characters as well. I've read it twice, and plan to do a third reading. If you read this and enjoy it, be sure to read Courtney's "Tandia" for another great story and more of Peekay. Much thanks to Adam Silvers for giving me this book.

Here's what I wrote about this read in 2010: "Very nice. Story of a highly capable and determined boy English boy growing up on South Africa in the late 1930's through early 1950's. Witness the seeds of apartheid, and the ability of people to significantly touch and impact others."

This was a pretty typical Bryce Courtenay book. A little too long in parts especially Nick and Ana's time in Japan, and a little to much preaching about the environment. There are other books by this author that are better, but overall a good read.

*4.5 Stars*
// 100 pages to still read

I don't know when I'll have time to finish the last hundred pages, but for now, it's a strong 4.5. I loved Peekay as the main character and the emotional range Mr. Courtney gave him; I don't think we see enough male characters with such a knack for caring and loving. I also really enjoyed how school-boy adventure it felt, and how it all almost seemed to have a happy ending– we just don't get a lot of those in everyday life and I'm a sucker for it. The multitude of parental figures Peekay has as well was really cool to see instead of the typical trope of adults constantly letting down kids we seem to see so much in teen literature, and I just liked how positive the book's message was in all accounts. Having had my own tough childhood I like to think my past experiences have helped me grow for the better instead of hurting me in the long run. It's only shy of 5 stars because I found it a bit long winded at times (3 pages dedicated to describing the land where cacti grow), and I'm not a particularly fast reader so the hours just seemed to pile up. Still good and I still recommend; I learned a lot about the South African cultural climate as well as the power of one ;;;)

It's one of my very favorites, and I handsell it a lot at the book store. Peekay's narration is wonderful, and there's a great cast of characters to love (or hate). I never thought I cared about or for boxing, but the boxing scenes were so exciting to read. Don't watch the movie adaptation. Morgan Freeman's in it, I know, but it did multiple injustices to the story.

This is the second book in The Persimmon Tree series by Bryce Courtenay. The story, as is common with Courtenay, covers a lot of years and includes some real events. It is quite epic.

Covering a period from the Second World War to just after the turn of the century, this is a tale of love, romance, espionage, corrupt politicians, and business. Starring two very different women, one exotic, damaged and shrewd, the other beautiful, determined and zealous. Both share a love for the same man.

At a mere 601 pages, it isn't as long as some Courtenay books, but very readable and enjoyable.

The power of one was based on the courage to remain separate, to think through to the truth, and not to be beguiled by convention or the plausible arguments of those who expect to maintain power.

I love when I fall in love with a book that appears to be about a subject I don’t generally feel any enthusiasm for. In this case, that would be boxing. I watched a man named Kid Paret beaten senseless in a televised fight in 1962. He died a few days later. My father loved watching the fights, and we watched them frequently, but that is the only one I can remember in any detail. I remember my daddy saying “The ref needs to call this, he is killing him” and then the strange feeling that told me that was true. All of which is a roundabout way of saying I had reservations when I realized boxing was about to play a major part in this book’s plot.

Like so many books in which sports figure, this book isn’t about the sport at all. It is about the shaping of a boy. If you only view boxing as a “fight”, this book will give you some insight into why boxers are willing to take that beating or give it.

In teaching me independence of thought, they had given me the greatest gift an adult can give to a child besides love, and they had given me that also.

Peekay is an English South African, a child in the days just before World War II, and part of a country divided into the English, the Boers, and the black Africans. Peekay, because of circumstances, finds himself intimately involved with each of these groups, and with a marvelous German professor, known as Doc. And, because of this, the book becomes a story about racial injustice, overcoming adversity when the deck is stacked against you, finding your own place in the world, and having the power of one.

As Doc had pointed out, mystery, not logic, is what gives us hope and keeps us believing in a force greater than our own insignificance.

A reference that brought to mind perhaps my favorite book of all time, made me smile, when Peekay says, “Look, Doc, it’s like Merlin’s altar in the crystal cave!” I laughed and said to myself, this is really a book written for me.

There are moments of brilliance in this novel. It is a timely read, for much of it is about the bridges that can be built between races and the importance of recognizing individuals for who they are and for the wonder each of them brings to our lives.

Is this a good book? In the words of Doc, “Absoloodle!”

A huge thank you to Bob, who has once again opened a new world for me in the pages of a great book.

A meticulous novel of a child abuse survivor misinterpreted as a Saint who leads children on to their deaths on the infamous 'Children's Crusade' of 1212 A.D.

Our protagonist Sylvia Honeyeater is Saint, temptress, angle and a quick stabber all rolled into one and she comes armed with a sword hidden in a stave and an equally sharp wit.

But like any other Bryce Courtenay novel, the sex is more detailed than the plot and the characters are oddly one-dimensional.

Good book if you have the time to read it.

Bad if you are looking for high quality fiction.

I loved this book. Listened to it from audio and really liked the narrator, too. Honestly, I wasn't sure about the book when I started it. I do not like boxing but this was not really about boxing it was more about inner strength and believing in yourself. It was about the history of Africa, about loyalty, friendship, and kindness. It was well worth listening too and/or reading. There were parts that were terrible and parts that were funny, just like real life. Overall, I recommend this book. Very good read.

Read this such a long time ago but remember that it was very poignant.

Another brilliantly presented and researched story of South Africa from WW2 through to early 70's. Issues of child abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, racial disenfranchisement and the issues of Africaan and English battles for the rights to own and run the land and society.

3.5 stars

It’s the 13th century in Germany. Sylvia was young when her mother died and her father abused her. When he died, she was driven from her mother’s home and land by the local people. As she travelled, she met up with Reinhardt, who played lovely music on his flute that often caused rats and other animals to follow him; he called himself the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They travelled together and with her angelic voice and his flute, they entertained people (and/or he drove rats away) to get food to eat and shelter. Sylvia had additional (to the singing) gifts of her own, that when combined with the fish birthmark on her back, people tended to believe she was an angel and miracles happened when she was around.

Eventually, Sylvia and Reinhardt met up with a child, Nicholas, who seemed to have a gift for preaching (at least, when he partook of the mushrooms Sylvia showed him how to consume). Nicholas drew other children to him with his preaching and he decided (well, he was told by Jesus) there would be a “Children’s Crusade” from Germany to Jerusalem.

This was good, but long. A lot of religion in this one, and it seems some of it (but what?) was historically accurate. Unfortunately, the author only included acknowledgments at the end, so the fact that some of this really happened was mentioned but not expanded on, as I was hoping. I assume what really happened was the Children’s Crusade, but I will have to look that up to find out. This is long – almost 500 pages of small font (in the physical book).½

I read this as I listened to the audio book. This is the second reading this classic of Australian literature. It is episodes from the Maloney family, who live in the fictitious town of Yankalillee, in north east Victoria as told by one of the kids, Mole. The Maloney family haven't even made it to the bottom rung of the social ladder in town, they are the towns garbage collectors. Starting in the 1950s, after the war, the story continues to the 90s. I laughed out loud at times, and cried with the family. The part where dad, Tommy talks to Mole and opens up about his war experiences in Asia, and then Mole's experiences in Vietnam are heartbreaking. Some people will be put off by the 1048 pages, but this is one of THE BEST books you will ever read!!

Audible audiobook performed by Humphrey Bower

How had I never heard of this book before? A challenge to travel the world combined with a challenge to read a book that “made-me-cry” brought this one to my attention, and am I ever glad it did!

Courtenay’s autobiographical novel tells the story of a small boy sent to boarding school because his mother has had a nervous breakdown. He’s bullied and terrorized, but learns how to get along with the help of a pet chicken and a native medicine man. Peekay (a nicer version of the nickname the bullies christen him with) is an intelligent, bookish kid and his reading ability helps him advance in school far beyond his chronological age. Just when he figures he’s gotten the hang of this boarding school, he’s advised that he’s leaving for a new home.

A six-year-old on a several-days-long train journey is pretty vulnerable, but the porter, conductor and other railway employees take Peekay under their wing. This is where he learns about boxing and sets a goal for himself that he pursues relentlessly.

I’m not the writer Courtenay is, so can’t really do justice to the plot of this coming-of-age story. But the writing grabbed me from page one and I was sorry to see it end. Peekay has more than his share of difficulties and tragedies befall many of the people he comes to love and rely on. He’s a great kid and I was cheering for Peekay throughout. And while I’m no fan of boxing, I even enjoyed the lessons on strategy and technique.

Humphrey Bower does a great job of performing the audiobook. He really brings the characters to life, though I did have some difficulties understanding the accent at times.

Not having read the earlier books in this trilogy did not reduce the enjoyment of the story as there was sufficient reference to earlier events to fill in the gaps. not sure how much this would have reduced the enjoyment of I had read the others. A great story well researched and told.

I put off reading this book for quite a while because of its size but, in actuality, it didn't take that long to read. I've read a few of Bryce Courtenay's books before and while this one wasn't quite as good as the South African novels I read it was still very interesting. As Courtenay died in 2012 this is one of his last books.

Simon Koo, nicknamed Fortune Cookie by his friends in Australia, is the heir to a considerable family fortune but he really wants to be a painter. He compromised by going into advertising. His mother, the real head of the family business, expects Simon to marry and produce children. So far there has been no woman Simon has felt strongly enough about to even considering marriage. The firm where Simon works is partially owned by an American firm and when they decide to acquire an interest in an advertising firm in Singapore Simon is asked to go there for 3 years as the creative director due to his Chinese ancestry. Simon's mother is from Singapore originally and she thinks this job is a great opportunity, mostly because it will allow Simon to meet a potential bride. It also seems to carry out a prophecy from an ancestor who was the first Koo to arrive in Australia. Simon is met at the airport by a lovely young Singaporean, Mercy B. Lord, who is to be his guide for his first two weeks. Mercy was raised in a Catholic orphanage where she was left shortly after World War II. It is probable that her father was a Japanese soldier, one of the many who occupied Singapore during the war. Simon is smitten by Mercy B. Lord (as she is always referred to; the nun who found her on the steps of the orphanage was so startled she exclaimed "Mercy Be, Lord." and that name stuck). He is not so impressed with the Wing Brothers advertising firm that he is supposed to bring into the 20th century. Deals in Singapore are dependent on squeeze "the all-pervading system of bribery, inducements, cuts and percentages" and advertising in the Wing Brothers business is no exception. Although Simon gets along fairly well with the youngest Wing brother, Ronnie, he certainly gets off on the wrong foot with the other two brothers. His American superior isn't much help because he is an alcoholic who is never available after the lunch hour and is so hung over every morning he doesn't get into work until 9 am. Simon works hard and he also woos Mercy B. Lord hard. And he incurs success in both areas, creating some great advertising and getting Mercy B. Lord to move in with him. Mercy B. Lord has a big secret that requires her to be away every Thursday including overnight and into Friday. She tells Simon not to question her about this but Simon is worried she is involved in something dangerous. It creates tension in their relationship and eventually causes them to break up. To assuage his broken heart Simon completes a portrait of Mercy B. Lord that he calls Thursday Girl. He sends it off to an international show in Hong Kong and it wins. Simon hopes that Mercy B. Lord will agree to accompany him to the awards banquet but he hasn't even been able to talk to her. It's obvious that they will eventually get back together but the international drug trade run out of Singapore is a major impediment.

I've never been to Singapore but I understand it is one of the cleanest and lovliest cities in southeast Asia. I learned from this book that it wasn't always that way. In the 1960s when Simon first came to Singapore it was smelly and dirty and toilets were awful. The authoritarian Peoples Action Party elected in 1959 and in power ever since tramples on human rights but certainly cleaned up the city and made it an economic powerhouse.½