The moment I layed my hands on the book, I simply could not put it down. Dr. Cole's book had most of the answers to many of my unanswered questions. It is more then a mission of love, it is a mission to help you rediscover your inner being and yourself.

This book is a personal account of working with terminally ill patients. A job that most people, even in the medical profession,find hard.It is also a spiritual journey, of the patients and for Dr. Roger Cole himself. It has many personal accounts, from the patients, their families, from Roger himself that will awaken feelings often hidden or repressed through past experience, fear and lack a knowledge. The book opens up the subects that people find hard to talk about as they face terminal illnesses. Roger Cole is the doctor in the Bryce Courtney best seller "April Fool's Day" that helped Damion, Bryce's son in the final weeks of his life. In fact it was Damion that said Roger's job was " A Mission of Love"

This novel has to be one of the Bryce Courtney masterpieces. Set in the bushfire region of the ovens valley in Victoria (Australia). The Maloney family of Irish Catholic decent were the lowest of the low... the towns garbage collectors. The head of the family was Tommy, a petty theif who sadly did not excel in his chosen proffession of burglery. His family were forced to continue life with Tommy in and out of jail like a yoyo. This novel deals with the social issues of the late 1960's, and with the patterns associated with "shell shock" now better known as Post Traumatic Stess Disorder... following soldiers after the great wars. This book is a must for any Courtney fan, for any Australian and for any booklover. Even if you have never been to the great state of Victoria... or for that matter Australia... give this book a read.

Since purchasing this book when it was first released I have read and reread it yet it still has not lost the power that gripped me originally nor the need for tissues. Bryce Courtenay tells a personal, emotive story with a great deal of feeling. His descriptions of the life of a person with aids are thought provoking and compassionate. I feel as if I know Damon and Celeste just through what is written. April Fools Day is a must read for all people. It will keep your attention right through to the end.

This is the Bryce Courtneys story of how he and his family lived with his sons' conditions of hemophilla and being HIV+. It is a story of pain , sadness, happiness, triumph and love and is the most moving stories i have ever read, once i started it, i could not put it down. The story focus mainly around the heartache and frustration around trying to get his son treated in an appropriate and humane way and also the triumph of love against all the odds. I think what amazed me most was the ignorance of some of the medical staff that they encountered. It certainly touched my life and assumptions and had me laughing and in tears. A truly wonderful read!

April Fool's Day is the most moving book I've read this year. I find it really important that Courtenay decided to share such a personal thing to share with us. Although Damon died when he was only 24, I believe he was very lucky to have known really love (I wish every man had a loyal and wonderful girlfriend like Celeste) and have had constant support from his parents and brothers. Despite the acute and neverending pain he was in all the time, I believe, Damon was very strong, stronger than most of the people I've met or heard of, because he didn't want anyone to pity him for his illness. He tried everything he could to lead a normal life and has made me aware that nothing in this world is more important than health. Thus we should treasure every single minute in our lives. Bryce Courtenay is one of the best authors, and if there are better authors than him I'm afraid I haven't read them yet. Thank you.

A gift from a friend, the Power of One became my favorite book. The story concerns Peekay, who is white, growing up in South Africa in a time of racial hatred. Picked on and ostracized because of his nationality, skinny frame, and precocity, Peekay's childhood is spent mostly alone. However, along the way, he meets people who will have later on have an influential impact on his life. Although the subjects of the book concern racism and the sport of boxing, to me the prevailing theme embodied in the Power of One is above all an affirmation of the individual - the recognition of the inner strength and courage that comes with acting upon one's own beliefs and initiative in a largely conformist society. I identified with Peekays's individuality, his ability to think for himself, and his heightened sense of intellectual curiousity. This is a book that will tug at the heartstrings, but one that will also bring a smile to your face at its comic moments. It will also make you think, as some profound insights into the philosphy of life are offered. The novel inspires awe at the sheer beauty and power of Coutenay's prose. The Power of One is a compelling read, it will leave few readers unmoved.

Though in the popular vein, this is an original modern novel and deserves a reading for many reasons. Firstly, it is about South Africa and, to the extent that outsiders know anything about that troubled country, it serves as a lesson to what the future might hold for any nation which falls into the grip of a race war. From this point of view it is a very ugly novel. Happily, it has some highly redeeming features which make us want to read through all the trouble and strife.

Bryce Courtenay is a good writer. He is able to involve us in the story from the beginning with well-drawn characters. The central character starts the book off as a small boy, living in South Africa during the Second World War. As if the black/white race problems are not enough, we find out (those of us who didn't know) that there is also extremely bad blood 'twixt English and Boer. So when young Peekay is sent to be the lone Englishman attending an Afrikaner boarding school, he is really in hot water. Thus begins one of the most unusual educations you could wish for and how Peekay eventually manages to turn every disadvantage to his favour is part of the delight of this chronicle.

Besides being a good yarn, this book has considerable depth and we can follow Peekay quite closely as he learns all about Latin and Greek, cacti, boxing and especially, human nature. By the age of twelve, he is so well versed in these matters, not to mention the machinations of the Pentecostal Church and the workings of the South African Prison system, that he is clearly a boy apart, who may be destined for stranger things still.

If you have the slightest interest in South Africa, you will enjoy this book from many angles. It is a story about the twentieth century and one of its most pressing problems, which we have now brought forward into this one. In any case, most readers will have trouble putting it down, as it is the story of an unusual life told with passion and honesty.

I'm amazed at the power of this book. Courtenay not only delivers action and excitement, he delivers them through the story frame of legend. Reading along, I was astounded to see how comparable Peekay's story is to that of King Arthur:
He's a child with no father, raised in a land where the native is the slave. He's a child with a destiny--a destiny even greater than he can imagine. He's also a warrior who will use his skill to inspire the people.

He is fostered by such magical mentors, who together make up a sort of unified Merlin: Doc, the scientist and musician who teaches Peekay how to observe and think, the closest thing Peekay has to a father; Inkosi-Inkosikazi, the Zulu witchdoctor, most renowned medicine man of all the tribes who gives Peekay the gift of transcendence; Geel Piet, the sly prisoner who becomes Peekay's boxing coach and gives him the power of a warrior; and Hoppie Groenwald, the boxer, the first man to ever take Peekay under his wing--he gave Peekay the maxim that would make him great: "First with the head, then with the heart."
As we read the story, we watch the growth of a boy who will one day become something of a king. The people call him Onoshobishobi Ingelosi--the Tadpole Angel. They love him. They revere him. Thousands of black South Africans converge in peace to witness the warrior skill of a little boy who somehow has the power to liberate them.
The only problem is that the story doesn't end with this book. The story continues in the sequel called "Tandia" where Peekay the man uses all the skills he's obtained to try to liberate South Africa from hatred.

If you read The Power of One and don't read (or cant' read--it's very hard to find in the US) Tandia, you may feel somewhat disappointed. But if you can read both, your life may very well never be the same.

I also read The Potato Factory first which prompted me to read Courtenay's first ever best-seller The Power of One. Wonderful! I can only say that I would heartily endorse both, although it's a little too much to ask for someone to wait 18 (?) months for a sequel (to The Potato Factory). The only complaint I would have regarding The Potato Factory, was this eternal waiting, but the waiting was worth-while as I've read Tommo & Hawk and am almost satisfied (can't wait for the conclusion to the trilogy). The Power of One is a fabulous yarn as is Tandia, which is and isn't a sequel (if you know what I mean). And if you get a chance, make sure you get a copy of April Fool's Day, Courtenay's account of his own sons death from aids after being given infected blood (he was a haemophiliac).

This story transports the reader from the South Africa of POWER OF ONE and TANDIA to Mr. Courtenay's new homeland, Australasia. The story is exciting and moving. A fantastic read. Don't forget to read the other two in the trilogy! Courtenay has lost his readership for some reason since the publication of THE POWER OF ONE his first book. It is followed by TANDIA. He also wrote THE POTATO FACTORY (of course), TOMMO & HAWK, and their final chapter, the third in that trilogy, SOLOMON'S SONG, which is due to be released in the rest of the world very soon. Other almost unknown works by Courtenay are: THE NIGHT COUNTRY, THE FAMILY FRYING PAN, A RECIPE FOR DREAMING and JESSICA. I encourage all of you who read this review to discover ALL of Courtenay's novels, not just THE POWER OF ONE. I do not know why he isn't more popular over here in the USA. Feel free to email to chat about Courtenay or collecting his books, of which I have many, many and some to spare!

Coming back from Australia, I got the Australian Trilogy from a friend. I have just finished book one, The Potato Factory. I really did enjoy it. Ikey Soloman is amazing. The story is very well done. He is living on top of his game and doing quite well. Until love gets in the way, but its not what you think. The story is filled with many details, one must read this book at least twice, which I will do. I kept wanting to skip ahead to find out what happens, but if i would have, I would of missed all the critial plannings of Ikey. I enjoyed this book, not as much as the Power of One, but the Potato Factory in its own right does need to get published in the States. I recommmend this book to anyone who likes to read epic stories about life, love, hatred and money. So basically, a story about human beings.

Finishing Tandia in the middle of the night doesn't do much for one's sleep! But what a beautiful book again. Like many U.S.A. readers I really had to search for this much needed sequel. Thank you, Amazon.com for having a used book section. Power of One and Tandia have certainly produced a need in me to find out more about the struggles of South Africa. I also immediately did a search to see if the author has any plans to make this a trilogy. Has any one heard anything about that? I believe that those readers who did not like this book would also like to believe that there is no evil in the world. Yes, some of the scenes were tough to stomach, but can you deny that such things happen? I repeat an earlier reviewer's question - why are Courtenay's mesmerizing books so difficult to find in the States?

This story is the ultimate opportunity to learn of South Africa, and for those of us who have lived there, to recall the things that made us fall in love with that country. It also serves as a great treat for all of us who wanted to see what happened to PeeKay after THE POWER OF ONE. TANDIA allows the readers to see what South Africa has been like in the past for blacks and colored people. A real eye-opener and worth every minute spent perusing the 900+ pages. Mr. Courtenay weaves a wonderful tale of courage, triumph and hope. Courtenay has lost his readership for some reason since the publication of THE POWER OF ONE. One can hardly find a copy of his other books anywhere, not even many of them are for sale here. He also wrote THE POTATO FACTORY, TOMMO & HAWK, and their final chapter, the third in that trilogy, SOLOMON'S SONG, which is due to be released in the rest of the world very soon. Other almost unknown works by Courtenay are: THE NIGHT COUNTRY, THE FAMILY FRYING PAN, A RECIPE FOR DREAMING and JESSICA. I encourage all of you who read this review to discover ALL of Courtenay's novels, not just THE POWER OF ONE. I do not know why he isn't more popular over here in the USA. Feel free to email to chat about Courtenay or collecting his books, of which I have many, many and some to spare!

Are most of Bryce's books out of print!

I found this to be an absolutely riveting spectacle of a time and place that have a paramount significance in human history.

I did find myself early in the book rather frustrated by Peekay's absence. I was rabid to get back into his story, and didn't want to spend time learning the story of this book's namesake.

However, my patience was rewarded as I found the stories of Tandia and Peekay to converge into a mammoth story of love, conquest, and the indominable power of the human spirit.

As I read the story of Peekay's first title bout with Jake "Spoonbill" Jackson, I felt my heart racing and my legs shaking. I don't think that I have ever been so immersed into any piece of literature as I was during that sequence of events in the story.

The classic 'good vs. bad' showdown is largely shaped by the evil actions of the much hated Jannie Geldenhuis. His racial malice really serves to construct the backdrop on which "Tandia" scores, and it serves to inject a ton of emotion into the story.

I suppose the only way that I can express my great love for this book was by telling you how much the ending really rocked me. Without giving away the ending, I was deeply overcome by emotion, to the point of shedding tears.

Definitely one of those books that have altered my outlook on, and the course of my life. My heartfelt thanks to the author, Bryce Courtenay, for this masterpiece of fiction. Bravo!

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.

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.

This novel - a sequel to 'The Potato Factory' (a great book, mind you!), is a rollicking tale of 2 unlikely brothers, with a lot of grisly adventure and the typical BC-style of lots of bad things happening that make you really care for the characters and then, gee, things seem to turn out OK in the end (but not without a lot of pain and suffering, thank you Charles Dickens).

Nevertheless, I loved this book for all of the 650+ pages that Bryce decided to put into it... Being very critical, I would say that gee yep, this coulda been better and all (as I did not like all of the things that happenend in the end), but it was a great read from one of the best authors in the land of OZ (for this type of literature). He has a great style and command of words that makes you want to know what is going on with the characters, and is very conscious of what is going on at the time as well. No, this is not big time literary stuff, but it is simply GREAT entertainment that won't leave your head and will keep your mind off the othe worries of the world...

The book was well planned and researched. The recations used arrows to show how new molecules are formed. All areas of the organic course are covered. Simply I liked the book for its simple and ease of reading. Well done to the authors.

I had real trouble with this one. I loved "The Power of One", and hated "Tandia", so I was hoping that "April Fool's Day" would show me whether Bryce Courtenay was a wonderful writer or whether "The Power of One" was a one-off. It did neither. The only thing that it did do for me was explain why "Tandia" was so awful -- working under strict publishing deadlines while his child is extremely ill must have been extremely upsetting.

On the one hand, I applaud Mr. Courtenay for publishing such a personal experience, as I don't know whether I could be as frank as he has been in front of an unknown audience. It certainly would make interesting reading for health-care professionals who treat terminally ill people (not just those with HIV/AIDS/ARC).

On the other hand, the story didn't grab me by the heart. I didn't find Damon particularly heroic, even though I realize that he went through hell for most of his life between the haemophilia and HIV. He was a man who had a pre-existing condition, contracted a disease and lived with and died from the disease. He is no different from anyone who has cancer or any other terminal illness, nor is he different from any other person who consistently has been discriminated against. His story's a personal tragedy, but I didn't get the feeling of the awful things that happened to him a community tragedy... what happened to him is called "life".

Mr. Courtenay gets full marks for detail and poignancy. At times, I did feel that I was going through the process with the Courtenay family... and that made finishing the novel difficult. For example, I thought that I didn't want to go to the hospital AGAIN several times throughout my reading of the book. I liked the depictions of Damon's interactions with his family and caregivers and how Damon addressed obstacles in his treatment as both patient and person.

By the same token, the book was almost too detailed and repetitious in places, leaving me to wonder if I really cared if Damon made it to the next chapter. This also had the result of my feeling like Mr. Courtenay's counsellor/psychotherapist in many places throughout the book, which irritated me.

I'm not sure what to think about this book. It's definitely not a light read, and has some good points, but I don't think that it's one of Mr. Courtenay's must-reads. I'll have to read the next Courtenay book to make my decision on what kind of writer he is.

I can't believe this book is out of print, it should be required reading for medical students. Although the medical information here is (thankfully) out of date, I can say from first hand experience (UK) that there are still plenty of ignorant, arrogant people working in the medical "profession". That Bryce Courtney found the strength to put his book together is quite amazing, though no doubt a lot of it was driven by justifiable anger and bitterness. Whilst I know a lot about the gay side of Aids, I was fairly unaware of what haemophiliacs have been through, though it is now common knowledge that they were well and truly screwed by governments and health systems in many countries. Bryce Courtney's testament to "the mighty Damon", his son, is constantly heartbreaking, whilst never sinking into sentimentality. I do hope this book will be reprinted at some point, ideally with an update on the current medical situation, for the benefit of any readers who may be in the Courtney family's position and being kept in the dark by their doctors. Whilst Aids is no longer the death sentence it was, books like this are very, very important in the fight for compassion and understanding that still goes on in this terrible war. May the Courtney family find peace.

Bryce Courtenay has shared with us not only the life but the death of his beloved son from Aids in this warm,real ,sad yet beautiful book.It's not only about the experience of losing a loved one,but it also lets us know just how real the disease is...no matter how it is acquired.Bryce's son tragically contracted the virus via blood transfusions needed for his Haemophilia(a blood disorder).This book not only tells us of the courage of young Damien,but also of the power of love his family and girlfriend showed.It also hits on the prejudice and discimination experienced by those with the HIV and makes you realize that that approach is neither necassary nor right. This book is a must for everybody.....It left me breathless,tearful yet stronger.

I have been a big fan of Bryce Courtenay's books ever since a friend lent me The Power of One 11 years ago which is to this day still one of my favorite books. I was disappointed in this one. It is more of a collection of short stories tied together very loosely by their being told while dinner was cooking. Most of the stories are rather unbelievable and lacking the usual powerful imagery that Courtenay does so well. I recently read Four Fires and if you are looking for a new Courtenay book to spend some time with, I would personally point you in that direction.