Tommo and Hawk

The Australian Trilogy, Book 2

By: Bryce Courtenay

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Length: 20 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Brutally kidnapped and separated in childhood, Tommo and Hawk are reunited at the age of 15 in Hobart Town. Together, they escape their troubled pasts and set off on a journey into manhood. From whale hunting in the Pacific to the Maori wars of New Zealand, from the Rocks in Sydney to the miners' riots at the goldfields, Tommo and Hawk must learn each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to survive.

Along the way, Hawk meets the outrageous Maggie Pye, who brings love and laughter into his life. But the demons of Tommo's past return to haunt the brothers. With Tommo at his side, Hawk takes on a fight against all odds to save what they cherish most. In the final confrontation between good and evil, three magpie feathers become the symbol of Tommo and Hawk's rite of passage.

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

Critic reviews

"Narrator Humphrey Bower captures each character, making listeners forget that one majestic voice creates the various natives, the Irish, the English, and people of all ages. Few will fail to be enthralled by this adventure saga, which skillfully captures history while keeping listeners glued to their earphones." (Audiofile)

Sensational

What a writer. Right down to the nitty gritty of human existence. I love the way he gets his history so detailed and captures the spirit of different races- high or low as they may be. One of the best writers ever.

Entertaining story and characters.

I enjoyed this book overall. Characters and story are entertaining and intriguing. It would help to read the preceding book to understand more back story. However I found myself fast forwarding thru many portions as the descriptions and action scenes would last very long.
The reader did a great job.

Almost as good as the first book

Any additional comments?

This part of the story is quite a different one compared to the story of the first book in this series but it is just as good. This book is written in 1st person with the twins telling the story themselves. I am not sure if I find this good or bad but it is definately a difference that makes this book a little less attached to the first volume. I miss Ikey in this one.

Predictable and Tiresome

I loved Potato Factory so much that I quickly downloaded the other two books in the series - Tommo & Hawk + Solomon's Song. I should have left well enough alone.

Tommo and Hawk was good for maybe the first half of the book. However, it became so predictable and tiring that I was grateful when it finally ended. I found myself predicting what would happen and how it would happen, and the only enjoyment (beyond completing the task of finishing this book) was in whether I'd predicted every part correctly.

Now I have Solomon's Song, which promises to be even worse if the reviews are accurate. I"ll definitely try Bother Fish which gets great reviews.

Steve

Five stars!

After listening to the Potato factory I could not wait to hear about Tommo and Hawk. So different and jet so much brotherly love and understanding. All what these twins go through on the sea and later on land with the people whom they shared unbelievable faith. Bryce Courteney is a first class storyteller and Humphrey Bower is a first class narrater.

engrosing story and historical

i listen to books on trips in the car. I learned so much from this series but it was moving as well and kept me engaged. I did not want it to end.

This is even better

Wow what a GREAT story. The whole thing is awesome. A beautiful story of transformation through love.

Hated the ending

I like historical fiction, this series is as good as most, but not as good as Ken Follett's Century.

Reading these books males me ashamed of the white man's pursuit of Manifest Destiny.

Tommo and Hawke

I was never a big fan of fiction, but the way Bryce writes making the events and adventure so real I find myself trying to look up facts on the characters. This book is brilliant, I had no idea this was part of a trilogy and have made a request to Audible to get the last book (requests can be made from the Contact Us at the bottom of the web page) and I'm currently downloading the first.

Heartwrenching

I loved The Potato Factory and was eager to continue the story of the Solomon family in Tommo & Hawk. Mostly enjoyed this story, though there seemed to be more of the narrator telling the story rather than the characters. It basically centers around Tommo and Hawk's relationship and a lot of time is spent in New Zealand where they get involved in the Maori Wars. I found that part the most interesting and it made me want to learn more about that country's history.