'Jessica' by Bryce Courtenay

Fiction - paperback; Penguin; 676  pages; 2000.

This best-selling novel is set in outback Australia during the early 20th Century. Jessica Bergman, the heroine of the book, is a tomboy who helps her father, a Danish immigrant, run the family farm. Meanwhile her elder sister, the beautiful but stuck-up Meg, dreams up plans, with the help of her mother, to wed the local rich boy.

When a brutal murder is carried out at a neighbouring farm, Jessica helps the killer survive a lynch mob hell bent on delivering their own form of justice. This one act of compassion has long-term implications for the rest of Jessica's life - and she is banished from her family, from society and, later, from her child, who is born out of wedlock.

Ultimately this is a relatively sappy and sentimental tale, albeit it an easy to read one. (I was trapped on a long-haul flight with it, and read pretty much the entire 676 pages on the plane.)

While it's supposedly based on a true story, Courtenay offers no explanations, no historical footnotes or afterword to back this up. I'm inclined to think that the murder and Jessica's role in its aftermath may, in fact, be the only true elements and Courtenay has fabricated the rest, which is fine, because it's fiction after all, but as a reader I would have liked to have known what was true and what was not.

That's not my only problem with Jessica. I found much of it sloppily written and in need of some strong editing. It's at least 300 pages too long.

The story meanders all over the place and goes off in unexpected tangents. I would not mind this if those tangents were neatly drawn together at the end, but they are not. Instead, it's like the author made things up as he went along - and no one, not even the editor he so generously thanks in his acknowledgements, bothers to pull him up on this.

The author also has a tendency to hector his readers with his own views (on the treatment of women, on the treatment of aboriginals) instead of letting the reader make up their own mind. I found this patronising and it irritated the hell out of me.

Some of the scenes are overworked and repetitive, much of the dialogue is false (including the colloquialisms, which grated) and the characterisation poor and based on stereotypes (the mother, for instance, is like the Wicked Witch of the West and Jessica may as well have been Cindarella).

All of this is a shame, because there's a brilliant novel in here just dying to get out. A second, possibly third, draft might have ironed out some of these problems.

All in all, Jessica has confirmed what I have thought all along: that this best-selling author is really not for me. Although, judging by his sales figures, I'm probably quite alone in this view. And if you look at the favourable reviews on Amazon.co.uk I suspect I'll be lynched for giving this book just two stars. Oh well.

Comments

[Julia]

It's an interesting phenomenen of modern publishing that only moderately successful authors get decent editing. Publishers won't spend money on new writers that may not sell and recoup their costs and they let ultra successful writers get away with murder - ego triumphs over editing, or maybe it's that they won't spend money on what will sell anyway.
I know publishing is a tough business, but as a reader I'm tired of being sold short.

[kimbofo]

Julia, v. true!

[emily]

i think this is a great story i liked it and it was also formed around where i lived but i thought it was great i dont like reading but i read the whole book and found it really interesting!!!

[cecie]

I've only read half this book so far..it's great - easy to see why its a bestseller.

[deeny]

I read this book in one piece aboard the train and it was just so captivating, emotional and touching. Especially in the end I couln't help myself crying so everybody around me was just staring at me like I was a lunatic.

So for me it's also quite obvious that it's a bestseller.

[monika]

I just read the book JESSICA from Bryce courtnay i thought the book was fantastic very moving and i couldnt put it down i loved it so much i hope the author writes more books like this again.

[Rubi]

I thought Jessica was a fantastic book. I have never cried so much when reading a book. I could not put it down.

[jan]

I have just read jessica and the persimmon tree.I could not put either them down.I cried at the end of jessica. Great writer .Not much house work done.

[Frans Marais]

I think that the novel of Jessica's life is extremely well written and touching. I also think that the first commentator must keep to classical literary work and stay away from obviously brilliant novels...actually I think that he/she must be an unhappy person to take such pleasure in breaking down the work of someone else's hand, which I am sure he/she could not do better!

[George]

Please disregard the first review on this page, it is a great read. I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, and wasn't satisfied until I had finished it.
GB

What do you think: Jessica and Peekay marry in another life! LOL

[Glynis]

I agree with the 2 stars. I have only just finished reading the book. I must admit I was sucked in by the sentiments and cried at the end. BUT who was the original Jessica? This is who I was looking for when I stumbled on your site. I think I'll stick with fiction as opposed to being frustrated with faction.

[kimbofo]

Glynis, thanks for your comment. I was beginning to think I was the only person in the world who thought this book was rubbish.

[jess]

I was really satisfied with your review (unlike the book). I was certainly sucked into this novel because the story really is quite interesting. Unfortunately Courtenay did a poor, drawn out, laborious effort at telling it. I literally skipped pages of the court proceedings because they were so frivolous and ultimately missed nothing! Also what about Jessica's child? Courtenay writes more than neccessary yet leaves so many questions unanswered. Maybe the TV mini series is better?