Brother Fish

by Bryce Courtenay

Brother Fish is an Australian saga spanning eighty years and four continents. Inspired by real events, Bryce Courtenay's new novel tells the story of three people from vastly differing backgrounds. All they have in common is a tough beginning in life. Jack McKenzie is a harmonica player, soldier, dreamer and small-time professional fisherman from a tiny island in Bass Strait. Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan is a strong-willed woman hiding from an ambiguous past in Shanghai. Larger than life, Private Jimmy Oldcorn was once a street kid and leader of a New York gang. Together they reap a vast and not always legitimate fortune from the sea. Brother Fish is an inspiring human drama of three lives brought together and changed forever by the extraordinary events of recent history. But most of all it is about the power of friendship and love. In my experience, friendship is the companion that walks beside love and is often the more enduring of the two. In this book I write about friendship of the deep and abiding kind, unshakeable and unconditional. Three people, seemingly worlds apart, demonstrate the capacity all humans have to reach out and touch each other. I do hope you enjoy Brother Fish.Bryce Courtenay

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Australia, Historical, Book Club, Drama

848 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Arthur Bryce Courtenay, AM was a South African-Australian advertising director and novelist. He is one of Australia's best-selling authors, notable for his book The Power of One.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, spanning continents, cultures, generations, and race was magnificent. Really, it was a very inspiring look at life, love, mateship, commitment to oneself and one’s country and loss, through the eyes of three main players. Jack is a young, hardworking yet physically small Australian soldier who meets Jimmy, an African American man with a very sad history as an orphan, who is as large as Jack is small. They meet in the war where they both see more than two humans ever should.

It's been a long journey Brother Fish... Nah, not da trip, da journey. Is their standard greeting to each other after Jimmy makes the plane trip to the island.

The other lovely and terrific character is the local town librarian/JP/newspaper editor beautifully named Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan. She meets Jack in childhood as she becomes aware of his literary ability, treating him as a clever student to impart all her knowledge. She was delighted to find a young child in the small Tasmanian island whom she could teach and shape. A harsh lady with a dark background of her own who initially lacked emotion, but as the story developed we learn of her history, and of Jimmy’s also. This unlikely trio captured my heart in many ways.

Jimmy and Jack are together as prisoners of war in Korea, Jimmy teaches Jack to be tenacious, Jimmy looks after him, teaching him so much about life, and the reader. There are many stories of mateship. This is a long story, possibly too long, but as I listened to the audio during an Australian long weekend while I had a lot of alone time, I was able to be immersed in this truly wonderful tale. Many tales of Chinese culture and a life lived over many continents told via Nicole’s harsh early years, may not have been as interesting to me as the characters themselves, yet I did enjoy all aspects of this epic story.

I had tears in many parts, truly I was emotionally spent. Bryce Courtenay is so very skilled at storytelling. I was interested to hear his personal introduction to this story, and of his thanks and acknowledgement at the end for his cast of many researchers, literary helpers and personal mentions to turn this into what it was.

Absolute special mention must go to narrator, Humphrey Bower who I will say, without a doubt, is the most skilled narrator I have experienced. From accents such as African American slang, to French, to Asian to ocker Aussie.. this was a delight, and from the female to male voice I did not have one moment of confusion. This narration was over 30 hours long. You cannot get better than that.

I listened to this via the BorrowBox app through my local library at 1.25 speed. This was an amazing book!

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hana Hou! Bravo! Every book I've read of this author absolutely amazes me and it leads me on to the next one. This is the 6th in a row. In addition to his incredible historical recounting of South Africa, England, Australia, New Zealand, to name a few, Brother Fish takes me from Tasmania to Korea and China with fascinating historical accounting of the past. The common thread with all of these books, so far is a deep sense of friendship with his main characters and challenging family dynamics that scale enormous challenges.
I laugh, I cry and am able to experience travelling the world, then and now.
No spoilers here, as had I read the summaries of these books, I probably would have not chosen to read them, thinking the subject matter wouldn't have interested me... Boxing, war, fire? Wrong! Challenge your judgement, perceptions and limitations. Dive in and enjoy!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always eager to reach for one of Bryce Courtenay’s stunning novels, I was excited to re-read this story. Jack McKenzie served his country when Australia sent troops to the Korean peninsula for the war. He returned with many stories, a life-long friend, and a desire to change the world. As Jack made further connections, he found an Australia he did not entirely like and the struggles of its people proved to be a fuel he used to ensure the war had not been fought in vain. Advancing his views and adventures, Jack made significant impacts on those around him and sought to ensure that fairness superseded any government policies from their stuffy offices. Bryce Courtenay delivers a stunning story, told in his unique style, that keeps the reader gripped until the final page turn.

Jack McKenzie was a highly impressionable child, whose curiosity got him into more trouble than he could have expected. While his family loved him, they did not instill significant knowledge about the world around him. However, Jack was provided a harmonica and the passion to learn music to impress the masses, as well as some tutoring to go out into the world. When he came of age, Jack enlisted to serve in the Australian Army to head over to Korea, where a war was raging to determine the future of the peninsula.There, he would meet Private Jimmy Oldcorn, a gritty street kid and leader of a gang in New York, whose eagerness to do well was second only to his ever-present personality. They fought together and served well, even when captured and kept prisoner by the Chinese for a time.

Upon their return to Australia, Jack sought to help Jimmy settle. While Jimmy's massive heart and compassionate nature impacted many, the Australian immigration policy proved less progressive. As Jack fought with the politicians and bureaucrats, he and Jimmy forged a deeper friendship and connected with many of the colourful characters around Australia. Jack sought to create a means by which those who deserve to be in Australia could stay, no matter their history or colour.

Starting up a fishing export business, Jack and Jimmy used this to pave the way for potential immigration success. Their friendship deepened further and connections helped forget a strong tie to one another. Their backstories came to light over time, soon adding the friendship of Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan along the way. This threesome did all they could to catch the right dream and start a fishing business that would put them on the map. A stunning book of three lives brought together to encapsulate events of recent history, while also exploring the power of friendship and love. It kept me hooked and Bryce Courtenay proves yet again how powerful his ideas can be, given the correct medium

I have read many--actually, all--of Bryce Courtenay's novels, never finding one that did not pull me in and demanding more. The stories are so epic and all-encompassing, adding a depth I have not seen in any other author. The narrative, while meandering at times, serves as a solid foundation to guide the reader along during the reading process. As the momentum increases, there is little time to look around, as there is no end to the twists and turns presented. Characters are, as usual, stunning and have their own backstories. Those familiar with Courtenay's work will notice references to other novels and those who flavour those stories. There is no character who is simply a wallflower, though sometimes it takes dedication to find those threads. The twists and turns in the story are ever-present and evolving, leaving the reader to hold on tightly. Things end in a much different manner than they appear from the outset, though there is nothing but pure excitement for this journey. I will be back to re-read other of Bryce Courtenay's novels, as the adventures are new with each reading.

Kudos, Mr. Courtenay, for another stunning literary journey!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Ryan Rauber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book, made even better by Humphrey Bower's narration. First half of the book is the best, with JackO's and Jimmy's experience in Korea and a Chinese POW camp. Second half was much slower, and honestly could have been cut down considerably. Bryce Courtney tells a great story though, I will definitely pick up another of his books.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about life-long friendships. It sounds simple but it's a marvelous story with lots of humour, happiness, stamina, sadness and healing.....all brought about by friendships. I truly enjoyed this book. It's my favorite Bryce Courtenay book yet. I would highly recommend this book.

[Delcene Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bryce Courtney is a brilliant storyteller and I have thoroughly enjoyed most his books.

This one however was a little different.

The first half of the book was amazing.

It was a fast paced story following two soldiers -an Australian solider Jack (Jacko) McKenzie from Queen Island in Bass Strait and the other an African American US soldier - James(Jimmy) Pentecost Oldcorn a gang banger from New York - through the horrors of fighting and then becoming Prisoners of War during the Korean War.

It showed the strength and resilience of the men and the strong bonds they made enabled them and others to survive.

Bloody brilliant.

But then came the second half.

Slow as a wet week.

If you like Australiana and looking back at the enculterated racism in Australia in the 50s and 60s via the White Australia Policy you may enjoy it. It actually was educational but when he started waffling on about the character Nicole Lenoir Jourdan I nearly threw the book away. This enigmatic woman was living a solitary life on Queen Island but she was no ordinary sheila!

Oh no siree bob!

Turns out she was a Russian Countess, yep!and she was fluent in Cantonese, Russian, French and German ( as you do if you’re a Russian Countess). But it didn’t stop there! She was a concert pianist and a caviar exporter whilst living in China with
A Triad boss!

Her story blithered on for hundreds of pages and got more and more fantastical.

As a consequence I felt that the book was at least 300 pages too long.

No wonder I hadn’t heard of this book before I encountered it in a second hand book stall at Townsville Markets.

It is a good yarn but his editor should have got him to cull the book down.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ask me point-blank what this book is about, I might be hard pressed to really tell you. It reads like a biography/memoir, but it's fiction (although the blurb describes it as “inspired by real events”). So it's kind of a fictional life story of three lives and how they intersect and enrich each other. You'll eventually get the more-or-less full life story of Jacko, Jimmy, and Nicole, and a huge part of Jacko and Jimmy's story centers on their experiences in the Korean war and the two years they spent together in a Korean POW camp, which dominates the first half of the book. The second half of of the book is dominated by Nicole's story, and hers is perhaps even more surprising.

All of these pieces don't necessarily form a harmonious whole – people who say it feels like three stories slapped together aren't wrong. And there's a feeling at the end that the story is just winding down (much the way a real biography/memoir might) without really having the sort of satisfying bang of a climax and denouement that readers tend to expect out of a novel. (Although you could say the climax of the plot is when Nicole finds and makes contact with her long-lost daughter.) Nevertheless, Courtenay is such a master storyteller that I was never really dissatisfied by any of these qualities even though I noticed them. I still found the whole story quite enjoyable.

I recently vread another book that reads like a memoir (We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves), and I was incredibly disappointed when I discovered it was fiction - I was like, "What the hell was the point?!" This pseudo-memoir didn't make me feel that way. Of course, it may have helped that I went in understanding it was fiction, but the stories of these three people are that engaging, you won't care if it's real or made up.

If you're worried about reading a war and POW story, I will say I found Jacko's first-person narrative voice softens it a bit. Yes, there are terrible things happening in the first half of the book – soldiers horribly killed in battle, soldiers dead of neglect in the POW camps, Jack and Jimmy both injured, badly cared for, beaten, and tortured. But Jacko, narrating these events first-hand from a vantage point 30 years later, brings both a sense of necessary distance and his own inherent humor and optimism to the telling. And the point of this part of the story isn't the horror, but the flame of friendship, courage, and leadership that keeps Jimmy and Jacko, and many others, alive. It's to explain to you why their friendship is so profound and enduring, and why they spend the rest of their lives one-upping each other in hero worship (“No, mate, you saved my life more times than I can count! I hardly did anything!”) But it is still brutal. If that's not the kind of story you think you can handle right now, be forewarned.

Some of Courtenay's previous books have contained noticeable streaks of white saviorism (The Power of One) and Australian exceptionalism (The Potato Factory), but here he seems to get past those and confronts Australia's ugly and recent history of racism head-on. However, he still has trouble confronting white denialism – his white narrator-protagonist Jacko is portrayed as the proverbial white guy who doesn't have a racist bone in his body, even though 99% of us are not as free of racism as we'd like to think we are. It's a little too pat to suit me. I feel obliged to point out that there are masses of racism portrayed in the book, both against the “gooks” during the Korean war, and against black people generally, both institutionally and personally against Jimmy. Jimmy has to confront both systemic racism and personal, openly malicious racism time and time again throughout his life. If that's not the kind of story you think you can handle right now, again - be forewarned.

Audio Notes: This story is particularly well-suited to audio because of the very chatty, conversational first-person narrative style, and narrator Humphrey Bowers brings Jacko's over-the-top Aussie-ness to vivid life. It's really like you're having a beer on the porch with Uncle Jacko while he enthusiastically regales you with his life story, complete with atmospheric remarks like, “Now where was I?” and “As I remember it,” and “I later learned that...” that continually remind you Jacko is personally telling you this story 30 years later. Courtenay might have overdone it a little, as some of Jacko's storytelling tics began to bug me as the story went on. (But I suspect they'd be more annoying in print, so again - better in audio.)

Bowers continues to be the “Man of a Thousand Voices,” and he's as excellent here as he was in The Power of One. He keeps up Jacko's broad down-under patter all the way, and also does an impressive array of other voices and accents, ranging from Jimmy's deep and heavily affected American drawl, to Nicole's crisp upper-crust English, to elderly Chinese women.

[Cathryn Wellner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtenay's well-honed storytelling skills are on display in this sprawling saga of a book. Three complicated characters form an unlikely bond that stretches credulity but adds richness to the detailed drama that unfolds in the Korean War, in Shanghai, and on an Australian island. The author has amassed a significant trove of historical days and managed to synthesize them to create a compelling tale. The length of the book is daunting, but he offers enough rewards along the way way to keep readers engaged.

[Robert Delikat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would highly recommend Bryce Courtenay to any reader and especially readings by Humphrey Bower. I know Courtenay is good I just don't know how much greater Bower makes him. I enjoyed this book though not as much as Four Fires or The Power of One, the former being my favorite.

[James Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long at times this one was an epic story spanning decades and continents! Loved the ending of reconciliation. The Countess found peace through Lily No Gin No. 2 and Jimmy also found some closure in that itself.
The overall story was awesome. Loved this book.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Beth Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Likeable characters - but the plot was odd. A bit too pieced together - almost like three separate books rather than a single story held together by a clear theme.
That said -
I never knew about the White Australia policy. I learned more about the Korean war.
Some pretty gruesome descriptions of being a POW.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The fiction intertwined with the real life events of the Korean War and more were done with eloquent precision. The characters were so strong and likable. Just when I thought there was no more to be told another story would engulf me. Such a good read
I’m wondering if his many other books are so good and why this one is out of print

[Kathleen Hagen]

Brother Fish, by Bryce Courtenay, Narrated by Humphrey Bower, Produced by Bolinda Publishing, Downloaded from audible.com.

This was another of the sagas written by this author that you never want to finish. You want this group of characters to go on forever. You feel as if you know them. The three main protagonists all came from very rough lives. Jack McKenzie is from a working-class family living on an island in Tasmania. The main profession of the family is fishing, and their prosperity rises and falls with the sea. Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan is a woman of mystery who settles on the island, seems to be of independent means, runs the library and is the Justice of the Peace. She takes Jack under her wing when he is quite young and makes sure he gets an education even though he had to leave school to fish when his father died. Jimmy Oldcorn is an orphan who ends up for a period of time on the streets of New York. Jack and Jimmy meet when they are sent to a prison camp in North Korea during the Korean War run by the Chinese. They have many harrowing experiences, save each other’s lives many times over, and decide that they will start a business when they get back to Australia, where Jimmy is going to make his home too. When they get back to Australia, they have many hardships but finally with the help and financial backing of Countess Lenoir-Jourdan, they begin and run a wonderfully successful business. But it takes many years for all of them to go beyond their very painful early lives and find happiness, including Nicole finding her daughter, who was kidnapped at birth and who she didn’t see for 42 years. The partnership of Courtenay and the narrator Bower works like a charm, like it always does. And, wonderful surprise for me, I found out there are a couple more sagas I haven’t yet read by Courtenay narrated by Bower. So I don’t have to give up my wonderful time with these books yet. And after a few years I can probably reread them.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two reasons that I have read almost ALL of Bryce Courtenay's books. #1 He's a great storyteller. #2 Humphrey Bower is an excellent narrator. This book started out a bit slow for me. I was hesitant to read this book, since other reviewers said they didn't like all the war stuff. But, I've read other Bryce Courtenay books that talk about POW's suffering before. It was bad, but not THAT bad. I began to admire Jacko and Jimmy's friendship. They looked out for one another, and took care of their own. Some reviewers thought that the story of Jacko's mentor, Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan became an entirely new storyline-- and they lost interest. On the contrary, I actually liked her character quite a bit. I found myself in Korea, and Tasmania.
Bryce Courtenay's books tend to be a storyteller within a storyteller. Like when Jimmy explained his past. When Nicole began to share her long and sad tale, of her youth, I found it to be very interesting. Here, I was transported to China. Mr. Bower's narration of the female character was superb. His female voice is done in such a way, that I forget I'm listening to a male voice. I love when he takes on that upper crust sort of British accent.
This book ties up all the loose ends quite well. It's a very, VERY long book to read or listen to (23 hours). I'm glad I finally jumped in to listen to this book.

[Charmaine Clancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love Courtenay's Brother Fish. The Potato Factory and The Power of One sit proudly on my book shelf.
The story started out with a lot of potential, the story of two unlikely friends and the experiences in the Korean war that bind them. There's also the mysterious Miss Lenoir-Jourdan who is always a guiding force in their lives.

Sadly, this tale came across too idyllic, with every venture entered turning out to be the 'most successful in all the land'. I also had a lot of trouble meshing with the lame excuse for a mother not pursuing her baby when it is kidnapped, it just didn't ring true. All the characters were extremely stereotyped and the cliches buttered on thickly.

Courtenay has many wonderful books to read, and he will be greatly missed in Australia as a favourite author. Read the others, this is not a great example of his work.

[Robert Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out to be a wonderful story about lifelong friendships being born out of horrible conditions during internment at a Korean prisoner of war camp. I had big trouble with a certain characters dialogue in this one. Such a ridiculous sterotype that it really did bother me all through the book.

In the end what was an excellent book devolved into just okay as Mr. Courtenay (who is one of my favorites) just could not stop writing. The last third of this novel is entirely un-necessary and adds nothing to the story what so ever. A big disappointment to me in the end. His people need to tell him that the story is told as he is developing a disturbing knack for over-writing his last few books if you know what I mean. I really struggled to finish this one.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at an Audible sale and, having already read a couple Courtenay books, decided to take a chance. As soon as Humphrey Bower began to speak (he's an EXCELLENT narrator!) I was hooked, and the first half of this book, which describes Jack McKenzie's experiences in the Korean War including two years in Korean and Chinese prison camps, flew by. Since my only knowledge of the Korean war came from the 1970's TV series M*A*S*H, I found the story extremely interesting. After the war when the narrative turns almost exclusively to the story of Jack's hometown mentor and business partner I found myself losing interest.

[Paul Brogan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bryce Courtenay has been known to complain that his books find only small followings outside of Australia, blaming the parochialism and insularity of publishers and the book-buying public. I beg to differ. If this is typical of Aussie writing — which it isn't — then all I can say is that it's rubbish. While the story was a good one — focusing on events during the Korean War — he didn't need over 800 pages to tell it. The prose is ponderous and at times impenetrable; the dialogue is stiff and stale; the characters are cardboard.

Quite honestly, Australia deserves better.

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wait haven't I read this story before...oh no that was The Persimmon Tree/Fishing for Stars..oh but he's changed the names around, so that makes it different :)

[Ornella Macchiavelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so bad I couldn't even finish it. The first half was ok and the rest was shockingly boring. It didn't have to be 800 pages long either.

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always loved this author, but this is my least favourite of his books to date unfortunately.

It should really have been made into two separate books. The first two thirds separated from the last. There is almost no continuity between the two. Attempts are made to try keep them connected but are so weak that it does not help the plot flow or cultivate further. Vain attempts such as the two main characters from the first part of the book asking the lead character of the latter half, “And what happened then?” Nothing much further is invested.

A reader becomes invested in the characters introduced and if well written becomes part of their lives for a time. The pushing aside of the two main characters for an almost unrelated and distant plot from before feels as though one is almost cheated. There is less to no investment in this “intruder.”

As with almost all of the author’s books you are introduced to an event/s that you have never been exposed to much, if at all. One of these was the reaction within the USA to the “behaviour” of the American soldiers in the Korean War. The author proposes that this is the reason one hears so little about its history. I am always up for further reading and I look forward to discovering more about this subject matter.

[everything golden mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 9 of 2021:

Brother Fish
-Bryce Courtney

My staying power was strong for this one...835pg...one of my longest yet...

Brother Fish is an inspiring human drama of three lives brought together and changed for ever by the extraordinary events of recent history. Brother Fish is an Australian saga spanning eighty years and four continents. Inspired by real events, Bryce Courtenay's novel tells the story of three people from vastly differing backgrounds. All they have in common is a tough beginning in life. Jack McKenzie is a harmonica player, soldier, dreamer and small-time professional fisherman from a tiny island in Bass Strait. Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan is a strong-willed woman hiding from an ambiguous past in Shanghai. Larger than life, Private Jimmy Oldcorn was once a street kid and leader of a New York gang. Together, they reap a vast and not always legitimate fortune from the sea.
A beautiful look at history with perspective of race, class, gender, the brutality of war and human suffering. At a time when we need more healing than hatred and bravado, this book serves as a reminder that in the end,
‘Love is all we need.’

5/5⭐️
Happy Reading x

[Elizabeth Danielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Australian fishing saga was offered as an Audible Daily Deal. I have listened to other Bryce Courtenay books and enjoyed them, so I purchased this one. As with his other books, this was an historical novel, set in the first half of the twentieth century. There are three main characters: Jacko McKinsey, a hardscrabble Australian, Jimmy, an orphaned Black American, and Nicole, a mysterious woman who turned out to be a White Russian refugee who grew up in China. The story takes place in Shanghai, Korea, America, and Australia. It was interesting but way too long (30 hours). I learned a lot about the region and its history, I liked the characters, and the message of the power of friendship was worthwhile, but I got bored with it all by the end.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It is 31 hours long and I didn’t want it to end!! The narrator (Humphrey Bower) is fantastic … I am going to look for more audiobooks narrated by him. He could do any accent from Jacko’s Australian to Jimmy’s negro to Nicole’s Queen’s English plus lots of different Asian accents.
This sweeping saga is the tale of an eternal friendship formed in a Chinese POW camp during the Korean War between Jacko, a 25 year old Aussie from a poor fishing family, and Jimmy, an American negro orphan. Like his characters in The Power of One these people came alive for me. Courtenay is an exceptional writer and the book is truly enhanced by the narration. Dive into this epic tale … you won’t regret it.

[Val Wilkerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I read by Bryce Courtenay was The Power of One, which I picked up at our local street library, where you can help yourself to any of the books or leave books. I am so thankful to whoever put that book into the free library. I have since read 5 of Courtenay's books. Each one I absolutely loved. Brother Fish has three main characters. Jacko lives in Tasmania. He ends up in the Korean War where he meets Jimmy, a very large American negro. They are captured and thrown into a cave with other POW's. They each have a broken leg and have received no medical treatment. This is the start of what becomes a life time friendship. It is a remarkable story and I cannot say how much I love how this author wrote. I plan on reading each of his books.

[Judith Leipold · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saga covers it all, decades and continents, world wars and life wars, POW's, and motherless children. For me, it reflected life itself. The little day to day decisions we make, that turn out to be guiding ones. What impressed me was the amount of research that had to be done. Between the cultures and languages of many (six? seven?) countries, the Korean War, the fishing industry, the storms of Tasmania, not to mention the human psyche surviving trauma, the author delivered it all without question or doubt. This was the first BC book I ever read. I love a good story, and BC is a master storyteller.

[Valerie Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Listened to it on audible. Humphrey Bower is an amazing narrator. Book is very well written, entertaining, and hard to put down. I have referred it to several people, including my book club. Based on a true story and historical fiction that follows three characters, Jimmy Oldcorn an American private, Jacko McKenzie an Australian private, and Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan a music teacher, librarian, justice of the peace, and later newspaper owner on a small island in Australia. The timing is pre, during, and post Korean War. The book is full of great life lessons.

[Daknees57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The size of this book is intimidating, even for a veteran reader like me! Having read 4 other of Mr. Courtenay’s novels, I decided to pick it up at the used book table. Very good decision! What a craftsman! I learned a lot about the Korean War and the White Australia policy, about Chinese gangs and White Russians. I fell in love with the characters and got absorbed in the plot. A great summer read!

[Alcibiades · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of novel I can really appreciate and wish to read constantly. Aside of the fascinating details into cultures, war, places and time, I am surprised by the depth of understandings by the author of such variety of different lives. Although there’s bits and pieces lacked in the description of the Chinese part, but I could see no other which can compete with this novel. A huge achievement.