The Potato Factory

The Australian Trilogy, Book 1

By: Bryce Courtenay

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Length: 23 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Always leave a little salt on the bread...

Ikey Solomon's favorite saying is also his way of doing business, and in the business of thieving he's very successful indeed. Ikey's partner in crime is his mistress, the forthright Mary Abacus, until misfortune befalls them. They are parted and each must make the harsh journey from thriving nineteenth century London to the convict settlement of Van Diemen's Land.

In the backstreets and dives of Hobart Town, Mary learns the art of brewing and builds The Potato Factory, where she plans a new future. But her ambitions are threatened by Ikey's wife, Hannah, her old enemy. The two women raise their separate families, one legitimate and the other bastard. As each woman sets out to destroy the other, the families are brought to the edge of disaster.

©2013 Christine Courtenay (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"In the tradition of Charles Dickens, Courtenay creates a unique cast of characters from the outset of this epic novel....Humphrey Bower's performance is a marvel...making this one of those rare books with a sweep of characters the readers come to care about deeply." (AudioFile)

A fabuous story!

What made the experience of listening to The Potato Factory the most enjoyable?

The characters are beautifully written and the plot carries one along.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Potato Factory?

The harshness of the characters' lives combined with riveting dialogue.

What does Humphrey Bower bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Marvelous voices and accents.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A saga of the old and new world, with characters and plot twists to love and hate.

Any additional comments?

This is one of the best "reads" I've enjoyed in many years. Totally satisfying.

Amazing historical fiction

Where does The Potato Factory rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was the most enjoyable fiction to listen to! I just couldn't stop listening to the story! I wanted to know what happened next to all of the characters in the story that I got the second audiobook in the series.

The bowels of London produce fodder for Australia

Bryce Courtney is a brilliant author, both in his prose and also his research. The story he weaves highlights the plight of harlots, ratters, con men and orphans in the late 1700s and 1800s in England, with special attention to the use of women.

Bower's narration was an excellent accompaniment to the story, adding to the enjoyment instead of irritating or becoming a distraction.

I intend to read more of Courtney's work.

Loved it

Amazing book ...never boring right to the end to me it was his best book

Wonderful!

This is a sad but wonderful story. It's filled with heartache and hardship one can never imagine. But love and hope in a better future prevail. Wonderful story!

This narrator is top notch 👌

Ther narrator was absolutely amazing, the story was captivating.

TW: though true to the times of the story: racism, antisemitic, rape, and sexisum

Not for the faint of heart

Would you consider the audio edition of The Potato Factory to be better than the print version?

I've not read the print version.

What does Humphrey Bower bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent reader. He portrays the various characters well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I read quite a bit of historical fiction, but this is such a violent story, I'm not sure I'm actually glad to have read it. Not that it isn't good. It's well done. But some of the descriptions I wish I could expunge from my memory. I could have lived the rest of my life without the particularly graphic and violent visuals this author is so proficient at writing.
I'm not naive and I am pretty tough minded, but beware. The pictures this author paints are not easily forgotten.
I did feel the ending gave enough hope to make me want to read more of this series, but it's going to be a while.

Modern Day Dickens

What did you love best about The Potato Factory?

This is the first audiobook that I've listen to that is truly performed, not read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Potato Factory?

Every scene with Ikey Solomon.

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

He is by far the best narrator I've heard in 200 books. The first I can say rises above the description "reader" to thespian.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

If you love Dickens and always kind of wonder what he'd make of Australia, here you go.

Any additional comments?

I'm half way through the second book now and loving the entire series.

Not epic. Not very good.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. It's just not a good story. I didn't like the violence in the early part of the story. it seemed overdone. Also, the author goes to great pains to make sure we understand how gross everything is, every smell, texture, etc. And then he just creates fanciful scenes that bypass the reality he forces on us. An example is when Ike is magically transformed from his street self into a wealthy banker in a matter of minutes. It would work in a movie (you know when they play a great song and all kinds of things happen fast), but not in a novel. I mean the guy never bathes ( really never), yet the stick him in a suit and he passes for a wealthy man in an office with a real banker. Now, if he suggested that the banker noticed it and ignored it, that is one thing, but he just passes it by because he needs the scene to work. Another one is that Mary keeps the abacus throughout the book. Nice symbolism and sentiment, but there are so many people who hate her who that could have (and in reality) would have destroyed it. Once again, either shoot straight or don't, but half-way is just weak.

What could Bryce Courtenay have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I have no idea. I really enjoyed the book,

What does Humphrey Bower bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was very good.

Was The Potato Factory worth the listening time?

No. 22 hours only to make you interested in hearing the backstory of the in the sequel of the kidnapping that takes place at the end. By then, I could care less about the characters.

Any additional comments?

I usually don't write negative reviews, but I bought it based on all the good reviews and was quite disappointed so I felt obligated to let people know that this is no epic.

EDUCATIONAL, SOMETIMES ENTERTAINING BUT MOSTLYSLOW

The Power of One was such a classic and a very much loved book that I have read a number of times over the years. When I heard that Bryce had sadly passed away I was moved to read something else written by him so I purchased this Title. I found the history aspect of the novel really interesting, especially the early days of Van Dieman's Land. However, I was disappointed in the story itself as it moved far too slowly with absolutely nothing happening at times. Apart from the two main protagonists, I could not get into the other various characters who seemed to me to be contrived and just not 'believable'. As much as I wanted to love this book I couldn't and won't be purchasing the rest of the triology.