A real page-turner, I couldn't put it down!

Typical great storytelling and humor from Bryce Courtenay. Can be pretty violent at times so be warned. Overall a fun book though!

This is the 2nd book in Bryce Courtenay's series the Potato Factory.

The story is continued with Tommo & Hawk, Mary Abacus' two sons. Their birth mother, died during child birth and they were found by Ikey Solomon who gave the two boys his name, and Mary raised them and loved them as her own sons.

The two boys were abducted when then were 7 and this experience has effected them both deeply. The story of Tommo and Hawk begins from when Tommo returns to Mary badly damaged both mentally and physically.

Tommo and Hawk leave the comforts of their mother, and find themselves on many adventures, they initially start out as workers on a whale ship, the embark in New Zealand and find themselves living amongst the Maori's, where Tommo meets his love Maraketa.

They leave New Zealand and return to Australia, but to Sydney where they travel to the gold mines and Tommo plays the Flats to get set for the next part of their journey. Hawk meets the love of his love Maggie Pye in Sydney.

Whilst they have been away, Mary has been writing to Hawk asking her boys to return to Hobart. Hawk gets himself in a spot of trouble and Tommo writes to Mary asking her to come to Sydney to help Hawk, whilst she is in Sydney, Mary continues to push Hawk and Tommo to return home.

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When I read this book, I didn't know it was the second book in a trilogy. I thought I'd get lost in story, but that wasn't the case at all. I enjoyed it so much that I went to buy the first and the third books. There wasn't a boring instance in this thick book. The characters were so alive and movingly portrayed they were really leaping out of the pages. The ending was hanging, which of course was understandable, but the book can stand on its own. The bits about New Zealand and Australia - and the Maori - during the Victorian period were fascinating.

An epic journey into the 19th century

I loved it and was immersed from the very first page. I love Bryce's descriptive writing which makes you feel a part of the book and so beautifully tweaks the emotions and takes you back to the era of the story. Can't wait to start the last book in the trilogy.

This 2nd in the trilogy continued the story of the richly written characters of Ikey and Mary and their children. I can't wait to read the finale.

Courtenay can sure tell a story and he can sure create powerfully rendered and memorable scenes and characters. I loved The Power of One and The Potato Factory, his first book in the Potato Factory series, a series which is clearly an homage to his adopted home of Australia. So it was with a lot of excitement that I started the second book in the trilogy, Tommo and Hawk. Tommo and Hawk picks up the story of Ikey Solomon’s adopted sons, Tommo and Hawk. Without giving away any of the plot, the book is centered on the story of these twins and of the relationship and bonds between them. And the story is certainly filled with the images, events, codgers and strong emotional up and downs that I have come to expect from Courtenay. But…..

Well, this second book seems to stumble a bit. Some of the events, as grand as they are, are drawn out just a little too long; the relationships are just a little too syrupy; and some of the scenes and events are just a little over the top implausible. Yes, the characters are yet again memorable and rich, but somehow this time, they feel just a little more contrived.

Courtenay clearly has no love for how the Europeans (read British) have treated the rest of the world, and his opinions about how the native populations of Australia and New Zealand, in particular, were treated during the historical period in which this book takes place is quite apparent. This is an important theme in the whole Potato Factory series and clearly an important message, but it comes across a bit heavy-handed at times in this book.

Finally, this book doesn’t really end. I have no problem with a little teaser or a setting up for what is to come next, but I want at least a little closure, some denouement.

So have to drop this rating to 3 stars, as I felt that Courtenay was a little off his game in this one.

This continues the story of the Potato Factory, now concentrating on Tommo and Hawk, Mary Abacus' adoptive children. it's still very good storytelling, but I found it a bit less engaging than the first book. Tommo's tendency towards alcohol and drug addictions, while realistic and understandable given his past, can get frustrating to read about, and their adventures with the Maoris strained my suspension of disbelief. Still, a very good read overall.

I love the atmospheric and descriptive writing of Bryce Courtenay. The second book of this series takes us through the lives of Tommo and Hawk after they are reunited. An unbreakable and unlikely bond it may be, but the way Courtenay writes you can not help but fall in love with these characters. In fact, every character is so strongly written I was completely immersed in the story. I love how familiar faces from The Potato Factory are introduced again with such ease.

I am about potatoed out at this point. Gotta get back to my real nitty-gritty, I will probably finish this one if and when I have an overwhelming craving for french fries.....

Brilliantly written. A great sequel to the Potato Factory. I truly love Hawk’s character and the bond between the twins.

Courtenay has written a book steeped in the richness of early Australian History.

I did find this book a little disappointing. I am not much into violence and I found that whilst historically correct (assumption) many of the violent scenes were too long and graphic for my liking.

The book depicts in detail the quality of characters and hardships of early Australia in a pleasing and vivid way.