I've read "The Power of One", "The Potato Factory" and "Tommo and Hawk". Correction-- I have "listened" to each of these books, because I'm a fan of Humphrey Bower. Mr. Bower is one of my favorite audible narrators of all time, and I thoroughly enjoyed each of these books. I love Humphrey Bower's voice, and how he makes so many of the characters come alive. This book is, so far, one my favorite of Bryce Courtenay's. (I have yet to read the rest of his books.) It's sad to read that Mr. Courtenay has recently passed away. He is a master storyteller, who weaves in a lot of history about South Africa. A South African friend of mine winced, when I told her I was reading this book. She said she couldn't handle it, because it was just over-the-top with violence. I get that, but how can avoid the cruely and mistreatment about an orphan, Tom Fitzsaxby, who is so poorly treated at an orphanage? Shades of Oliver Twist, you will definitely feel angry, sad and even shocked at what this young boy endures at the hands of the cruel adults who run the orphanage. Yet, Tom finds a few adults who change the twists and turns of his adult life. Tom's childhood is the foundation that builds his determination and character. I found a tugging at my girlie-girl heartstrings, as I read about his dog, Tinker and a few people that Tom learned to both love and trust. There were plenty of tearful moments, for me as well. This story line took me on plenty of emotional twists and turns. To me, this story is about Tom, who has a dedication to making many injustices right. I found him to be a totally believable character.As the story comes to it's climax, I dreaded listening to a court trial-- these aren't usually my favorite story lines to read. In this case, I couldn't stop listening to the book. I had to know the outcome. The ending left me feeling deeply touched, and opened my eyes to some of the historical events of South Africa-- the bigotry and injustices from the British. Historical fiction, like this, makes me want to do more research in learning about this very sad chapter in that country's history. Great read, fantastic narrator.
I'm a big fan of Bryce Courtenay's stories. They are full of warm and wonderful people. His descriptions of the land and settings almost puts me there. I would highly recommend many of his works. But, his Africa books go beyond the storyline. They show the love this man has for his country, his deep understanding of its problems, beauty, flaws and the love he has for the people of Africa. It's this aspect that he brings to the story, without any blubbering or emotionalism, that pushes his Africa books onto a level of their own. This book is no exception. Throughout is Courtenay's deep understanding and love for Africa; his acceptance for the good, bad and ugly and his belief that the ugly can be changed for the better. Through him, I get a feel for the land and its people without ever having been there. In the story of Tom Fitzsaxby, Courtenay examines Africa and the three groups of people who inhabit it (Africaaners, English, Native), the prejudices, cruelties, friendships and loyalties they share. The story in itself is a warm, and yet sometimes horrid, story of growing up in a land that labels one for the origins of one's birth, for the colour of one's skin. Yet despite these uglier aspects, the story is warm and interesting and, above all, hopeful for a future Africa that is strong and equal for all. Courtenay loves his country and has high hopes that it will become the best that it can be. Through his hope, maybe we can look at our own countries and their Uglies and envision that with some understanding of underlying issues mankind can one day eliminate them all (the Uglies, that is).
Do You like book Whitethorn (2005)?
Power cannot be trusted, it will always abuse. Courtenay, having been accused of being communist and exiled from South Africa as a young man, has written some of his experiences into the character of Tom Fitzsaxby, a clever child who we witness develop into a young man in a quest for justice. Along the way Fitzsaxby learns to pull himself up by the bootstraps time and again in a country which reinforces inferiority and is endemically racist. Urbanizing and moving into adulthood, Fitzsaxby learns about his own strengths and weaknesses through those around him, and while he discovers the truth about the lengths we'll go to in order to be loved, his greatest success is to somewhat resolve the issues of his childhood by using his fine mind. An exceptionally well-written story which tells yarns at length, this is clearly the book Courtenay wanted to write. The climax and denouement are understated. Courtenay finds the voices for a score of characters from different backgrounds and treated as they are from Fitzsaxby's perspective we find some of them unsympathetic; life is a nasty business in Courtenay's work, but marvelous when we learn to stand up for ourselves and overcome the prejudices in other people which trap us.
—Billy
Borrowed this book from my husband while on vacation. Not my typical book selection. Has a slow start but gradually builds to a finish with a happy ending. It's the story of a young orphan boy and the man he grows up to be through all his trials and tribulations. An event happens to him while at "The Boys Farm" that changes his life forever. That event shapes him and drives him to what he ultimately wants to be and do.Set in South Africa, after WWII, politics and discrimination are at the forefront of that country. The attitudes and beliefs of a wide range of characters/people are portrayed. The kindness that is shown by some (strangers) is heart warming. The evilness, though, of others is sad, if not, the same as today and in every country. In the end, this book shows us who we can be, if we choose to. Open hearts = open minds.
—Jeanie
Whitethorn, by Bryce Courtenay, Narrated by Humphrey Bower, Produced by Bolinda Audio, Downloaded from audible.com.Tom Fitzsacsy English but has not spent any time outside of South Africa and doesn’t speak English. Nonetheless, the Afrikaners consider him to belong to the enemy because he’s English and, treat him to great loneliness and bullying at the orphanage. His only friend is a Black man “the pig boy” who takes care of the pigs on the orphanage farm. This man helps Tom adopt a puppy that was supposed to be killed and helps hide the dog. Then, Tom becomes privy to some dark secrets involving some of the officials of the orphanage and their use of boys, and this ultimately leads to the murder of his friend. Tom survives, grows up, goes to college, and makes a good living, but he is obsessed with the murder of his friend which was not investigated because the man was Black. Very good with Courtenay’s usual resilient boy coming out on top. And with Humphrey Bower narrating, there’s no way this book could lose.
—Kathleen Hagen
