person or book cover
Image courtesy of Penguin Books Australia.
y separately published work icon Jack of Diamonds single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 2012... 2012 Jack of Diamonds
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Born and raised in a poor, working-class family in Toronto, Jack Spayd is the son of an unhappy marriage. But when he is given a harmonica as a young boy, he discovers a talent for music that will change his life forever. After being taken under the wing of "Miss Frostbite", the owner of a local jazz club, Jack becomes a gifted musician, playing piano and harmonica.

'After the death of his mother, he travels to Las Vegas and finds work in the clubs there, but is increasingly drawn to gambling. He earns a reputation as a good player, which brings him to the attention of the mafia. Jack wants to join the professional circuit, and to do that he needs serious money behind him. It's this need that sees him travel to the Belgian Congo, where he's heard it's possible to earn big money working in the most dangerous parts of the local copper mines.

'He gradually falls in love with Africa - and then with a beautiful Ethiopian woman. They move to London, where they bring up a daughter who becomes a supermodel. In a dramatic twist, the story returns to Africa - and to a fortune in diamonds.

'Jack of Diamonds is the story of a young, talented man, fighting to achieve his ambitions, and having to use his considerable talents to find his way in a perilous world.' (From the Angus and Robertson Bookstore website.)

Notes

  • Dedication: For Dr Koroush S. Haghighi, with my gratitude and thanks

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Viking , 2012 .
      person or book cover
      Image courtesy of Penguin Books Australia.
      Extent: 771p.
      Note/s:
      • Publication date: Originally intended for publication on 14 November 2011; delayed due to Courtenay's ill-health. Revised publication date: 12 November 2012.
      ISBN: 9780670076079 (hbk.)
    • Toronto, Ontario,
      c
      Canada,
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Penguin ,
      2013 .
      image of person or book cover 3026937881142220236.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Goodreads.
      Extent: 720p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Published April 2013.
      ISBN: 9780143188193

Other Formats

Works about this Work

No Grey Areas in Top Reads Deborah Bogle , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 January 2013; (p. 29)
Populist Storyteller to the End Plays His Final Hand Winsor Dobbin , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 23 December 2012; (p. 10)

— Review of Jack of Diamonds Bryce Courtenay , 2012 single work novel
Book Buyers' Appetite for Fast Food Tips Puts Oliver on Top Linda Morris , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 December 2012; (p. 18)
Now, Read This Stephen Romei , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25)
A Final Trump Juliette Hughes , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 8 December 2012; (p. 31) The Canberra Times , 8 December 2012; (p. 25) The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 December 2012; (p. 36)

— Review of Jack of Diamonds Bryce Courtenay , 2012 single work novel
Storyteller Signs Off With a Flourish Peter Pierce , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1 - 2 December 2012; (p. 21)

— Review of Jack of Diamonds Bryce Courtenay , 2012 single work novel
A Final Trump Juliette Hughes , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 8 December 2012; (p. 31) The Canberra Times , 8 December 2012; (p. 25) The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 December 2012; (p. 36)

— Review of Jack of Diamonds Bryce Courtenay , 2012 single work novel
Populist Storyteller to the End Plays His Final Hand Winsor Dobbin , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 23 December 2012; (p. 10)

— Review of Jack of Diamonds Bryce Courtenay , 2012 single work novel
Showman Who Knew the Power of a Story Blanche Clark , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 24 November 2012; (p. 26-27)
Now, Read This Stephen Romei , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25)
Book Buyers' Appetite for Fast Food Tips Puts Oliver on Top Linda Morris , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 December 2012; (p. 18)
No Grey Areas in Top Reads Deborah Bogle , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 January 2013; (p. 29)
Last amended 1 Sep 2021 09:46:10
Settings:
  • Toronto, Ontario,
    c
    Canada,
    c
    Americas,
  • Las Vegas, Nevada,
    c
    United States of America (USA),
    c
    Americas,
  • c
    Congo (Democratic Republic),
    c
    West / Central Africa, Africa,
  • London,
    c
    England,
    c
    c
    United Kingdom (UK),
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
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