2026 Reading Challenge
The Potato Factory (The Potato Factory, #1)

Questions About The Potato Factory (The Potato Factory, #1)

by Bryce Courtenay

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Potato Factory, please sign up.

Answered Questions (2)

Is The Potato Factory one book of a series ? If so what are the others ? Thanks
Amanda Yes. It's a trilogy with the other books being, respectively: Tommo and Hawk, Solomon's Song…moreYes. It's a trilogy with the other books being, respectively: Tommo and Hawk, Solomon's Song(less)
flag
How well does this book stand by itself? Does it have a relatively complete story arc, or does it stop in the middle, leaving you itching to pick up Book 2?
Eric I know its a 3 year old question, so by either reading the series or losing interest, the cliffhanger issue is likely long gone for you, but thought I…moreI know its a 3 year old question, so by either reading the series or losing interest, the cliffhanger issue is likely long gone for you, but thought I would answer anyway for others. If you ended up reading the others maybe you could add your own view.

For me, the usual pattern for most Bryce Courtenay books is I find it a slog for the first half and then it sucks me in and I get hooked about half way through and end up loving it by the conclusion. This one certainly followed that pattern, but has a conclusion that stands pretty well on its own. Each book stands alone, but the story is cumulative, so I could not imagine reading them out of order. The real cliffhanger is at the end of the 2nd novel Tommo & Hawk and is so compelling that I can't imagine anyone not jumping out immediately to get the final book, so the 2nd and 3rd novels may as well be Part I and Part II of the same book. But I still feel this one could be read separately.

Overall the trilogy became one of my favourites and made me go out and read everything else the author had published. My criticisms of the author in general is that it feels to me like he goes over the same story again and again, his books can be overly long, and as I mentioned, it takes a while to connect with the protagonist's point of view. But once connected, the ability of the author to make you identify with the characters and feel emotionally invested in the story is unparalleled.(less)
flag

Unanswered Questions (3)

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more