The Persimmon Tree - Bryce Courtenay

Set among the Pacific islands and in the Indian Ocean, The Persimmon Tree tells the very personal and often romantic stories of men and women caught up in larger events - in this case starting with the Japanese invasion of Java and the Dutch exodus of the region. The story spans from 1942 and the fall of Singapore and the American landings at Guadalcanal to the ongoing fight against the Japanese for supremacy in the region. The story follows the fortunes of a colourful cast of characters, in particular young Nicholas Duncan ('the butterfly collector') and his sweetheart, the Eurasian/Dutch girl, Anna Van Heerden. Following Nicholas and Anna through dangerous and exciting times, the story concludes some fifty years later, when the dynamics of the Pacific region have changed forever.

Bryce Courtenay is the bestselling author of The Power of One, Tandia, April Fool's Day, The Potato Factory, Tommo & Hawk, Solomon's Song, Jessica, A Recipe for Dreaming, The Family Frying Pan, The Night Country, Smoky Joe's Cafe, Four Fires, Matthew Flinders' Cat, Brother Fish, Whitethorn, Sylvia, The Persimmon Tree, Fishing for Stars, The Story of Danny Dunn, Fortune Cookie and Jack of Diamonds.
Bryce Courtenay AM passed away in November 2012, aged seventy-nine, at his home in Canberra.