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Smoky Joe's Cafe

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Smoky Joe's Cafe by Bryce Courtenay is a compelling tale set in Sydney, where unlikely friendships blossom amid the vibrant yet harsh urban landscape. The story follows young Tom, who finds himself entangled in a world of graffiti, street gangs, and survival, as he uncovers the complexities of human connection and resilience. Through rich characters and poignant storytelling, the novel explores themes of belonging, love, and the transformative power of community.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy stories that blend rich character development with themes of camaraderie and resilience. Set in a vibrant community, it immerses readers in its lively and complex characters, offering a heartwarming exploration of friendship and personal growth.

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A Vietnam vet returns to an Australia that regards him as a mercenary guilty of war crimes. Thommo begins to develop all kinds of physical and mental problems, and thinks it must only be him until he finds that he is not alone. Ten mates, all who remain of his platoon, are affected in the same way.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Vietnam vet returns to an Australia that regards him as a mercenary guilty of war crimes. Thommo begins to develop all kinds of physical and mental problems, and thinks it must only be him until he finds that he is not alone. Ten mates, all who remain of his platoon, are affected in the same way. Now Thommo and his mates are eleven angry men out for revenge.

They rope in an ex-Viet Cong with 'special skills' and his own secret agenda. They're the 'Dirty Dozen', just like the movie. Only it's real life, and they're so screwed up they couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. That is, until a woman of character steps in.

Wendy's infant daughter is dying and needs a transplant. She sets out to mould this bunch of ex-jungle fighters into a unit that will fight for justice, by fair means or foul. Hell hath no fury...

Smoky Joe's Cafe is Courtenay's yarn about a whacky bunch of Vietnam vets that keeps moving. It's dead centre in Courtenay’s oeuvre, an easy read with a social conscience.

brycecourtenay.com | facebook.com/BryceCourtenay

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143004738

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 August 2006

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 230g

Pages: 256

About the Author

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. The Power of One is also available in an edition for younger readers, and Jessica has been made into an award-winning television miniseries. The Silver Moon- Reflections and Stories on Life, Death and Writing is being published in November 2014. facebook.com/BryceCourtenay The World of Bryce Courtenay

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