You know, the book world is like any other. You only hear about the POPULAR books, not necessarily the GOOD books. For example, I loathe Nelson DeMille and John Grishom books and yet they are hugely popular. I think they are both lazy writers and not much better than paperback romance novels for character development and plot. (Of course, that's just my opinion as with everything on this blog.) On the other hand you've probably never heard of some of my favorite authors, like Kyle Mills.
I listen to so many books that I will read just about anything and I am always buying books when Audible has sales. If it's on sale and sounds remotely interesting I will give it a try. If it's horrible at least I bought it on sale! It was through and Audible sale that I found 3 of my all time favorite books.
The Potato Factory started it all. I downloaded it, read it and immediately downloaded the rest of the triology. I was thoroughly hooked and hardly talked to my husband during the 2 weeks that I listened to these books. I was so sad at the end of Soloman's Song because I knew I would never hear from these characters again.
That doesn't happen to me very often and that's why I want to tell you about these books.
The Australian Triology was written by Bryce Courtenay. In the intro to the book he says that it is his thank you to Australia, his adopted home. At it's essence it's a fictionalized history of Australia from the early penal colonies through the 1st World War. I'm sure these were hugely popular in Australia but I had not heard of them before I tripped over them in the Audible catalog. If you like historical family sagas then you msut read these books. The books are enhanced by the masterful narration of Humphrey Bower, who narrates most of Mr. Courtenay's books.
Here are the descriptions fromt he author's site:
The Potato Factory
Ikey Solomon and his partner in crime, Mary Abacus, make the harsh journey from thriving nineteenth-century London to the convict settlement of Van Diemen's Land.
In the backstreets and dives of Hobart Town, Mary builds The Potato Factory, where she plans a new future. But her ambitions are threatened by Ikey's wife, Hannah, her old enemy. As each woman sets out to destroy the other, the families are brought to the edge of disaster.
Tommo and Hawk
Brutally kidnapped and separated in childhood, Tommo and Hawk are reunited at the age of fifteen 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 in 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.
Soloman's Song
When Mary Abacus dies, she leaves her business empire in the hands of the warring Solomon family. Hawk Solomon is determined to bring together both sides of the tribe - but it is the new generation who must fight to change the future.
Solomons are pitted against Solomons as the families are locked in a bitter struggle that crosses battlefields and continents to reach a powerful conclusion.
If you are disturbed by violence (there are wars and fights) and sex (Tommo and Hawk are young men, after all) then these books are not for you. If you love great characters and a deeply researched story then you will love the Australian Triology.

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