I bought this novel with the expectation that I would like it, after reading two other of Bryce Courtenay's novels, [b:The Power of One|122|The Power of One (The Power of One, #1)|Bryce Courtenay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388184360s/122.jpg|649656] and [b:Tandia|19435848|Tandia|Bryce Courtenay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924771s/19435848.jpg|1329245]. I wasn't disappointed. The plot is simple, two young people fall in love and then are separated by events beyond their control. In the case of Nick Duncan and Anna van Heerden, it is the approaching Japanese army that separates them. Both of these young people are great characters, both growing up and losing their innocence as they try to survive the horror of the Second World War in the Pacific.
This is a great novel, one that I would recommend to anyone that is looking for an inspiring love story. ( )

Very entertaining and engaging story of a young man (butterfly collector turned soldier), who falls in love with a Dutch/Asian young woman at the start of the Japanese invasion of the spice islands. A coming of age, mixed with explicit events of the war and love lost, love found. ( )

I have never liked Bryce Courtenays' writing ( except for Jessica which I saw the movie not read the book) but I thought I would give it another go so I got the audiobook of The Persimmon Tree - what can I say - boring ! He spends soooo long on describing minor events ... I'm sorry to say he's still my least favorite author to date. I couldn't get past about 20% of this one.

I really liked this book. It gave me a perspective of the Pacific theatre of WWII that is not easy to understand. The book is really two stories in a very long book. One story is a coming of age story of Nick Duncan, an eighteen year old butterfly collector who because of his experience in the jungle and knowledge of Japanese is eventually recruited as an Australian coastwatcher.

First though he meets and falls in love with Anna a half Javanese/dutch knockout...and that is the other half of the story detailing her life in Java under Japanese occupation. With the exception of some stories in this book the war is a bit sanitized but you meet some really interesting characters (Little Bloke for one) and their stores are well interwoven to the main two characters.

For a long book (about 700+ pages) I thought the plot moved along well though I thought Anna's involvement with the Japanese general started to drag a bit towards the end of her section of the book. The last 100 pages or so seem anti-climactic to me. It ties up loose ends but it was in a then-he-did this...then-he-did-that...he/she-helped-here...he/she-would not help-here.

That aside it was a very satisfying read...no real complaints ( )

Bryce Courtenay became one of my favourite authors after I read his first novel "The Power of One", but I must confess that I went off him after reading "Tandia'.
I am delighted to say that "The Persimmon Tree" has really put him back on my bookshelf!. The Persimmon Tree is a love story with lots of action (?) thrown in. The characters are plausible except for Nicholas who, at the age of 17, is so capable of doing anything and everything that he is a superhero!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even at my second reading of it. ( )