The Story of Danny Dunn

by Bryce Courtenay

In the aftermath of the Great Depression few opportunities existed for working-class boys, but at just eighteen Danny Dunn has everything going for brains, looks, sporting ability – and an easy charm. His parents run The Hero, a neighbourhood pub, and Danny is a local hero.
Luck changes for Danny when he signs up to go to war. He returns home a physically broken man, to a life that will be changed forever. Together with Helen, the woman who becomes his wife, he sets about rebuilding his life.

Set against a backdrop of Australian pubs and politics, The Story of Danny Dunn is an Australian family saga spanning three generations. It is a compelling tale of love, ambition and the destructive power of obsession.
'This classic Aussie story is vintage Courtenay.'   Sunday Mail  
'Courtenay's enthusiasm for his story is hard to resist. And he's a pro.' The Age
'From gritty pre-war Balmain to the death camps of Singapore and back to '70s Sydney, this is an epic from a superlative storyteller …' Harper's Bazaar
'A great sweeping novel to lift the spirit.' Weekly Times  
brycecourtenay.com
facebook.com/BryceCourtenay

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

500 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was great. Shame about the sex scenes that went into more graphic detail than was required. I listened as an audiobook and loved Humphrey Bowers' narration. And he can even sing - what a shame he isn't in the choir I'm in!!

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gah. Two days of stupid thickly laid on perfect characters ending in a chapter of tears... typical Bryce Courternay.

There are a plenty of characters in the book, and plenty of time to get to know each one of them. However each character seemed so steotypical and so perfect. The young Danny Dunn is clearly perfect in every single way, as an athlete, a soldier and later in his career. His mother is a miracle worker, his father undergoes a transformation that makes him completely unrecognisable, Danny's mates are all perfect and everything in his life falls into place. Even his wife is faultless, being beautiful, a highly intelligent woman receiving a doctorate after being a highly ranked woman in the army, to top it all of she insists on sex on an almost daily basis dropping her panties countless times during the book.

The majority of the book (up to the last chapter) is boring. Nothing actually happens, aside from a long detailed account of the perfect way in which the perfect Danny Dunn perfectly handles everything that happens to him in his perfect lifetime. It was laid on so thickly I was embarassed to be reading it, in true Bryce Courtenay style the final chapter left me in tears, I am still not sure why it took so long to get to anything remotely emotional.

If this was a book club book there would be nothing to talk about.

[AndyS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book... One of my three favorites from Bryce Courtenay... Of course all the books from this author are very good... I liked "THE POWER OF ONE" the most. "Brother Fish" is also excellent, gripping in the beginning and then funny second half of the book...

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting heartbreaking novel. It could easily be soneones real story.
More thoughts to come when I come out of Book Fog/Christmas Fog

[Kerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off well but deteriorated into one of the worst reads I have had this year. Perfect characters and a sickly sweet plot made for a lousy book. It's almost like a collaborative job where the author passed the book to the next person who tried to outdo the last author. Poorly written and so tiresome it served as a great sleep inducer. Very disappointing.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK: This was such an amazing listen! The reader was fantastic, the story was lovely and touching and funny and heartbreaking. It truly had it all. I wish the story hadn’t ended, I wanted to hear more about these wonderful characters, a sign of a really wonderful book.

[Donna Devos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm never dissappointed in a Bryce Courtenay novel.
Set in thge 20th century in Austrailia we follow an Irish immigrant family make good Sydney.
With humour and pathos we witness the rise and fall of Danny Dunn an athletic hero to the local working class community. When the second world war breaks out he enlists and is broken by his Japanese captures on the Burma railroad. Rescued by the Americans he takes his broken face and body home.
He is haunted by war demons and his disfigurement but finds redemption in Helen his sweetheart before the war who awaits his return.
As Danny works at putting his life back together, we follow his family through triumph, heartbreak and sorrow. The book closes at the end of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico with 2 tragedies that made me cry but also opened my eyes to how easily we are all broken.

[Liza Perrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an entertaining Aussie family saga. I felt it lacked one central theme/conflict though and jumped about too much, covering every possible angle of life during that time period in Australia.

[Juba · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest flaw in the Story of Danny Dunn is mr. Dunn himself. He isn't a likeable character, and is pretty much the same perfect character featured in other Bryce Courtenay novels. Apparently he has suffered terribly in the war, but since the author skips that period of time in the novel, it is difficult to become emotionally attached to the character and his supposed problems. I was half expecting him to become the Prime Minister of Australia, or the first man on the moon, or something similar. Of course everyone else in his family is extremely successful as well.

I really like mr. Courtenay's storytelling, I just wish the characters were a bit more interesting - they don't always have to be super human. In this book the 50's and 60's Australia and other places are well described, and while there is a slow bit in the middle of the book, it is mainly interesting to read the story.

I was going to rate this book two stars, but the ending seemed to make it a bit better so one extra star from that.

[Donone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book; in the past I have been enthralled by some of Bryce Courtenay's novels, and I still remember reading The Power of One in a single sitting, hanging on every word. Unfortunately I found The Story Of Danny Dunn to be awful - really skin crawlingly bad, so that I found myself skimming to try and find anything worth reading. The characters are strictly one dimensional, the attempts to use accents in dialogue are sometimes incomprehensible and the love / sex scenes are laugh out loud ludicrous. And the ending … it’s hard not to believe that Courtenay realised that he had penned a stinker, and found a convenient way of ending his (and the reader’s) agony. I thought I was being smart using a Border’s voucher on the last day before the axe fell on them – I guess they had the last laugh.

[Mirjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved it! Brice Courtenay is "spot on" as far as Australian politics , and politics in other countries is probably not any different.

If this book was made compulsory reading for our young people, government would have lots of trouble getting volunteers to go and fight in wars all over the world for someone else's interests.

[Ciara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cheesy or what. One dimensional characters overcoming every obstacle life places in their path. The sad event that occurs in the last few pages is not enough to make this book interesting. Very disappointing

[Sarah Webb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't been this angry at a book in a very long time!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the ending was rushed, a little disappointing. Helen’s character lacks credibility at times. Then again it is fiction

[Kathleen Hagen]

The Story of Danny Dunn, by Bryce Courtenay, Narrated by Humphrey Bower, Produced by Bolyn Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

The Story of Danny Dunn is an Australian family saga centering on a working-class
family of publicans who make their first mark in Balmain in the 1930s. In that decade, two opportunities existed for boys of Balmain, a working-class Sydney
suburb: to be selected into Fort Street Boys School or to excel as a sportsman. At just 16 years, Danny Dunn has everything going for him: brains, looks,
sporting aptitude - and luck with the ladies. His parents run The Hero of Mafeking ('Maffos'), the favourite local watering hole, and the whole of Balmain
is proud of Danny's sporting prowess. His mother, though, is determined that Danny will make it out of the working class and insists that he attend college rather than train for the Olympics. But when WW II breaks out, six months before he would get his degree, he leaves the university and joins up. He is sent to southeast Asia and spends over three years as a POW. He comes home, with a disfigured face and a crippled back, no longer able to train for any kind of sports. He marries, and goes to law school. He becomes the kind of lawyer that is always fighting for the rights of others, whether or not they can pay. Danny and Helen have twin daughters, and he sets out to train them to make the Olympics-the dream he was never able to fulfill for himself. He becomes as obsessed with the girls fulfilling his ambitions as his mother had been that he become educated and fulfill her ambitions. This saga takes us through the successes and tragedy of his life and that of his family. A wonderful saga read by Humphrey Bower, my favorite Australian narrator.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. The reviews are all over the place. Lots of "haters" about this book. I'm not a literature major. I don't teach literature. I just like a good story. For me, Bryce Courtenay tells a good story, albeit a long one. I like sagas, and I like stories that covers someone's lifespan. I like characters who are strong in character...survivors, if you will. The main reason I'm listening to all of Bryce Courtenay's audio books is because I am a huge fan of Humphrey Bower. He makes the characters very real, including feminine characters. Was Danny perfect? No. He had his demons from the atrocities of war. I loved Helen's character, because she loved Danny, no matter what. It's shocking what POW's endured, under Japanese capture. I am grateful that the book didn't get into the nitty gritty details of it. Yes, there's some gruesome descriptions, but not too much. I'm not one to write what the plot is about, because all you have to do is read the plot description in the first place. All I will say is that there were times when Danny irritated me, to no end. His father role showed his damaged soul and controlling nature. On the other hand, he was a clever man. I admired how he handled the situation with the corrupt politicians. The ending... well, because I don't want to give anything away. It wasn't the ending I would have liked to read. It's a very long story told. Like I said, I like a well told story. This isn't my top favorite of Bryce Courtenay's novels, but I still enjoyed it.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a Bryce Courtenay book for several years (the last one was Four Fires) and was wondering if I'd 'grown out' of them.

The answer is no. This book reminded me what good, true Australia literature is about and I was able to relate to many things (seems not much has changed in NSW since the fifties). The story is about Danny Dunn, who lives in the working class Sydney suburb of Balmain and has it all going for him- looks, brains and brawn. Unfortunately WWII put paid to that and Danny returns home a changed man. The book is ultimately about his attempt to try to survive his demons but portrays a good Aussie yarn too.

While it skips over some parts (years go by in pages) and seems to cover a lot of topics very quickly, the ending is very powerful. I found it moving, but some it didn't seem to tie in for me. Everything going fairly okay, then some big events and then some big ramifications- but I guess that's life.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose this book is an histoical fiction or a love story or a bit of an adventure book.but if you ask me it is just a great book lots and lots of great characters and a excellent story line. this is a very odd book in that some of the other revues that I glanced were either a four or five star or a one star, so it is either it was loved or hated and I was one of the people that loved it.

[Russell Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read. A great insight into sydney at the time and also another reminder of the futility of war. Compared to other Australian recent releases this is the best. Compared to the author's other works not his best, and found Brother Fish far more enlightening.

[Gayle]

Started this immediately after Fishing for Stars. Loved it. Great read knowing the Balmain area due to visiting my friend Lynelle who lives in the area. This made it easy to picture the setting and understand the people in the story.

[Kathidfsmc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and it had quite an unexpected ending. The book spanned 3 generations of a family and it was very interesting and easy reading. It was really enjoyable. I hope there is a part 2 because I would like to know what happens next......

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it as I always love his stories (except one) set in Balmain, it gave me a bit of in site as to how Sydney Harbour used to be a stink hole! And some of the politics and corruption that went on back then and probably still does today!

[Donna]

Read in one sitting. 800 pgs! Good thing I'm retired.

[Adair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Except for a stint in Asia during World War II, Danny Dunn lives all his life in the Sydney suburb of Balmain. With street smarts and gumption, he manages to crawl out of poverty. His story? A lot of beer and sport mixed together with war, class politics, and an occasional bit of spirited sex.

Against the odds, Danny is quickly and uneventfully domesticated by Helen; after a side trip to America to fix up his war-smashed face, the two settle down. For a nuclear family of the 1950s, their lives are strangely familiar: two high-powered careers, scheduling dramas, and endless, inconvenient household renovations. From the first moment, when he insists on being present for the birth of his twin daughters—something unheard of in the 1950s—Danny is a shining example of fatherhood, involved, healthy, supportive. It’s just not believable that he’s also haunted by the war. Every now and then, he’s overcome with anger, but then, isn’t everyone? These scenes, meant to convey the psychic war wounds later known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, feel tacked on and inauthentic, a lazy author’s cheap ploy to maintain dramatic interest.

Helen, Danny’s mother Brenda, and his daughters are intended to be strong and determined, but they feel like mannequins—fantasy versions of feisty females dressed up and put into poses according to the needs of the story. There is no sense of their inner worlds.

The Story of Danny Dunn is a long, long book, which is understandable since it spans three generations. Sadly, much of it is unnecessary. There’s too much back-story. The historical digressions, while interesting, have a whiff of Wikipedia. A good editor could have cut the word count by a third simply by ridding the story of its many clichés.

Courtenay is an author who eschews literary aspirations in favour of writing what he puts forward as simple stories about simple lives. In this case, such non-elitism falls into shallow characterisations, predictable conflicts, and expected resolutions. In a recent interview, Courtenay claimed to have the education required to write a literary novel, to be a writer rather than just a storyteller. Unfortunately, The Story of Danny Dunn isn’t a good novel of any sort. It isn’t a novel by Bryce Courtenay, the Writer, or Bryce Courtenay, the Storyteller; rather it has the feel of being manufactured by the Bryce Courtenay Machine. While there’s nothing to dislike about Danny, there’s also nothing compelling about him or his story. Save fifty bucks: don’t bother with this book.

POSTSCRIPT: There is the moment when a book arrives in the mail for review. Before opening the package, I hesitate an instant: Will it be readable? Enjoyable? Stimulating? Add to ideas? Foster debate? Or will it be awful? And, if it’s awful, will it be awful in an interesting way? Or just plain bad?

I consider myself to be a fair reviewer. As a writer, I understand the effort and dedication that goes into creating a long work for publication. In any book, there is almost always something good to set against whatever might be negative.

Last December, I was sent Bryce Courtenay’s The Story of Danny Dunn. Though I knew his name as a blockbuster sort of writer, I’d never read anything by him. To be honest, I never really wanted to, and so I stood crestfallen when this very heavy book arrived. It took a long time to get through.

After a week, my editor politely queried: “The Courtenay review… soon?”

“Nearly there,” I replied. “It’s long, and I feel I should be fair and read the entire book before writing about it.”

A couple of days later I delivered a scathing review, one of the most negative I’ve ever written. I could not find one positive thing to mention. An excerpt:

Courtenay is an author who eschews literary aspirations in favour of writing what he puts forward as simple stories about simple lives. In this case, such non-elitism falls into shallow characterisations, predictable conflicts, and expected resolutions. In a recent interview, Courtenay claimed to have the education required to write a literary novel, to be a writer rather than just a storyteller. Unfortunately, The Story of Danny Dunn isn’t a good novel of any sort. It isn’t a novel by Bryce Courtenay, the Writer, or Bryce Courtenay, the Storyteller; it has the feel, rather, of being manufactured by the Bryce Courtenay Machine.

It’s a year later and, right on schedule, Courtenay has produced another book—Fortune Cookie. I was spared that moment of getting it for review (and then having to traverse my way through it). I did, however, read with interest Geordie Williamson’s review in The Australian. I was amused by the parallel with my review of last year’s book. Williamson says: “Aided by a small army of researchers, personal assistants, editors, brand managers and marketing directors, Courtenay does what he has always done: sell things, and exceptionally well.”

In the review, Williamson also refers to the well-known stoush between Courtenay and Peter Carey. Last June, in an interview with Crikey, Courtenay labeled Carey’s closing speech at the Sydney Writers Festival “absolute bullshit”. (Carey called for higher literary standards.)

“Peter Carey is a perfect example of that kind of inane literacy (sic) snobbery. Good writing is good writing,” the 76-year-old told Crikey from his home in Bowral in NSW. “There’s no such thing as popular writing versus literary writing. If I’m a popular writer then Peter Carey is an unpopular writer. If I’m a best-selling writer than he’s a worst-selling writer.

“It’s not ‘I am a literate writer and he is an illiterate writer’. My education is every bit as good as Peter’s, possibly better. Unequivocally, I could write his kind of stuff.”

It seems to be lost on Courtenay that Peter Carey hasn’t done so badly for himself—with excellent sales, three Bookers among other prizes, as well as film versions of his novels. All this and ideas, style, and craftsmanship too.

Courtenay remains mightily defensive. If he is indeed capable of writing well-crafted novels with solid ideas and interesting characterisations, I urge him to do so. He should shut down the factory and really write. So he misses next year’s just-in-time-for-Christmas release. Big W will find something else to display. Uncle Joe just might be relieved at getting a different kind of book for a change.

I think Courtenay has long been coasting on the reputation of his first novel, which I’ve been told isn’t bad. If he continues with his current frequency and standard of output, he should expect the kinds of reviews he’s currently getting.

Like Carey, I strongly encourage the reading public to send a message to the publishing industry by not supporting this type of substandard factory product. There’s room for fiction of all types: literary, crime, adventure, speculative, fantasy, romance. What there isn’t room for is this kind of cynical, assembly-line, cheaply-made, profit-at-all-costs writing. Do not reward it.

[Brian Starling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this novel because I was drawn in with the historical aspect in the first chapter. Unfortunately there was no dimension to any of the characters. None of them were likeable, nor were they really hate-able. The fact a few of them died in the last few pages did not pull on the heart strings.

The plot was this happened and this happened and then these people died. The flirting and sex scenes were either cringeworthy or non events, such as a couple in the shower, she just gets down and sucks his cock, they get out of the shower, she shoots up heroin for the first time ever like it's no big deal, then they have sex.

The parts that could have been the most interesting were just skipped over with a time lapse. It took a while to read as it was easy to put down.

It was worth the read for the historical aspect; although, some of the changes in history may not sit well with people, especially the narrative around the Mexico Olympics. It didn't work for me but I can see why some people love it and gave it 5 stars.

[Rosana Brew · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first chapter, this book had really serious melancholic tones. Even during moments of joy described, the underlying sadness was still lingering. Although the Dunn family begin to prosper and became wealthy, I still felt an emptiness in their lives I couldn't shake. I'm not sure if it was the way it was written or if it was even intentional. Maybe it was my perspective and mine alone.

I was wondering whether to rate 3 stars simply because it's not necessarily enjoyable or entertaining but I gave it 4 stars because I believe everyone needs to read this book to grasp some slight understanding of the struggles of the hardworking lower class of that era (who do the best the only way they know how), the struggles of overcoming war to only have it impact everyone in your present and future life and the struggles of finding success not healing you or filling voids in the ways you expected.

It was a very well researched book.

[Yahya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes, Danny thought later, time seems trapped in a vacuum where nothing happens, the seconds tick by unused towards our ultimate demise; then, on other occasions a passing moment is so crammed with stimuli that it sputters and spits, sending out emotional sparks like a shorting electric plug"

The story of Danny Dunn is an incredible story. It’s one of my life simple pleasures to read any book of Bryce Courtney. As there are fewer and fewer books for him that I have not read and reread, I treated myself to this book as a present to read on my birthday. It took a week to finish… and it worth it.
The characters are well polished and described. You get sucked down by the story and characters.. you share their triumphs and sorrows.. Reading about Sam’s death made me sad and depressed for a whole day. Thanks to audible, I was able to finish the last few chapters.

[Sharryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read with a slight case of déjà vu in some parts as to whether or not I’ve read it before.
Courtenay is by far one of my favourite authors and this novel had a little bit of everything I love.
Australian life, sporting history, hard working, proud people and the way it was around Sydney and surrounding suburbs in the days before my time.
I adored the main characters and thoroughly enjoyed travelling through the years of their lives with them.
I truly felt like I knew them personally towards the end of the story, much to the credit of the authors writing style.
The Story of Danny Dunn is a must read for not only Courtenay fans but also for those that love a good, honest, well written read.
It will keep you turning the pages through time right till the very end.

[Frances Macknight · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic novel which captivated me totally being set in Australia in a working class area of Sydney. Out of lower class prejudice, great athletes developed. Danny would be an Australian great, but for for his decision to go to war and being severely injured in a Japanese war camp. But in his heart the excellence of sport drove him in every area of his life including with his daughters who also had talent. He cared too much for his fellow comrades at a terrible cost. He demanded great achievement in his community in politics. He was a driven man who made a difference but obsession can lead to disaster.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many of Courtenay's books and this one is a good read, but not his best effort. It's very long and skips a lot of details to finish off the story. It would have been much more enjoyable as a series, like his Australian Trilogy (The Potato Factory, etc). It also bugged me that although Danny was very socially conscious, he had no inking that "pokie" machines might adversely affect people. Perhaps the effects of gambling addition weren't well known in the 1960s. And I may be suffering from presentism.