Cindy

I have read several of Bryce Courtenay's books and have enjoyed them all, and this one is no exception. Without telling you the story, it is a story about two twin brothers coming of age amidst great misfortune in their lives and of the powerful bond that siblings, especially twins, can have.

It was a very interesting read which kept me engaged the entire time, Bryce makes you care about these characters and want to know what happens next in their lives. The only thing that could be a negative for me is that I felt that the story ended a bit abruptly for my taste.

I must also mention Humphrey Bower, he was BORN to read Bryce Courtenay's books; so perfect and talented in every way.

I will miss Bryce Courtenay's work so very much. His writings are so uplifting, as his characters overcome their demons and at times, tragedies and somehow seem to rise above them and learn from them.

This story was just as wonderful as the others. It is part 1 of a series of 2 (the next is Tommo and Hawk) and is about a woman who ventures out trying to find work in a man's world, suffers consequences as a result of this and spends a good part of her life rising above all of these misfortunes to a level that I found very uplifting. What a testiment to the human spirit!

As always, Humphrey Bower is a joy to listen to; his voice fits Bryce's work so well, and he does different characters so convincingly that you forget that it's one person narrating!

All in all, a wonderful read, I am greatly saddened by Mr. Courtenay's death and the stories that he had yet to tell. RIP Mr. Courtenay, and thank you for gracing us with your words.

Every time I begin to read a Bryce Courtenay story, I am thinking to myself, "How can this one be as good as the last one I read?", and every time I am quite surprised to find that the one I'm reading is just as fantastic as all the others! His stories are all different, but engaging and interesting all the same.
In this story, which is, incidentally read by the INCOMPARABLE Humphrey Bower (so wonderful and easy to listen to and whose voice is perfect for Bryce's stories) there are characters who fall on hard times and through his/her life experiences, find a way to conquer his/her demons. Going along for the ride, learning for ourselves along the way, make this book, as all the others, great listens.

While I did enjoy this book, it was not quite as good as some of the other Jane Austin books I've read. It was a bit slower moving and storyline not as strong.

The narrator was wonderful.

As with all of the other Courtenay books I've read, this one was also phenomenal. The storyline was very engaging, characters likable, and there is always a wonderful moral to his stories. This one had me engaged until the very end. What a wonderful writer Bryce Courtenay is, weaving a full, rich, colorful book every time!

Humphrey Bower is a super narrator for these books, love his accents.

While trying to get through this book I couldn't help but feeling that I was listening to a either a Hardy Boy's mystery or an episode of Murder She Wrote. The storyline seemed quite juvenile and even laughable, from the exchanges between the characters to the description of the trial proceedings.

As for the narrator, his steely, breathy and monotone voice really got under my skin, his character changes were nondescript.

I wasn't interested in the story until Part 2, at which time it became a bit more interesting, but as I previously said, the story was pretty "hokey". But that's just my opinion! I have listened to many books, about half of them mysteries and this was NOT a good mystery.

A very interesting read; the narration was superb and the story, although slow at times, was engaging and the characters well developed.

This story had me engaged from the very beginning; you quickly begin to care about its characters and their lives. The narrator was excellent and a pleasure to listen to. The story weaves in and out of the lives of a particular southern family with all of the trials and tribulations of a very dysfunctional family, the details of which are gradually revealed throughout the story, and the issues that the siblings of this family eventually have to deal with.
There is much humor in the story, revealing all of the craziness of this family in a lighthearted way, for the most part.
The only thing that I had to get used to was that the story goes back and forth between the young family and the grown-up family. I thought I was missing certain things until I realized that those things had not been divulged yet. And my questions were answered further on in the book.
All in all, I loved this book and did not want it to end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narration was great, and I just couldn't put it down. A great look into a time that we cannot imagine; talk about women's rights! I highly recommend this book, great historical fiction.

What a riveting story; superbly written and so informative about our WWII POW's. I couldn't put it down. This book is primarily about one man's life, his POW experience, and how this affects his life after the war. But, it is also a testament of all of our veterans' courage, heart, and their love of their country when they find themselves in an unfortunate, to say the least, predicament of being a POW. A must read! One very minor negative for me was that the narrator's voice, for some reason, was a bit irritating to me at times, but that did not affect my enjoyment of this book.