Best Fiction book ever (The Power Of One - Bryce Courtenay)

Member Name:

Product:	The Power Of One - Bryce Courtenay
Date:	20/05/03 (244 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: char

Disadvantages: conc.

This book I got for my B'day and in my opinion is a great read!

Bryce Courtenay has written a thought-provoking page turner in "The Power of One". The book follows the journey of a young boy through the trials and tribulations of WWII era South Africa. The reader is introduced to the main character with an intimate insight into the mind of a child subjected to almost unbearable hardship and torture by his boarding school classmates. Starting from a base of terrible abuse and neglect, Courtenay takes his readers along for the ride as his hero, Peekay, navigates the river of life. The reader can little help but take pride as Peekay discovers boxing, and develops his craft with both passion and skill. Running throughout the work is the persistent use of boxing as a metaphor for life. Jabs, crafty footwork, lightning fast combinations, and more come to symbolize the approach to life taken by the young Peekay. With admirable finess and cunning, Peekay manipulates the system to his every advantage, while in his mind ring the words of an early mentor, "first with the head, then with the heart." This book is an outstanding, insightful treat to read. One caveat: In his zest for a clean end to the work, Courtenay seems to me to abandon many of the principles that guide Peekay through the first several hundred pages. One may question the authors chosen conclusion, but in spite of any disagreement I may have with it, I still wholeheartedly endorse this book as one of the finest works of fiction I have had the pleasure to read

Summary: