Jack Of Diamonds
Nov 2012 · Penguin Group Australia
4.9star
16 reviewsreport
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592
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About this eBook
During the Great Depression there was little hope for a boy born into the slums of Cabbagetown, Toronto. But Jack Spayd is offered a ticket out in the form of a Hohner harmonica, won by his brutal drunken father in a late-night card game. Jack makes music as a way of escaping his surroundings, and his talent leads him to a jazz club and, eventually, to the jazz piano.
Jack is a virtuoso and hits the road, enchanting audiences in Canada, wartime Europe and Las Vegas, where he is caught up in the world of elite poker and falls under the spell of his boss, the enigmatic Bridgett Fuller. Vegas is a hard town ruled by the Mafia, but Jack prospers, until his luck turns bad and he falls foul of the Mob. Forced to run for his life from Vegas, he must also leave the woman he adores. His adventuring takes him to the far reaches of Africa, to a rare and valuable bird that may seal his fate – and to the love of a very different woman.
Set across three continents, Jack of Diamonds is a spellbinding story of chance, music, corruption and love – and Bryce Courtenay's last novel.
'Jack of Diamonds is classic Courtenay.' The Age
Jack is a virtuoso and hits the road, enchanting audiences in Canada, wartime Europe and Las Vegas, where he is caught up in the world of elite poker and falls under the spell of his boss, the enigmatic Bridgett Fuller. Vegas is a hard town ruled by the Mafia, but Jack prospers, until his luck turns bad and he falls foul of the Mob. Forced to run for his life from Vegas, he must also leave the woman he adores. His adventuring takes him to the far reaches of Africa, to a rare and valuable bird that may seal his fate – and to the love of a very different woman.
Set across three continents, Jack of Diamonds is a spellbinding story of chance, music, corruption and love – and Bryce Courtenay's last novel.
'Jack of Diamonds is classic Courtenay.' The Age
Ratings and reviews
4.9
16 reviews
Aaron O'Connor
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22 March 2023
Another wonderful story that takes me to far away places full of love, hope, loss, and hardships in which the character eventually emerges, having had a truely wondrous adventure usually without even realising the truly special life they have lived. He is a fantastic storyteller, and I will always look forward to reading his novels and sharing them with the people I love. thank you.
A Google user
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16 November 2012
Another wonderful story by the master of story telling, I will really miss not being able to watch for any more of Bryce Courtenay's books to read, will miss all the enjoyable hours of reading any more of his books
2 people found this review helpful
Judy Foord
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8 April 2013
So sad this is the last time I will be entertained by yhis amazingly tslented man. R.I.P. BRYCE COURTNEY
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
The late Bryce Courtenay was 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, Jack of Diamonds and The Silver Moon: Reflections and Stories on Life, Death and Writing. The Power of One is also available in an edition for younger readers, and Jessica has been made into an award-winning television miniseries.
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