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)

glad I stuck this out

This book was a slow start for me. It kept losing me in the beginning and let me say that the violence in this book makes it one to be approached with caution for those of the faint of heart.

Of course, what should I have expected, since the very beginning of Australia was steeped in violence. But I tell you that by the middle of this story, I was listening until 3 in the morning and in a great upswing to my health, walking a mile past my usual walk. My husband was marveling that I was willing to do the dishes and his part of the laundry just so I could keep listening.

It's a good book, just hang in there. It pays off...

One of the best of 300+ books I have listened to

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

Great story. FANTASTIC reader. Really a true artist.

Any additional comments?

Just a very good story. Good and evil, sometimes mixed up in each character.

Phenomenal Saga

This is an absolutely wonderful find.

The Potato Factory is an absolutely fascinating novel mostly set in nineteenth-century London. It's a broad, sweeping epic tale of a few people in the seedy and sordid underbelly of society and the serpentine interactions of their lives.

Ultimately everyone ends up in Australia as a result of being deported on the convict ships, but that doesn't happen until the last third of the book.

The main characters are Ikey Solomon, a ruffian merchant, and Mary Abacus, an abused but resourceful woman who goes from being a servant to a prostitute/madam, then convict and small business owner. Ikey is largely despicable as a character, but he has some redeeming qualities. Mary is much more sympathetic. Ikey's wife and children are nasty and loathsome. There's a whole cast of secondary characters, including the band of young thievesand pickpockets Ikey has trained over the years.

The story is indeed Dickensian, but in the best possible way. Humphrey Bower's narration is absolutely first-class and he manages to convey accents of the London slum dwellers as well as Australian accents and even a couple of American accents. He's a vocal chameleon, and his narration is part of what makes this such a fabulous story.

The level of detail and historical description is absolutely stunning. Bryce Courtenay beings to life another age. The book is filled with interesting facts and snippets of information about things such as counterfeiting and the vaguely alarming justice ksystem which prevailed at the time.

I didn't want this book to end, and I am going out to get the next two in the series, whether I have any credits or not. If you like sweeping sagas with wonderful character descriptions and masterful plot twists, buy this book. It won't disappoint. If I could give this book more than five stars in each category, I would.

Great story, slow start

This is a well-written story. The beginning is s bit slow and mired in so much detail about the main character I almost gave up. It's absolutely worth hanging in there, the remainder of the book is worth it.
The reader is great, nice voice and pacing.

Exellant story. Great Naration. Intersting history

As above. Recommend to all. Great detail in bringing the events to life in the 1800' England and Australia

Absolutely captivating!

I am so pleased to say that I couldn't turn this book off. It had so many edge of your seat moments to in it. The amount of detail as well, which can sometimes make my mind wander, only caused me to see the characters and scenery better. A fantastic read, or, listen!!

Fantastic!

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

Not having read the printed page, I can't say definitively. But the narrator was phenomenal!!

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

Mary Abacus receiving her boys.

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

His ability to seamlessly go between characters and his use of intonation for each character was great!

If you could take any character from The Potato Factory out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Mary Abacus!!!

Any additional comments?

Wonderful story and terrific telling of it. Could not wait for my monthly credit to come and had to pay for the second book :)

Only a starting point of a trilogy.

I am a great fan of Bryce Courtenay but this story seemed very long and drawn out. It sometimes seemed contrived and just too unbelievable. I have already purchased parts 2 “Tommo and Hawk” and 3 “Song of Solomon”, and I hope that they will be much better than the first book.

I did learn about Australian history which was very interesting. The narration by Humphrey Bower was excellent. I enjoyed the character Ikey Soloman and Mary Abacus. It is definitely an unforgettable story, just not my favorite of Mr. Courtenay's.

Thouroughly engaging, it has stayed with me.

The reader was fantastic! The story was so well done and researched. A great way to enjoy history, a peek into early England. The characters were memorable, some were actually real. The leading man of larceny was indeed a character. Truly memorable.

Loved it!

What did you love best about The Potato Factory?

I was lost in the story and how well this was put together. Loved the narrator, he made me laugh at the women's voices, though. Great book, well worth it!