The Persimmon Tree

By: Bryce Courtenay

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Length: 27 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A sweeping saga from Bryce Courtenay, Australia's most popular author.

The Persimmon Tree opens in Indonesia in 1942 on the cusp of Japanese invasion and the evacuation of Batavia (Jakarta) by the Dutch. Seventeen-year-old Nicholas Duncan is on holiday there, in pursuit of an exotic butterfly known as the Magpie Crow. It's an uncertain, dangerous time to be in Indonesia, and Nick's options of getting out are fast dwindling. Amidst the fear and chaos he falls in love with Anna, the beautiful daughter of a Dutch acquaintance, and she nicknames him 'Mr Butterfly'.

To assist in the escape, Anna's father gifts Nick his prized yacht, Vlermuis, to sail to Australia. Singapore has just fallen, the Japanese have made it to Sumatra, and the waters are dangerous. Vlermuis is not long out of Batavia when Nick is forced ashore for repairs. He witnesses the bloody execution of shipwrecked Allied soldiers by natives, and while burying what's left of the bodies, Nick notices one wounded soldier has escaped death, and he carries him back to his yacht.

The rescued soldier is a lower-class Irish Catholic American called Kevin Judge. He has no sailing experience, but he assists Nick in navigating through some dramatic storms and the two form an unlikely and lifelong friendship.

©2007 Bryce Courtenay; 2013 Christine Courtenay (P)2007 Bolinda Publishing

Wonderful book

The narrator is excellent!! The story is well researched, characters so real and love the story.

Not my favourite Bryce Courtney book

It seems really dated now but I suppose is appropriate to the time it was written. I found a few times of annoyance when the character would say “ I had once told her about.....” or “I had learned....... “. It just seemed too unreal and coincidental. The performance is exceptional however. Humphrey Bower - I salute you.

Great narration and epic story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Persimmon Tree to be better than the print version?

In this case yes. Thouroughly enjoyed the narration. Character voices very plausible, even across genders.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anna. Her story resonated with me and I was almost instantly invested in her journey.

Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no.

If you could rename The Persimmon Tree, what would you call it?

wouldnt rename it. after understanding the definition of the persimmon tree, the title was very fitting.

Any additional comments?

Was disappointed in the rapid closure at the end, especially related to Anna. Would have like further description of her recovery and well being.

Outstanding

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this book--outstanding performance of a great story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Persimmon Tree?

Too many to count.

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

Accent, difference in voices for the different characters--feeling for the subject.

Great way to learn of history

What did you like best about The Persimmon Tree? What did you like least?

It was nicely narrated and interesting. The main male character was unreasonably mature, knowledgeable and too good to be true for his 18 years

What was most disappointing about Bryce Courtenay’s story?

see above

Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great narrator easy to listen to

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

possibly

Absolutely enchanting

Would you listen to The Persimmon Tree again? Why?

This is a beautiful story, very well told. Warning listening to this story is addictive. It is best suited for a voyage, where have time to savor this delicious tale.

Excellent read.

What did you love best about The Persimmon Tree?

The story behind the seeds.

Which character – as performed by Humphrey Bower – was your favorite?

It is hard to pick a favorite character. I felt connected to several of the characters.

Great book and an excellent narrator

I really enjoyed this book and i look forward to the next two in the triology

Great Historical Read

This was the first novel I listened to by Bryce Courtenay. I found it very engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. I listened to Brother Fish next and could not finish it. It was too similar and the narrator sounded the same for the characters and I kept mixing them up in my head. So my advice is to not listen to them too close together. If you are looking for a credit worthy novel for a long trip or long weekend this is an excellent book.

Good story

Good story, but the absolute worst imitation of American accents ever. Very distracting and extremely annoying. He does OK with the upper class accents, but kevin and Joe are horrible parodies of working class speech, and a bit insulting. Other than the spotty narration, this book was good escapist story telling.