Tommo & Hawk is the second in Courtenay's Potato Factory Trilogy. Courtenay is a master s storyteller, indeed. Per a previous reviewer, I'd say at least as good as Hemmingway. His description of life in 19th Century Colonial Australia & New Zealand is that of"nasty, brutish, and short men", other than the saintly and gigantic Hawk. My criticism of the first book in the series was that Courtenay was too cruel to Mary -- just over-the-top, horribly sadistic gratuitous violence perpetrated on a sympathetic character --to the point that the reader wants to turn away from it and shout, Make it stop!In this second book there is plenty of gut-wrenching violence and cruelty, but most of it is perpetrated on faceless characters or those getting their just desserts (with at least one exception of Maori Billy). What is a minor turn-off for me is that Hawk is just too perfect. He is physically a giant, brilliant and scholarly, idealistic, compassionate, philanthropic, innocent but clever and discerning,, and a great lover. He does resort to Old Testament justice to punish the unjust, but only when thoroughly provoked and the reader is urging the big fella to kick some ass. He's just too good.Another nit one might pick is that all the bad guys and perpetrators of evil are all white (with one exception). Kind of surprising, the, usually pictured as downtrodden, Irish comprise many of the evil doers. Perhaps even more surprising, Quakers come off pretty badly. The Maori and Aborigines are noble and sagacious. The Chinese ("Celestias") are gentle and wise. Whites are "nasty, brutish, and short" tempered. On the other hand, the cruelties and injustices inflicted upon the natives and Chinese by white colonists were horrid and despicable. So, Courtenay is not just posterizing stereotypes, it's history. But, it just comes off, for me, too easy, too black/good, white/bad.The character I enjoyed the most is Tommo. He has much of Ikey's loveable rascality, And, he can kick ass. He's not as complicated and neurotic as Ikey. But, he's a tortured soul, who is a cool customer.It's a great read or listen. I heard it as an audiobook, and the narrator is fabulous.
This is Book #2 in this trilogy of the history of Australia.. I met Hawk and Tommo in the first book and was anxious to learn more about these men and how Australian history was woven into their adventures. I gave this book 3 stars because all the dialogue bored me.. There was a lot of dialogue, which did add a certain understanding to each particular situation... but I wanted to move more quickly to the next historical situation and the next adventure.. And oh, the adventures Hawk and Tomma had in this book...from 1856 to 1861 ..from teens to young men..from whale hunting to the Maori wars to the Rocks in Sydney to the miners' riots in the goldfields....and yes, first loves for both of our boys..These young men prove over and over again that what happens to a child up to age 7 or 8 molds the child for life. The age old contravery: genetics verse environment and/or good parenting.. Ikey and Mary and the skills they taught these boys early in life are discussed by the boys often in this book .. and the love these boys have for each other kept them moving forward and making the "right" choices..Greed,family devotion, hatred, voilence, addictions, first loves, separations, death.. and yes, to some extent, good over evil - Bryce Courtenay has told of raw Australian history in the making.. the book ends with a cliff hanger ... and I have already started Book #3 in the trilogy "Solomon's Song".
Do You like book Tommo And Hawk (1998)?
This is the second book in The Australian Trilogy by Bruce Courtenay. I finished the first book, and moved hungrily on to this one because I had to find out what happens to Tommo and Hawk as they develop as human beings in their world. Their inner thoughts, their conflicts, the choices they make, what happens to their families: I had to know. All of the characters remain true to themselves throughout the story, and I know this because I have been given the inside story in the narrative. And, I know that it is something we all do, as human beings, for better or for worse. That is why it is so easy to connect to the characters and learn from them. Beliefs are shaped, attitudes and actions are chosen in the rawness of life in Tasmania, New Zealand and Western Australia. They start from scratch, in the milieu of cultures, ancient and new, in human history.There is a richness here, simply and clearly stated, that enriches and satisfies this reader.
—Pamela
I won't write a long and detailed review, as so many others have done a great job of it. I listened to this in audio, narrated by Humphrey Bower. Love this narrator, and I felt as I though there were multiple characters narrating. I strongly recommend that The Potato Factory is where to start. Vital info in the first book hinder getting to know many of the key characters-- especially Ikey Solomon. I grew to admire Hawk's integrity and his devotion to his brother. As a woman, the preparation for the fight got to be a little tedious for me. I grew to like Maggie Pie, and I got past the fact that she was a "whore". To hear Humphrey Bower narrate her character she was cheeky, funny and smart-- my kind of gal! The ending-- it left me totally hanging! I have to wait for two more days until my new audible credits come in. I cannot wait to hear Book 3...and I won't say how it ends, as I'm not one to spoil a plot line. Great story!
—Debby
Simply - great, well written story. From the very beginning I liked both Tommo and Hawk. I was not aware that this is the second book in trilogy, but I can easily say that it did not take any enojoyment out of it.This story of two brothers was full of horrror, pain and from time to time of love. Their adventures were so well described that I found myself with them on a whaling ship, in New Zelands's wilderness fighting bloody wars, and in Sydney, living my life in a new colony. This story was told by both brothers, and each had his own style, which reflected their personalities, life experiences and level of education. As much as I liked this book, I did not like the corse language and the constant hate, racism , and lack of humanity. I am aware, that this story reflects what it used to be like, but never the less it was amotionaly very draining. And more than ever I am glad that I was born much, much later.I hated the ending! In my opiniom both Tommo and Hawk deserved better!At this moment I am not sure if I wll read the first or thr third book in this series.
—Urszula
