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)

Great Storyteller

Beautiful narration of a good story about fascinating characters blending fact with fiction. Bryce Courtenay follows a formula in his stories that is always a little familiar with larger than life women characters but always entertaining.

Simply Outstanding!

This is by far the best fiction I've listened to or read in my lifetime. You cannot go wrong with this entire series, "The Australian Trilogy," of which this is the first book. Bryce Courtney is a genius storyteller, and this history of the founding of Australia is pin-you-to-your-chair riveting listening. Humphrey Bower is masterful in his narration. I understand he narrates all of Courtney's work, and I can see why. Get this book and enjoy!!

Excellent book, better performance

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

Anyone who enjoys audio books will definitely like this book.The descriptions are precise yet detailed.There was information about conditions and circumstances of that era that were heretofore romanticized yet the reality of the rawness was still compelling.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Iccy is definitely a standout character. He's so Dickensian, a dichotomy of greed and compassion.

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

Humphrey Bower's performance is one of the best I've ever heard. Both my husband and I wondered if we would have liked the book half as much were it not for his rendering. Each character has a distinct voice and accent. It was like listening to an old radio play. Absolutely first rate.

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

I like a book that makes me search out additional information about the place, times, and people and I have done that with this book.

What a great duo!

I now have a mission to listen to every book written by Bryce Courtenay and read by Humphrey Bower!

Great Book! Great Narrator!

After the Power of One , I doubted that another Bryce Courtney novel would match up.... I was so wrong. This book totally drew me in ... and I can't wait to read Book 2 in this Trilogy.

Great book

Love this book! Love reading something that teaches me a little history along the way. Story is great narration is better than great. Can't wait to read the next in the series, Tommo and Hawk.

Really enjoyed it - great, sweeping novel

I really enjoyed this book and also learned a lot about the history of Australia, plus Ikey Solomon, who was a real person. The novel goes into great detail (sometimes too much detail - I found myself saying, "Come on, just get on with it!" in several places) - but as a whole, I thought it was very good.

There are comments that the novel is anti-Semitic and I went into listening to it with an open mind, but unfortunately I think the comments are true. I found out five years ago that I'm Jewish, so I'm more sensitive to things like that and I was resenting a few of the things he said. I don't know if it was because there was a lot of prejudice in the early days of London and Australia against the Jews - after all, he was very historically accurate - however some of the comments - at least to me - were not necessary. There are racially-biased comments against the Aborigines, but I know that there has been a lot of prejudice against them in the past.

The novel covers a lot of time and I enjoyed it. I would have given it five stars if it wasn't for the too-extensive detail at times, plus the prejudiced remarks.

This is one of the best books/Trilogy I have read

It starts out in England - then moves to Australia. The trilogy - Solomon and Song and Tomo and Hawk are continuation of the saga. Bryce Courtenay (Power of One) has many novels - but this set I enjoyed the most. Humphrey Bower is such a powerful narrator. I look for any book that he narrates. I promise you will not be sorry you listened to this fictionalized version of reality of the times.

BE WARNED CONTAINS OBSCENE LANGUAGE

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

This is a great story, its adventurous and riveting but contains some very graphic violent portrayals of life as it was. Set in the late 1800's it starts in England when some of the most brutal behaviour against women and the poor was committed. I listened to this one day and couldn't eat my lunch as a result! I was shocked and appalled at the reality of it.None the less I have continued with the series and am now onto Tommo and Hawk. if you can handle the obscenities and the graphic violence, the story is fantastic. Well done by the reader and overall well worth the Listen.

What did you like best about this story?

The Characters are unforgettable and I wonder if it will ever be made into a movie series?
It would be a visual feast with the locations involved... that said, the film maker would have to go carefully with some of the worst violent parts.

Powerful, sometimes dark images, amazing listening

I had previously listened to Humphrey Bowers "The Four Fires" and absolutely loved it... so I was somewhat unprepared for the vivid, dark and continuous descriptions of life in this novel. That being said, it is simply an incredible book, well worth listening to!