Heads you win. Tails you die…Can one man’s revenge become his redemption?Young Luke Tyler has everything going for him: brains, looks and a larrikin charm that turns heads. The future appears bright, until he defends his sister from the powerful Sir Henry Abbott. His reward is fifteen years hard labour on a prison farm in Tasmania’s remote highlands.Luke escapes, finding sanctuary with local … remote highlands.
Luke escapes, finding sanctuary with local philanthropist, Daniel Campbell, and starting a forbidden love affair with Daniel’s daughter, Belle. But when Luke is betrayed, he must flee or be hanged.
With all seeming lost, Luke sails to South Africa to start afresh. Yet he remains haunted by the past, and by Belle, the woman he can’t forget. When he returns to seek revenge and reclaim his life, his actions will have shattering consequences – for the innocent as well as the guilty.
Set against a backdrop of wild Tasmania, Australian Gold and African diamonds, Fortune’s Son is an epic story of betrayal, undying love and one man’s struggle to triumph over adversity and find his way home.
– Praise for Jennifer Scoullar –
‘Scoullar, it turns out, is a writer of documentary calibre … lovely, lyrical prose.’ The Australian.
‘Jennifer is a writer of great imagination.’ Author Andrea Goldsmith
‘The people, the animals and the places … such vivid and vibrant story-telling which wholly swept me away’ Beauty and Lace
Fortune’s Son is the first book in the Tasmanian Tales trilogy. Buy it now to discover why Jennifer Scoullar is one of Australia’s favourite story-tellers!
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Outstanding story telling about a boy who becomes a wealthy man through many trials and adventures. Excellent descriptions of the Tasmanian flora and fauna. The epic romance spans decades and is well described. Highly recommend this book. Its a fascinating read.
What can I say about Fortune’s Son? Not nearly enough! To say I loved this story doesn’t begin to cover it. To say this is one of the best books I’ve ever read (and I read lots of books) doesn’t do it justice, either. This is not just a book–it’s an experience, sweeping the reader from the wilds of Tasmania to South Africa’s vast savannah in the company of our hero, Luke Tyler.
Ms. Scoullar has an amazing ability to describe in detail the people, places, plants and animals in the book’s settings, pulling the reader into these exotic locations to “live” the story along with the characters. I knew nothing about Tasmania and very little about South Africa, but now I feel like I’ve actually been to both places. What a thrilling discovery!
I won’t summarize the plot, because nothing should spoil the suspense of this breathtaking experience. I did not want this book to end–it’s that good! Thankfully, the saga continues in Book 2 of The Tasmanian Tales. Highly recommended!
Good read
This is the second book that I have read by Jennifer Scoullar and she is an excellent story teller. The characters are complex – strengths and flaws and they have many different experiences as they deal with the circumstances they face. Once again, I could not put it down and appreciated the interest in the environment and the preservations of wildlife. This is a book that I would highly recommend and I plan to read more of the books that she has written.
I really enjoyed the characters, and the discretion of
the country and its wildlife. The animals in Tasmania and Australia have always fascinated me.
One of the best books I have read in a long time! I loved it!!
Wonderful characters, struggling with what life gives them. Informative and the description of the country are great. It wants me to go “bush” myself. I wish I could visit the place.
Storyline was great. A little too much of the save the animals for my taste, but overall a great read and I learned a great deal about an area of the world I knew very little about.
I truly enjoyed reading this novel. It’s one of the few that I’ve read lately, that I couldn’t wait to get back to it. I felt it was original in the development of its story line and in its characters. Yes, it’s a romantic story, but, it goes far beyond that. It’s for anyone who loves a great adventure.
Would like more like this
An excellent read with good character development. I enjoyed that the story took place over a long period of time. So many other books don’t give a Lon’s story line. It gave a lot of details about wild animal life and protecting the animals.
A beautiful story…enjoyed thoroughly… was remined of Leon Uris’s Redemption….
The Tasmanian Tales:
Fortune’s Son #1 – So sad and so heartbreaking, the heartwarming multiple storylines about Tasmania, her culture and her creatures was so interesting and intriguing; it was another hard to put down story. The well-written characters, the author’s vivid descriptions, and talented storytelling abilities place the reader deep into the weave of a beautiful tapestry of love, sacrifice and the culture and wildlife of Tasmania, with glimpses of AU. Bear is my favorite character next to Tasmania. 5*
The Lost Valley #2 – This story begins in 1929 with most of the family involved from Fortune’s Son. This book is so sad and so heartbreaking, as well as so heartwarming, intriguing, interesting and uplifting. The vivid descriptions woven with the old and new storylines make a substantial tapestry of love and sacrifice amongst the history of Tasmania, her people and her creatures and her culture. The 600 plus pages just flew by and I could not put this book down until I read the last page. I chain read all the books I had by this author and never once was bored or tired of reading about AU and Tasmania. the excitement over finding such a talented and creative storyteller/author never stopped. Rereading these books in the future, which is something I seldom do anymore, is a certain possibility. 5*
The Tasmanian Tales end.
The Wild Australia Stories Series:
Brumby’s Run #1 – This is my first read by this author and I love it. I felt like I was there in those areas of AU. The vivid descriptions, the variety of everyday characters, the horses and all the background information just kept me glued to the pages. I could not put the book down and I had another book to review: this book came from my library. I took my time savoring every word and the storylines and was happy the author stayed home, instead of writing about the US or some other place, sharing the lifestyles and traditions in her neck of AU. The extra material not usually found in many books was extremely interesting and enjoyable to read about: the depth of the training; horse breeds; and even the proper handling of the environment. All the background information added substance to the tapestry of the story. I will read every book I can find from Ms. Scoullar. 5*
Currawong Creek #2 – This book is just as great to read as Brumby’s Run. Clare is a difficult person to like. She flip-flops between sensible and plain stupid too much and to extremes. She does running away well but not working out problems. Good storylines full with plenty of love, sacrifice and the power of healing with the use of therapy animals. The other main characters were good and interesting, along with most of the secondary characters. There are good expectations and a couple of surprises concerning friendship. Again, I felt as if I was there through Ms. S’s vivid descriptions. This is a feel good story complete with romance and shared loves. 4*
Turtle Reef #4 – This story is wonderful and heartbreaking. I found Ms. S’s vivid descriptions about the sea and her creatures, and the reefs, their functions and survival against man interesting and intriguing. The dugongs are very interesting and I learned quite a bit about them. Through Einstein the octopus, I gained a respect for the species, especially after learning about the sacrifices the females make for their young. This is y favorite of the three books that I’ve read so far. As interesting as the creatures were, the human characters held up their end – interesting, talented and varying from wonderful to damaged but always believable. Einstein and Aisha were my favorites with Zoe pulling in third. 5*
Journey’s End #5 – Wonderful and heartbreaking, this heartwarming story has a touch of romance making Journey’s End another top favorite of mine. All four stories were great, but Turtle and Journey grabbed my heart and made tears flow. I enjoyed Ms. S’s wild AU stories with her well-written characters and her vivid descriptions placing the reader deep into the tapestry of intriguing storylines and interesting background on AU and her wildlife. Dusty was my favorite character and Taj lent a mysterious element to a well-written story. 5*
The Wild Australia Stories Series end.
very enjoyable
I really enjoyed the setting.
I really like this book since it was about Tasmania, a country about which I know little. It was sad reading about the Tasmanian tiger and the way it was eliminated, mainly because it was trying to survive. The characters were well developed and believable, as were their lives. I would definitely read more by this author because she placed the reader into the middle of the action.
Clitchéd from beginning to end.
This was a book that caused me much angst. Sometimes I was even shouting at the words on the page to tell the characters what they should be doing. I don’t usually get so involved in a book. There was much tragedy in this young man’s life. But a happy ending is always a relief.
I do want to make one negative comment: I don’t believe it’s necessary to use vulgarity and profanity when writing. Although it seems that it’s realistic for people to cuss and swear and be nasty, not everyone does it. It doesn’t make the story any more realistic by inserting it and it certainly wouldn’t be missed if left out.
Great read
I found this book very enjoyable.