The Potato Factory

The Australian Trilogy, Book 1

By: Bryce Courtenay

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Ikey Solomon is very successful indeed, in the art of thieving. 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 19th century London to Van Diemens 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. As each woman sets out to destroy the other, the families are brought to the edge of disaster.

©2013 Bryce Courtenay.By arrangement with Penguin Group (Australia). Copyright Christine Courtenay (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing

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!

thoroughly enjoyable!

A tremendous story with unique and interesting characters, especially in Ikie Solomon. Humphrey Bower does an exceptional job of narration. I can't imagine who would not like this audiobook.

Slow start, but excellent story with amazing depth

If you’ve listened to books by Bryce Courtenay before, how does this one compare?

First time.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

An amazing look into the life and times of old England's lower class and poor.

This book begins slowly. This is a very long story with most of a lifetime taking place within. The conclusion is one in which I wanted to cheer out loud. Such is the connection with some of the characters and my desire to se justice and just deserts give out to all.

I should also mention that there is a considerable amount of foul language contained within this story. The "F" bomb is dropped well over a dozen times. If you, like me, prefer a story that can be heard by the younger members of the family, without having to pause and apologize for the language, then you may want to think twice about purchasing this story.

Wow...just...wow

Bryce Courtenay is hands down, one of the best authors I have ever come across. This book was captivating, entertaining and amazing. On to #2!

Incredible

Great story , phenomenal narration. An excellent value and I am looking forward to the next instalment. The characters are unforgettable.

5 Stars despite being slow to get started

I gave this book 5 stars but really based on this volume alone, it may be more like 4 stars but taken as the foundation of a fantastic (so far... 3/4 through the 3rd book now) series, it's bumped up a bit.

The story does start out slow. I'm not gonna lie that I had to ask my buddy who had read it already if it was going to pick up and he said yep, and he was right. The biggest problem is not really the pace but how little I liked or cared for a couple of the main characters. It wasn't until the end of this book and some way into the next that the reasons for what seemed like a very drawn out character development became clear.

Just know that the author is using his characters not only to advance a great plot but also to tell some facts/history about the times and place they lived so we're seemingly not meant to love them all.

Also, the one real criticism I have of the series as a whole and somewhat of this book is that at times the author chooses to "wrap up" certain parts of the plot without really letting the story play out. We hear about "the rest of the story" through a conversation between characters or a letter read aloud. Sometimes I found myself really wanting to have stuck with a certain character or part of the story because it was interesting only to be taken into the future (this is an EPIC story spanning generations so it does skip forward from time to time) and left hanging about what actually happened.

That said, I HIGHLY recommend this book and this series. This genre is not in my usual wheelhouse either so it was surprising to have loved it as much as I did/do.

Best series I have read in a long long time.

The story is captivating, Bryce is the king words. For the first time in a long time I did not feel I was reading at a 6th grade level. He envelopes you in his world, binds you to his people, makes you fall in love with his world. I could not stop reading or wait for the next book in the series. When you are sad to have read the last page you know the writer has done his work with the hand and mind of a work artist. Humphrey Bower is the best reader I have ever heard. He brings to life the authors intended character personality. I laughed and cried and felt the emotions of love and loss along with the anger of injustice. Well done sir.