Reissue of a novel first published in 1989, written by a South African who now lives in Australia and is a well-known advertising copywriter. The novel is set in South Africa in the 1940s and tells the story of a young boy growing up in a deeply divided and racist society. It has been made into a major motion picture, but this edition does not feature the movie on the cover. A sequel, 'Tandia', was published in 1991.
Bryce Courtenay Books
This author delves into the profound, often challenging aspects of the human experience. His works explore themes of survival, education, and the search for identity, set against diverse and sometimes harsh backdrops. With a distinctive voice that balances raw honesty with a warm humanism, he guides readers through worlds shaped by resilience, the influence of mentors, and unexpected turns of fate. His writing serves as a testament to the enduring strength of the spirit against adversity and the lasting impact of human connection.







Brutally kidnapped and separated in childhood, Tommo and Hawk are reunited at the age of fifteen in Hobart. Together, they escape their troubled pasts and set off on a journey into manhood.
Four Fires
- 1068 pages
- 38 hours of reading
A story of the power of love and the triumph of the human spirit against the odds In a small town like any other small towns around Australia live the Maloneys. They are a fifth-generation Australian family of Irish Catholic descent who are struggling to reach the first rung of the social ladder. The Maloneys are a family you won't forget: a strong mother, a father broken by war, three boys and two girls, one of whom has an illegitimate daughter. Each of their lives is changed forever by the four fires – passion, religion, warfare and fire itself. 'Not since writing The Power of One have I felt this close to a book.' Bryce Courtenay Visit brycecourtenay.com
April fool's day
- 648 pages
- 23 hours of reading
The author of The Power of One tells his most powerful and passionate story yet--the true story of his son's life and death from AIDS at the age of 25
Potato Factory
- 848 pages
- 30 hours of reading
Ikey Solomon is the King Rat of the dark backstreets of 19th-century Stepney. A notorious criminal, his only fear is that Hannah, his resentful and ambitious wife, will force him to reveal his half of the combination to the safe in which their joint wealth is hidden.
Tandia
- 920 pages
- 33 hours of reading
Tandia is a child of all Africa: half Indian, half African, beautiful and intelligent, she is only sixteen when she is first brutalised by the police. Her fear of the white man leads her to join the black resistance movement, where she trains as a terrorist. With her in the fight for justice is the one white man Tandia can trust, the welterweight champion of the world, Peekay. Now he must fight their common enemy in order to save both their lives.
Whitethorn
- 692 pages
- 25 hours of reading
From Bryce Courtenay comes a new novel about Africa. The time is 1939. White South Africa is a deeply divided nation with many of the Afrikaner people fanatically opposed to the English. The world is also on the brink of war and South Africa elects to fight for the Allied cause against Germany. Six-year-old Tom Fitzsaxby finds himself in The Boys Farm, an orphanage in a remote town in the high mountains, where the Afrikaners side fiercely with Hitler's Germany. Tom's English name proves sufficient for him to be ostracised, marking him as an outsider. And so begin some of life's tougher lessons for the small, lonely boy. Like the whitethorn, one of Africa's most enduring plants, Tom learns how to survive in the harsh climate of racial hatred. Then a terrible event sends him on a journey to ensure that justice is done. On the way, his most unexpected discovery is love. Visit brycecourtenay.com
Jessica
- 608 pages
- 22 hours of reading
'A superb storyteller ... it is impossible not to be impressed by Courtenay's talents' - The Times JESSICA is based on the real life of a remarkable young Australian woman who defied the conventions of her time. She had a stubborn streak and the courage to act out her convictions ... in spite of the consequences. This compelling, sweeping story is her personal fight for justice against enormous odds, and a testimony to the power of the human spirit to triumph over adversity.
Solomon's Song. Bryce Courtenay
- 679 pages
- 24 hours of reading
The story revolves around the Solomon family as they navigate the aftermath of Mary Abacus's death, which leaves her vast business empire in their hands. Hawk Solomon is focused on uniting the divided factions of the tribe, but it is the younger generation that must confront challenges and strive to reshape their future. Themes of family conflict, legacy, and the struggle for unity are central to this narrative.
Fortune Cookie
- 588 pages
- 21 hours of reading
Simon Koo is an ambitious Australian-born Chinese who goes to Singapore in the mid-sixties to work for Samuel Oswald Wing, an advertising agency. But the Wing brothers, who run the agency, are not what they seem. There is soon trouble when Simon falls in love with the forbidden Mercy B. Lord, the illegitimate daughter of a Japanese officer and a Chinese mother who abandoned her baby on the doorstep of a Catholic orphanage