Bryce Courtenay Books

Tom Fitzsaxby is an orphan whose English surname ensures that he will be a total outcast in the rural Afrikaner orphanage he grows up in. The story follows Tom through the years of WWII and the post-war years until he is in his thirties. During this time he is dogged by the legacy of the racism that was rampant in the community of his childhood. The early stages of the book are written using the narrative voice of the young Tom. The naivety inherent in this child's perspective allows Courtenay to explore and comment on aspects of racism without ever becoming preachy or trite.

The story is peopled with a variety of fascinating characters of differing racial and social backgrounds, allowing us a glimpse into the subtly different ways that racism manifests itself. At times the plot is a trifle contrived and Tom seems to be the recipient of just a few too many lucky breaks, but the overall storyline is gripping as well as containing many interesting historical details. Overall the novel is an insightful window onto the nature of racial conflict in southern Africa.

However, this book is WELL worth every minute it may take you read it. I've had the book for several months and finally opened it last week.

After reading "The Power of One", if you don't laugh, cry, tremble, smile, hit something, or hug something, you are inhuman. This is by far one of the most heartwarming and heartwrenchingly beautiful books I have ever read.

By the way, if you are thinking about getting the movie after reading this book, this is what the movie description says:

"The Power of One is an intriguing story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. Maria is killed. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa."

WHAT?!? P.K? Orphaned? The Rainmaker? Where is the Judge? Or Grandpa Chook? Where is the Crystal Cave? Where is Morrie? Where are the mines? Where is the dream of "Welterweight Champion of the World", not to mention Hoppie?

I suppose you can't blame Hollywood for making such a botchery of a book like this. There is no possible way it could EVER be felt on screen the way it is with words. However, it is unforgivable that PEEKAY (Not P.K.) was not known as the Tadpole Angel.

I suppose that if you've never read the book, the movie would be standard Hollywood fluff, with all the political, cutsie, hero-that-changes-the-world, love story type stuff that people seem to go for.

Which is also the reason I prefer to read and this is one book I will read again and again and again.

this book is amazien i can't spell to well because im reading the book right now. BUy it DO IT KNOW

I picked up The Power of One in the Johannesburg Airport on the suggestion of a friend. With its odd, self-help book title, I would have never chosen on my own. I finished it on the long flight home and have read it repeatedly since. It's that book I pick up when I want to remember that there is goodness in human nature. Peekay's coming of age is an experience completely different from mine, yet it evoked such strong emotion. It echoes To Kill a Mockingbird in how it shows you, through the eyes of child, just how unfair and ill-founded bigotry is, but it keeps from drowning in righteousness by preserving the love and humor of Peekay's youth as well. I cannot recommend this book enough.

The Power of One came to me at an important time of my life and empowered me in the face of hardship to continue on. I recommend this book to all of my students.

I read "Power of One" for the first time when I was 14 and since then I have wanted to visit South Africa. So when I finally got the chance to go a few weeks ago, I re-read the book for the third time; it seems to only get better each time I pick it up. I love this story so much that I wish Peekay were real (the book makes me believe he is, the characters are so well written).

Bryce Courtenay's Potato Factory follows Ikey Solomon and Annie Abacus back through the convict ships to Van Dieman's Land, Australia.
Reminicent of Dicken's "Fagin", Solomon is a shrewd theif who employs the services of young children, among others, to make his fortune, before being convicted to Australia.
Annie Abacus, a whiz at accounting with an abacus, also finds her way on a convict ship to Australia. Together they find ways to make their fortune in this new Country whilst trying to outsmart Solomon's greedy wife.
This is the first book in a trilogy. This book is followed by Tommo and Hawk (Potato Factory Trilogy)and then Solomon's Song (Potato Factory Trilogy)
An excellent read

I have seldom read a book with such a huge contrast between the first and the second part.

The first half of the book is a brilliant Dickensian evocation of 19th century London, and of the exploits of Ikey Solomon (a historical figure) and his gang. (SPOILER) It soon becomes clear that the author is moving the plot of the book towards getting his main protagonists convicted and sent to Australia. He achieves this with a great plot, characters and humor. However, as soon as the author lands his characters on the Australian shore, he seems completely lost as to what to do with them. The story goes all over the place, culminating in the bizarre conception and birth of Tommo and Hawk, their weird abduction and their sudden and absurd reappearence, with no explanation about what happened to them whatsoever. By the end of the book, the story becomes almost ridiculous. The adventures of Tommo and Hawk and Ikey Solomon are described in the other 2 volumes of the trilogy, but by the end of this book I was so completely lost that I couldn't be bothered to read them.

So my advice is: read the first half of this book, then put it away when Ikey arrives in Australia and go on to read another book.

I found this book to be a fascinating read about early England and then Tasmania (Van Dieman's Land), and the transport of convicts to Tasmania (remember England cleaning out their jails...).

I am finding that I really enjoy historical fiction becuase it educates me enough to ask good questions and then enables easier digging for the real info - this story, based on a real person, gives a great view of this era (early 1800's).

The reason for 4.5 instead of 5 is that there are one or two occasions that the story moves a little slowly, but once a historical fiction lover gets sucked in - there you are, stuck enjoying this great read until the end!

I highly recommend this book and then the sequel "Tommo & Hawk", which I enjoyed even more. Enjoy.

When starting to read this book, I felt a thrill because Bryce Courtenay does such a good job creating 19th century London characters that it felt like a modern-day Dickens bringing them to life again. Halfway through the book, however, it occurred to me that I didn't know (or much care) where the story was going, and neither did Mr. Courtenay. The author keeps having terrible things happen to his characters, just so they can get a glimpse of happiness, only to fall into peril soon enough. Courtenay over uses human tragedy to make up for poor plot. His characters are viciously and repeatedly raped, beaten, tortured, and sodomized because he cannot think of other ways to keep his audience reading. By the time we got to the bizarre and contrived "Sperm Whale Sally" interlude, it was clear to me that Mr. Courtenay was just writing to fill pages for some sort of quota. Still, I read on, to see what the purpose of the plot was. SPOILER AHEAD: I can say I felt very cheated when Tommo just mysteriously shows up at the end with no explanation so they can all live happily ever after - Oh, I see, I must suffer through parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy to find out what really happened. No thanks! Mr. Courtenay, PLEASE collaborate with a great plot writer. Your characters backed by a great (or even good) plot would be a treasure to read.

I don't go anywhere without a book, so when I visited Australia this summer, I brought along enough reading matter to supply a small library. However, realizing that I was unfamiliar with Australian culture and history, I asked several Aussie acquaintances to recommend some good novels about Australia. All of them mentioned THE POTATO FACTORY, the first book of an Australian trilogy by Bryce Courtenay, ( author of the magnificent novel,THE POWER OF ONE), so I rushed right out to buy it. Lucky,lucky me!!!
What a fantastic book! Bryce Courtenay is a master storyteller, and as he paints a portrait of 19th century London-in all of its noisy, corrupt and reeking glory, the reader has no choice but to follow along. From the repulsive yet brilliant Ikey Solomon an (un)common street criminal (whom I later learned was an actual historical figure) to the heroic and equally brilliant Mary Abacus, Courtenay uses both fictional and historical characters to take us from London to Australia via a hellish convict/slave ship. The reader lives, breathes, eats and sleeps with the characters, and while the journey isn't always pleasant, it's always enthralling.
For the first ten days of my trip, I carried THE POTATO FACTORY with me wherever I went, read at every possible moment, and even became known as "the book lady" in my hotel. I accepted that title proudly, and when I got home, the first thing that I did (after developing my pictures and sleeping off my jet lag), was go on-line to find the sequels, TOMMO and HAWK, and SONG of SOLOMON. I am presently awaiting delivery of these two books, and cannot wait to reunite with the characters and revisit the world created in THE POTATO FACTORY. Fabulous book, fabulous writer. Try not to miss it.

Few people are fortunate enough to be familiar with Bryce Courtenay outside of "The Power of One," about struggles in apartheid South Africa. This book is a gripping tale about life in the Australian outback. It will make you want to see this part of the land down under for yourself if you have not, and bring back vivid memories of your visit, if you have.

As usual Bryce Courtenay wrote a book about something I didn't think I'd be interested in and by the end I was blubbering like a baby. He's a powerful writer, he's my favorite author, and he doesn't disappoint with Jessica!

I think this book has to be one of the best written books I have seen. It deals with many issues, including gender, race and class differences. Even though it is set in the past (before and during World War One), it has a huge relevance to life today. I cried so much throughout this book...even as a teenager I couldnt imagine the pain of what jessica went through. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it even more compelling. Also, having lived for a while in australia, I related to the setting and the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone, even the emotional because I believe anyone could get something out of it.

Jessica travelled through her short, yet tragic life with these massive black clouds trailing over her head, yet she always managed to keep her perky faith in people, no matter how evilly they treated her. The evil (NOT step!!) mother, the pretty sister that envied her, her doting father. Good old Jessica, no matter what happened she always came back smiling. Saving the drunken lawyer, she even cured the insane. And the finale, killed by a poisonous, vengeful viper. A fitting end to the saga of Jessica's life.

I absolutely loved this book from Bryce Courtenay. I love all his work but this one is perhaps my favourite. I actually had received my copy of Jessica from a friend living in Australia a few years ago but never had the chance to read it until recently when I heard from several other friends from Australia that a mini-series was aired on television there based on this novel. They raved about it and I decided to take some time and finally read it. I couldn't put it down once I started reading and I sailed through nearly 700 pages in 3 days!

Bryce weaves an amazing tale about the coming of age struggles of a young woman in the wild sheep country of Australia circa 1915. He takes us on a wonderful journey following Jessica from her young "tomboy" stage when she accompanies her father to the sheep shearing station and she is befriended by the son of the rich station owner, through her blossoming as a strong willed woman. Jessica battles her own family and their secret agenda and helps others she meets along the way to find respect and justice in an unforgiving time and place.

I especially love how Bryce brings out so many social issues in his work while holding the readers interest with his colourful characters. Jessica is even more amazing when you find out that it is based on a true story.

I would love to see the mini-series based on this book but unfortunately none of Bryce's books are published in America and I doubt this mini-series will be aired here. That is so disappointing because Jessica as well as other books by Bryce Courtenay have so much to say to readers and Americans are missing out on some wonderful literature.

THE SEQUEL TO THE POTATO FACTORY. REALISTIC LIFE STRUGGLES AGAINST PREJUDICE AND THE WILL AND TENACITY TO OVERCOME. COURTENAY IS ALWAYS INSPIRING.

Bryce Courtenay has been on my list of favorite authors since I read "The Power of One." He does not disappoint in "Tommo and Hawk."

The story of twin boys in Australia, this book enthralls with rich characters and a setting that draws the reader into the early days of European settlement of Australia and New Zealand. The story is filled with historical information, but it is the character development of the twins, their mother, and Maggie Pye that impels the reader through "just one more chapter."

Though not as optomistic in tone or outcome as "The Power of One," "Tommo and Hawk" is even more fascinating. The twins, opposites in every respect except their love for each other, survive misadventures and struggle through until an inevitable, but sorrow-filled ending.

Captivating reading -- five stars!

Tommo & Hawk continues the story started in the Potato Factory. It further adds to the contention that Bryce Courtenay is the best storyteller since Hemmingway. His depiction of 19th century Tasmania is a triumph. Not only can you feel and almost smell what the characters are experiencing, but his tale is gripping. Whereas The Power of One and Tandia were more on the high brow end of the moral spectrum, the Potato Factory and this novel dig a little deeper into the underbelly of the British Empire. The result is a grittier, more visceral read, that is difficult to put down.

I have only read The Potato Factory and this book by BC, and really enjoyed them both. I have to say I found this book to be a bit better than The Potato Factory, mainly because of the humor that is injected. I love how God gets involved in conversations with either Tommo or Hawk - they made me laugh!

I also really appreciated the detail which was put into different stories, for example the whale hunting story and the opium situation. I found the detail of the times and the issues of the times to be fascinating, and while I realize it is a 'story', I also believe that a lot of the subjects discussed are actual portrayals of situations that happened during that era (mid 1800's).

I highly recommend this book, but only after you have read The Potato Factory, because Ikey is referred to a lot (as are other situations), and to truly appreciate this book, it will help to have read the prequel.

Cheers.

Courtenay has written a book steeped in the richness of early Australian History. Still I found this book rather disappointing. I am not much into violence and I found that whilst historically correct (assumption) many of the scenes were too long and graphic for my liking. It is very readable on it's own - I have yet to read the prequel to this book. The book dipicts in detail the quality of characters and hardships of early Australia in a pleasing and vivid way.

This is an author I hate to start reading. He is no lover of happy endings. He is so great an author it feels bad when its over. It feels as though your mother just left you at the nursery school door and you are five years old. So forlorn.

Mama come back I am forlorn because this book has ended. Yes he is a glorious writer.

Bryce Courtenay writes books that make such an impression. When I have simply told others about small parts of his books they were quiet and just wanted to hear more. Sometimes the ..entire book... [[Tommo and Hawk, The Potato Factory]]

His books are an emotional investment. Once you start it, it will grip you and sieze your emotions and change you and make you think and reflect. Wow.

Of all his books, which are exceptional, each of them, of these exceptional books, I liked Tandia the least of a great series. She was not a very likeable character as far as charisma. Many of his main characters thruout his books were downright reprehensible as people. Rotten as to be the bottom of the barrel, and worked hard at it to be that way but had charisma.

I didnt find that element charisma in how Tandia's character was written. I felt adrift at the end of the book. I was not happy with how some loose ends were left unaddressed...

Now I have a bone to pick about those loose ends. I finished Tandia a few weeks ago and this still bothers me.

What about Hymie? What makes Peekay think that his devoted friends won't come after him. I am finishing "The Power of One" now and his devoted following was entrenched and dedicated to him as a kid. It is even more inconceivable a search party or tracker will not go and hunt down ..the former Welterweight Champion of the World? the Missing Tadpole Angel?

I am finishing the "Power of One" and he gave Doc an oath never to let anyone else know about or violate the santity of the Crystal Cave? He promised Doc never to reveal its presence to anyone. Now all kinds of people are going to find it when they go looking for Heldenheiss, and Peekay. When they follow the same blood trail Heldenheiss did.

Thus my conclusion is, with all the unlikely accomplishments Peekay made in his lifetime, his next was to leave the Crystal Cave in the sequel that was never published or I never found.


I recommend all his books I have read: The Potato Factory, Tommo and Hawk, The Power of One.



I listened to the audiobook and that had an additional element that added to the book because the narrator for Mr. Courtenay's books is truly one of the most gifted ever. That guy deserves fan letters himself.

I found the book engrossing but slow to start just as the power of one but I never realy connected with tandia and I was to say the least dissapointed with PK. Even though i know the gaol was most likely to humanize him in this book. I felt his ideals and basic charecter remained the same but, for some reason the thought of him as a main stream adult didn't apeal to me as much as him as an adolescent child or even a mine worker. The ending is good but i wasn't sure it was done as well as it could have been but then agian my name isn't Bryce Courtney, i wonder if there is a sequal.

Bruce Courtenay has once again inspired me through his book. The sequel to "The Power of One", Peekay is still in South Africa and realizes and experiences lessons that should never be forgotten.

A great book on all accounts.

It is hard to believe that this book was written by the author of The Power of One. What I'd hoped would be a fitting sequel was, as another reviewer aptly described it, "Harold Robbins"-ish. Contrived and cliche-ridden, none of the warmth and beauty of its predecessor - not quite a disaster, but not worth the agony of reading tortured descriptions such as "socks as white as driven snow" while trying to ignore the inexplicable plot devices and coincidences that moved the turgid prose to its inevitable conclusion. This book needed a judicious editor. The only reason I gave it two stars was that the historical references encouraged me to read more about apartheid and its impact on the country and its people.

Tandia is the sequel to The Power of One and in many ways it is similar and in many more ways different. It is a much darker book. Peekay no longer deals with problems that a child might face, he now faces a whole system of hatred and racism, also known as apartheid. Therefore, Tandia is much more realistic than its predecessor, because reality is harsh, but in the process it's not as heart-warming and as much a joy to read. The 900 pages are worth reading nevertheless because this is an exceptional novel in its own standing and continues the story of PK and his struggles as an adult. I really do recommend this book to anyone who has read the Power of One, but I also advise you to keep an open mind because this book is very different and has its own personality. The ending is great but not as magnificent as the first one and also many of the plot points are slow to develop. For example, PK does not come in to the storyline up to I think page 250 or 300. Tandia is a great read nevertheless by this great South African author.

how you can feel with a little boy's hardship in a boarding school and how you hope for his stamina and how you love his intense friendships that bring him on his way.

You really live with that life and that is best a book can do.

I have read the Power of One, the unedited version and it is brilliant, inspiring, and brutal - one of the best books I've read. However, this edition that is being sold here, is the Young Reader's edition, which isn't immediately obvious from Amazon's description or the picture. It does say so on the cover, but it's very small unless you enlarge the picture. So, my review gives it a 2 as it may be an unpleasant surprise for those who want to read the actual novel.

If Bryce Courtenay's The Power Of One sounds familiar, it's because this represents a young reader's condensed edition of a prior hard-hitter which became both an adult classic and an acclaimed movie of the same name. It's great to see such a powerful novel condensed with youth in mind: grades 8-12 will find compelling the story of 1930s South Africa and a boy who faces apartheid and prejudice in a country where his childhood is marked by loneliness and dreams of changing lives. A powerful story of courage and change evolves.

I read this book before the crap movie was ever released, and it's a good thing, too. Whoever says the novel is dead needs to take a look at this. Courtenay has written a brilliant bildungsroman that you literally can't put down. You might even end up re-reading certain passages over and over, such as the boxing match between the protagonist and a Goliath-like opponent. If you have a bright pre-teen, give him this, and I bet he'll enjoy it.

There are two versions of Bryce Courtney's "The Power of One"; the original version and this, the junior novelisation. The two are quite different so make sure that you double-check what publication you're getting before you order. I would suggest the older version for most readers, since this basically tells the same story in simplified form. However, in Australia and New Zealand, "The Power of One" has reached almost cult-status in terms of popularity, and some younger readers will leap at the chance to familiarise themselves with the story before they are ready to tackle the more complex and violent subject matter of the original. Furthermore, it is a perfect choice for school libraries and/or compulsory reading in classrooms.

Like the adult version, the junior novelisation is concerned with the life of Peekay, a young boy living in 1930's South Africa, coping with racism, tension between the various social groups of the time (the Boers, the English and the Africans) and the growing threat of World War II. This younger version begins in the same place as the adult one, with Peekay being sent to a boarding school in which he is urinated on by his fellow students - a clear sign that Courtney is not prepared to soften the harshness and cruelty of the original book for the benefit of a younger audience. In comparison this story ends after the famous concert at the prison, the moment in which the adult novel really begins.

The junior novel follows Peekay's journey from childhood into earlier adolescence and the beginnings of the adult world, told in significantly less detail and in more simplified language than the first "Power of One". On the way, he makes friends from every race and class, learning the most important truth of his life: to think with his head and then with his heart. In particular, he finds work in a jail, inventing an ingenious way to help the convicts communicate with their families on the outside, and discovers the sport of boxing along with the remarkable idea that you do not have to be the biggest in order to be the best.

Courtney's gift comes from finding the grey areas in each situation, showing us clearly that one race, one country, one ideology is never wholly righteous; goodness can only come from an individual. Near the beginning of the book Peekay is persecuted by Nazi-supporters; later a dear friend of his unfairly is jailed for being a German. Humanity's overwhelming desire to classify and then judge people based on these classifications is never more frustrating than it is here, and it is a lesson well worth learning.

Although this is a more-than-adequate introductory book for younger readers eager to tackle "The Power of One", I would recommend to anyone else over the age of twelve (or any confident reader under that age) that they simply pick up the first (and best) adult version.

Wonderful story, well told

Kind of wanted it to be real

This book is in two parts. I really enjoyed the first part but was really disappointed with the second. For me it started off as a really good read that I couldn't put down. Unfortunately it finished off being completely predictable and unbelievable with of course a happy ending. It was almost like a different author took over for book 2!

Not a bad read but not a good one either.

Brilliant story - almost an Australian version of Forrest Gump - Highly recomended excellent read

I enjoyed this book very much, but I'm finding myself viewing it as a guilty pleasure, in the same way I enjoy "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Tex Ritter's "Blood on the Saddle," and PDQ Bach--not great art, but a lot of fun. Courtenay is fluid, unsubtle writer, quite easy to follow, but he exploits his ability with a sentence to create almost non-stop action, much larger-than-life characterizations, and blatant moralizations. Such writing can be, of course, genuinely entertaining and can serve the purpose of bringing home lessons to a popular readng audience that they might otherwise ignore, but at the cost of avoiding the complexity of the social issues and the deeper horrors of policies like Apartheid. The ending, in particular, was a junior high school boy's fantasy and not the behavior of a bright, sophisticated, now mature young man who had been mentored by series of compassionate, thoughtful adults, and who had the presence of mind to remain in control of his emotions when he was attacked. Peekay, by that point in the book, should have been better than to end the fight as he did, or, at the very least, to admit his loss of control and some regret over the final act. The Peekay we had come to know in the book would have seen the Judge as the drunken loser he was, defeated him as efficiently as possible, and thereafter dismissed him.

The Power of One was a fantastic book. It held a lot of compelling moments while teaching us to never give up on our goals and dreams. It was exiting and I could not put the book down because it was to good. I can't wait to read Tandia as I want to know if Peekay can reach his dream. For Bryce Courtenay's first book it was better than I expected and I can't wait to read more of his books. I would reccomend this book to anybody who wants to achieve their dreams.

The Power of One by Bryce Courtney is a novel about a young white boy growing up in aparthied South Africa. At 500 slow but captivating pages, it took almost 5 hours to read. Like all books that I read, someone suggested it was a good read. It was well written. Pure recreation. Highly recommended for fun but the business lessons are few and you need to stretch a bit to get them.

One quote from the book (used in a boxing context) was "Lead first with your head then with your heart". Does that apply to business? Without the logic and head, there can be no heart.

Another good quote was "I was cultivating a habit of winning. Winning is a state of mind that embraces everything you do, so I found I won in other things as well.". This quote definitely applies to my life philosophy.

I love historical fiction, and I absolutely adored this tale by Mr. Courtenay

Sylvia is a passionate story of a down trodden girl who, through trials and travels, learn who she is and what she is truly capable of.

This tale can be - at times - confronting and sad, but it is also a tale of triumph and belief.

Sylvia is a story anyone who enjoys historical fiction will enjoy - of that I have no doubt.

Set in 1212, Sylvia tells the story of the Children's Crusade. I am instantly attracted to (most) books set in the medieval period, especially if they have a female as the main protagonist. So I eagerly opened the pages to this book.

Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. Not that my expectations were that high, as I have read a few of Bryce Courtenay's books and apart from Jessica which I really connected with, I found the others verbose or just plain didn't grab me. This was one of the books that I felt didn't grab me. The main Character, Sylvia, felt like an empty shell. I want to read about characters that make me feel emotions, that I can feel what they are going through, feel their pain and their joy. I did not feel this for Sylvia.

The book wasn't so bad, I mean, I did get to the end. But it is nothing special. My favourite character, Reihnheart, based on the old story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, was a delight to read about. He was definitely my favourite character, however was not in the story nearly enough and departed half way through. :'(

Overall, it is banally average.

The book's namesake is a girl living in medieval Germany, who has a remarkable gift of being able to imitate birds. The story cleverly weaves historical elements and nuances of folk stories, linking historical events (notably the Children's Crusade) with characters from folklore (eg the Pied Pier of Hamlin). Courtenay has certainly done his research, and while the plot does ring true, I found it hard to believe that all of these characters and events would revolve around Sylvia's life.
My only criticism is that the book seems about 50 pages too long. After the climax of the story, the denouement is quite a let-down and I found myself skipping pages. Still definitely worth a read, though.