I think I've written enough reviews about Bryce Courtenay to give a fairly obvious impression of what I think of him. However, my vague recollections seem to tell me that this one was a little different: more genuine, perhaps. Still sloppily sentimental and with the tendency to romanticise characters, but what Courtenay does have in buckets is compassion, and he uses it liberally here. It's as sad a tale as any and you can't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Read this as a teenager which sparked an interest in biology and other sciences along with human rights.

This is my all time favourite book!
I read it after having lived in Australia so the context of the narrative was alive to me. A truly moving account as told by the father of a haemophiliac son in the days when the world was first experiencing the Aids epidemic. This is a beautiful story of love, family and never ending faith in humanity.
Unfortunately a really difficult book to get hold of now or I'd buy it for all my friends as a must read!

A deeply personal story from a stellar writing talent. An insight into the harrowing experiences of the Courtenay family around the life and death of son, Damon, who, while receiving blood transfusion to manage haemophilia, contracts HIV. Courtenay describes Damon's journey, couched in the unwaivering love and support of his partner, Celeste, his family, and friends. A labour of love and breathtaking tribute.

Bryce Courtenay writes about his son Damon who was born a haemophiliac requiring a lifetime of blood transfusions. Tragically, when he was 17 he contracted HIV from a life saving blood transfusion which then turned into AIDS. This book is a very detailed insight into his short and unfair life.

Firstly, this book made angry! I felt that Bryce saw Damon as a burden, often spending nights out drinking rather than supporting his wife or spending time with his children. He came across as a controlling, selfish, sexist and arrogant man who shamelessly name drops, and flashes his money.

But then there are sections written by Celeste (Damon's girlfriend) who cared for him until the end with compassion and so much love that it breaks your heart knowing that they didn't live happily ever after.

The harrowing story of Damon's AIDS journey is gut wrenching but there was not an element that was glossed over - the reader gets a front row seat of all the nastiness he went through until the end including regular battles with the healthcare system.

In saying that, Bryce repeats so much of this book that it just made it unnecessarily long, and then he describes things that don't really need to be talked about like the cats' personalities.

This book was truly special. Ultimately about a bond only found with soul mates. And a book about acceptance and dying bravely. Today I finished the book, I cried so much at the end. The loss of those you love can be such sweet sorrow.

An extremely moving book about love, friendship, support, ignorance and prejudices. The death of a son from aids.

I absolutely loved this book! Although it’s terribly sad. Being in the healthcare industry it all breaks my heart.

I did find that Bryce dribbles on a bit and it probably is longer then it could be.

No other book as made me want to write to author! This book made me want to do that! I read this book in almost one sitting. You know from the beginning that his son has past on, but I was laughing and crying all the way through. At the end I was a balling mess. This is a true story of the authors son who son contracted HIV+ through a blood transfusion, in the early day of the virus. Please please read this book, if you read nothing else of Bryce Courtney.

Without wanting to sound terribly insensitive to what happened to the Courtenay family & their beloved son, Damon, it's truly hard to believe this was written by the same Bryce Courtenay who wrote one of my favourite books, The Power of One. It's clumsy and slow & very badly written, and I'm sorry to say, but Celeste comes across as sounding like a dimwit a lot of the time. What person in their 20s uses the word 'yucky', unless they're speaking to a toddler?
Although Damon's suffering is truly terrible, this book is a great testament to how far medical science has come - the horrific descriptions of what he went through made me so furious at the doctors who knew so little and treated him like an interesting case, and not a human being.
Not a book I would read twice, but I do admire Courtenay's courage in writing this book. It must've been extremely painful.

Excellent book

For anyone who’s faced grief; this book is a beautiful love story to the people who leave our world too soon.