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Smoky Joe's Cafe
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Non-member price: $25.59
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Mrs. Moses is a small woman with a big heart and enormous courage. The only survivor of a Cossack raid on her village, she takes with her a big cast-iron frying pan, so heavy that she can only sling it over her back. Yet this is no ordinary frying pan, it's The Family Frying Pan, blessed with a Russian soul.
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Talk about going out with a bang.
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Another unputdownable effort!
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Loved it
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The Story of Danny Dunn
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I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Good story and brilliantly performed.
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Talk about going out with a bang.
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Another unputdownable effort!
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Loved it
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I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
- By Chris Collum on 14-10-2018
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Another classic Bryce Courtenay tale
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Sequel syndrome 😔
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What a Book!
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This is Bryce Courtenay's moving tribute to his son, Damon, a hemophiliac who died from medically acquired AIDS on April 1, 1991, at the age of 24. April Fool's Day is controversial, painful and heartbreaking, yet has a gentle humor. It is also life-affirming, and, above all, a testimony to the incredible regenerative strength of love: how when we confront our worst, we can become our best. This tragic yet uplifting story will change the way you think.
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Amazing true story
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Matthew Flinder's Cat
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Performance
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Story
The story of a drunk, a boy, and a cat. Billy O'Shannessy, once a prominent barrister, is now on the street where he sleeps on a bench outside the State Library. Above him on the window sill rests a bronze statue of Matthew Flinders' cat, Trim. Ryan is a 10-year-old, a near-street kid heading for the usual trouble. The two form an unlikely bond.
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Outstanding
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Tandia
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tandia is a child of all Africa: half Indian, half African, beautiful and intelligent, she is only 16 when she is first brutalized by the police. Her fear of the White man leads her to join the Black resistance movement. With her in the fight for justice is the one White man Tandia can trust, the welterweight champion of the world, Peekay. Now he must fight their common enemy in order to save both their lives.
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strong performance
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Solomon's Song
- The Australian Trilogy, Book 3
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Here is the story of two families, branches of the Solomons, transported to an alien land. Both branches eventually grow rich and powerful. But through three generations, the families never, for one moment, relinquish their hatred for each other. This novel is also the story of Australia, from its beginnings to its coming of age as a nation.
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Best 3 book series ever
- By Kevin on 08-11-2017
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Tommo and Hawk
- The Australian Trilogy, Book 2
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Brutally kidnapped and separated in childhood, Tommo and Hawk are reunited at the age of 15 in Hobart Town. Together, they escape their troubled pasts and set off on a journey into manhood. From whale hunting in the Pacific to the Maori wars of New Zealand, from the Rocks in Sydney to the miners' riots at the goldfields, Tommo and Hawk must learn each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to survive.
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very moving
- By Helen on 28-03-2017
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Sylvia
- By: Bryce Courtenay
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From master storyteller Bryce Courtenay comes a colorful, lusty story set in the 13th century, an epic tale of a Europe torn by religious intolerance. The story centers around Sylvia Honeyeater, who sings like an angel and can literally charm the birds from the trees. The narrative also features the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Francis of Assisi, the Muslim Sultan and his harem, and the fervor that becomes the Children's Crusade and then, later, the Crusades.
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Amazing book
- By Mark on 26-12-2016
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The Potato Factory
- The Australian Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Bryce Courtenay
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Always leave a little salt on the bread. Ikey Solomon's favorite saying is also his way of doing business, and in the business of thieving he's very successful indeed. Ikey's partner in crime is his mistress, the forthright Mary Abacus, until misfortune befalls them. They are parted and each must make the harsh journey from thriving nineteenth century London to the convict settlement of Van Diemen's Land.
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Exceptional Narrator
- By Renuka on 01-06-2014
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The Persimmon Tree
- By: Bryce Courtenay
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Persimmon Tree opens in Indonesia in 1942 on the cusp of Japanese invasion and the evacuation of Batavia (Jakarta) by the Dutch. Seventeen-year-old Nicholas Duncan is on holiday there, in pursuit of an exotic butterfly known as the Magpie Crow. It's an uncertain, dangerous time to be in Indonesia, and Nick's options of getting out are fast dwindling. Amidst the fear and chaos he falls in love with Anna, the beautiful daughter of a Dutch acquaintance, and she nicknames him 'Mr Butterfly'.
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Perhaps one of the best novels I have read
- By Philip on 02-09-2018
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The Silver Moon
- Reflections on life, death and writing
- By: Bryce Courtenay
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Each of us has a place to return to in our minds, a place of clarity and peace, a place to think, to create, to dream. For Bryce Courtenay this place was a waterhole in Africa where he used to escape to as a boy, in search of solitude. One evening, while lingering there, he witnessed the tallest of the great beasts drinking from the waterhole in the moonlight, and was spellbound. Ever since, he drew inspiration from this moment.
Publisher's Summary
Now Thommo and his mates are 11 angry men out for revenge. They rope in an ex-Viet Cong with 'special skills' and his own secret agenda. They're the 'Dirty Dozen', just like the movie. Only it's real life, and they're so screwed up they couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. That is, until a woman of character steps in. Wendy's infant daughter is dying and needs a bone-marrow transplant. Hell hath no fury, as she sets out to mould this bunch of ex-jungle fighters into a unit that will fight for justice, by fair means or foul.
More from the same
What listeners say about Smoky Joe's Cafe
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Anonymous User
- 26-08-2018
Not my sort of book.
The narrator did an amazing job telling this story but I can't say I loved the story as I didn't. I can say that the story most likely portrayed happenings that occurred after the Vietnam war.
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- Kathleen
- 01-10-2012
Australian Vietnam vet with Agent Orange
book is set, I believe in the 1980’s. The vet is suffering from Agent Orange exposure, but it is before either the U.S. or Australia are admitting that Agent Orange is the cause of so much damage. So in this book, a group of Vietnam vets who served together decide to grow hashish and sell it in has honey to earn enough to help vets who have been harmed and who aren’t getting help from the government. It’s totally illegal, but they have this enterprise for a year, raise a lot of money and help a lot of people. It’s a very interesting book with the vet and his wife coming back together after having almost been separated by the events of the war because he can’t talk about them. Also, some interesting contrasts between experiences of Australian Vietnam vets and American Vietnam vets.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall

- Marcus
- 19-12-2009
Unworthy
This book is totally unworthy of Bryce - of whom I am a great fan.
1 person found this helpful
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- Nikkola
- 01-05-2007
Excellent
Bryce has lived up to all expectations. Loved this book.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-07-2019
Wonderful as always
I laughed and I cried, sadness over the mess left from the Vietnam Nam war, the generations left to deal with the disease and hate in its aftermath. I was a teen when it was going on, saw the news, knew people affected by the poison unleashed, Agent Orange. I had no idea of the Australian involvement until this book. The story here is so so sad yet uplifting. The characters were fictional but life in the day to day life wasn’t. As usual Bryce Courtenay told of it so beautifully and Humphrey gave voice so splendidly that these characters mattered to you. I loved the solution they came up with to help others, brilliant! Thank you Bryce Courtenay and Humphrey Bower for bringing this amazing story to life.
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- Sharey
- 06-11-2017
Too Short!
I'd barely gotten into this and it was over! That's the fastest time gone by. I was disappointed Courtenay cut this book off so quickly because I loved where this story was headed.
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- Susan
- 22-11-2016
Great Book as always!!!
This is one is one of the shortest Bryce Courtney's books but definitely never disappointing. Bryce always writes to enlighten his public. If one has never serviced in war and lived after the experience, Bryce is an author to make the experience real for others. He always has a message in his writing and is always up lifting. He will be missed. Thank you Bryce!!!
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- Sunny
- 12-07-2015
Short but still good
Can get enough of this author, I set out to listen to all of them.
This was one of theist I had left, it is good, but too short to be as good as his others.
Still worth a listen!
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- Chris Reich
- 11-01-2010
Weakest of the Bryce Courtenay I've Read
It's an entertaining story but very contrived and borders on trite. This is pap compared to the maser work of Tandia.
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- Jordan
- 27-11-2005
A GUT WRENCHER
THIS IS A WELL TOLD, HEARTWARMING STORY. I'M TEMPTED TO READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR WHEN I HAVE TIME
1 person found this helpful
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