This book was a complete slog to get through -- but only due to the length and the level of detail of that everything is described in. The story is incredibly disjointed at times, moving back and forth until you don't know which way is up, and then the chapter ends and you have to start again. There weren't many plot twists, some that I saw coming, and others that I didn't. I did really enjoy this book, the "climax" of the book left me entirely speechless, and the resolution and ending left me completely gobsmacked.

A very long book but in the middle there is plenty of interesting things to keep you hooked. Towards the end it seems very rushed like they realised it had been going on more than 900 pages. And then unfortunately the epilogue really ruins things for me. I would of been happy to see everyone living there lives etc but to have such a negative strange ending seems like it was written completely seperate to the main story and really dragged this book down for me. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Loved it. This is my first Bryce Courtenay book and I’m definitely going to read his others. I did it via audiobook and it was read by Humphrey Bower, who is fantastic.

Story: ⭐️5 star plus⭐️
Narration by Humphrey Bowers : ⭐️5 star plus⭐️

Wow.

But, a warning: parts of this book are graphic and horrifying. There are long, much-too-detailed descriptions of the concentration camps, particularly Mengele's horrors at Auschwitz, and of Japanese POW camps.

The story is gripping and, overall, very touching. The family is wonderful and flawed. Unlike the other Courtenay I've read (listened to), the meticulous research was delivered in a natural way as part of the story. I even managed not to tune out completely during the boxing scenes, although war stories really aren't my thing (and there is quite a bit of that in here).

This is my third audiobook narrated by Humphrey Bower – I believe he narrates all of Courtenay's books – and he's fantastic again.

An interest, though somewhat melancholic, read. I identified as I grew up in quite similar terrain, township and surrounded by characters that could have easily been wend into the storyline

It is an enormous task to present in one package the fictional biographies of an entire family. This family the Maloneys lived hand to mouth in a small country town Yankalilee where the matriarch Nancy proudly reared her brood. They were a product of the nineteen fifties and suffered the prejudices of that era with resignation and stoicism.
Nancy’s children were not all fathered by her husband Tommy. Those who were the the prodigy of chance encounters were liberally gifted with exceptional traits attributed to their absent biological parent.
Although I found the story telling through the eyes of Mole Maloney engaging, interesting and at times heroic, I believe Bryce Courtenay is expecting a great deal of his readership. The reader is led on a road so long and varied that it is inconceivable that most could manage to retain their interest for the whole saga.
However the brilliance of his interwoven themes, the love and empathy in his characters for each other and his understanding of the history of Australia’s last seventy years is undeniable.
Truly an epic novel encompassing both war and peace.
Carinya

I'm a huge fan of Bryce Courteney, although Four Fires is probably my least favourite of his books. It is epic, but very readable and is all about the Maloney family. These Irish migrants are a very close-knit family, held together by their indominable mother, Nancy. Starting life at the bottom end of the social structure, collecting the town's garbage, the children rise above their father's drunkenness and the low opinion of the family held by most people in the town, to become outstanding citizens. The telling of Tommy's (the father) horror war experience is harrowing and I could only wonder at son Mole's decision to join the army. An interesting saga.

Absolutely fabulous read!!

It was fine. Nothing amazing but an interesting and entertaining read.
The thing that I think it did very well was provide an accurate snapshot of post-War Australia - particularly in country Victoria. I grew up a generation after this book was set, but the echos of what was described in this book were still present: Attitudes to different cultures; the protestant/Catholic divide; the emerging population boom from Europe; and the depth of culture that brought to colonial Australia. I even think the language Mole used was very accurate and will provide an authentic reference of 'strine dialect in generations to come.
On the negative, I thought the writing style was a bit lazy at times, but I guess when you're a best-selling author churning out 1000+ page novels you can't afford to perfect every sentence or fully-form every idea.
So there were pluses and minuses. I might recommend it to some people - probably young Australians hoping for a good, light, broad-brush overview of this era in Australian history.

The time I took to read this book is no reflection on the book - just on how busy I've been lately. I had never heard of the book until I found it in the cancer society second hand bookshelf - the source of many of my reads these days. It was a surprise as I thought I had read all of Bryce Courtenay.
Set in small town Australia between WW2 and the Vietnam war, it revolves around one family - mum Nancy who is a large lady who drives a garbage truck but does delicate embroidery, father Tommy broken in body and mind by war and their three boys Mole (who the story is told by), Bozo and Mike and two daughters Sarah & little Colleen.
The story covers so many aspects of the time...small town religion and gossip, fashion design, boxing, bush fires, medicine all revolving around this motley but unbeatable crew. I found Tommy's stories of WW2 especially moving.
A thick book of 1042 pages, it is a heavy one but well worth the read.

Wow! Such a good read. Long chapters make it a slowish read but they are very detailed. Very informative on what when on in the war to the POWs. Recommend everyone give it a read.