The Persimmon Tree

Read The Persimmon Tree Storyline:

It is 1942 in the Dutch East Indies, and Nick Duncan is a young Australian butterfly collector in search of a single exotic butterfly. With invading Japanese forces coming closer by the day, Nick falls in love with the beguiling Anna van Heerden. Their time together is brief, as both are forced into separate, dangerous escapes. They plan to reunite and marry in Australia but it is several years before their paths cross again, scarred forever by the dark events of a long, cruel war. In The Persimmon Tree, Bryce Courtenay gives us a story of love and friendship set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pacific during the Second World War.About the AuthorBryce Courtenay was born in 1933 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has lived in Australia for over forty years. Bryce wrote his first book, The Power of One, at the age of fifty-five. It has now sold nearly three million copies worldwide! His other bestselling titles include Tandia, April Fool's Day, The Potato Factory, Tommo & Hawk, Jessica, Solomon's Song, Smoky Joe's Cafe, Four Fires, Matthew Flinders' Cat, The Family Frying Pan, Brother Fish, Whitethorn and Sylvia. From AudioFileWhen the Japanese invade Indonesia in 1942, 17-year-old Australian Nick Duncan escapes by sailing a yacht across the ocean. It's a harrowing journey made manageable, in part, by Nick's hope that his new love, Anna, is safely on her way to Australia. Unfortunately, Anna is stuck in Indonesia, a prisoner of the Japanese. This love and adventure story is overlong. However, Humphrey Bower's narration makes it a pleasure. His skills should be a model. He reads with anticipation--so that a line written as a laugh or a sob is read as a laugh or a sob without being overdramatized. His characterizations reveal personality and motive, and hold steady throughout the book. And his pacing keeps us interested even when the plot is predictable. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine