Fortunate Life Paperback – August 19, 1986

I am a sucker for a well-told memoir, and I particularly love those by people I've never heard of. Well, I'd never heard of A.B. (Albert Barnett) Facey, but that's mostly because I don't live in Australia. Because in the past thirty-some years his memoir, A FORTUNATE LIFE, has taken on the status of a classic in that country. And here's another thing that intrigued me: having never gone to school, Facey was functionally illiterate until he was nearly twenty years old, and was over eighty when he began writing down his life story. I love it when old guys write their life stories, maybe because I was sixty when I wrote my first memoir.Albert Facey's story of his life in frontier Western Australia was a fascinating, even mesmerizing one. Born into a large family in 1894, Facey's father died when he was only a few years old and his mother married again and left him (and other siblings) to be raised by his grandmother and an aunt and uncle. At eight he was literally "farmed out" to another family who abused and neglected him. Forced to do difficult farm labor and living in filth and rags, Facey learned early to be self-sufficient and to work his scrawny little butt off to survive. The family he'd been indentured to turned out to be one of criminals, cattle thieves and drunks. When he managed to escape that situation, Albert's subsequent jobs with other, kinder families, got gradually better, and by the time he was fourteen he was knowledgeable and tough enough to manage a farm by himself. He learned about wheat farming and working with all manner of stock - sheep, pigs, horses, poultry. As a teenager he was cook's helper driving over two thousand head of cattle for hundreds of miles to a railhead for sale. Along the way he became lost in the wilderness for a week following a stampede and would have starved had he not been found and rescued by friendly Aborigines. He drove spikes for a new railroad line for a time. He was also a professional pugilist with a traveling troupe of boxers, possessing a perfect left jab, and he never lost a fight.In 1914 he volunteered for the army and was badly wounded at the infamous battle of Gallipoli, and was invalided out of the service with a disability pension. Shortly thereafter he married his wife, Evelyn - a marriage that produced several children and lasted fifty-nine years, until his wife's death in 1976. During that time Facey worked numerous jobs despite his war injuries, which often periodically landed him back in hospital, and endured the hardships of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Three of his sons enlisted in the army for service in WWII, and one of them was killed.And hey, I'm not really giving anything away here. I'm only skimming the surface of Facey's life in the briefest kind of outline. Facey tells his story in the most straightforward manner, filled with fascinating details and anecdotes, with no trace of self-pity anywhere. And he is the most natural of storytellers, obviously a child of the oral tradition. What you are reading in A FORTUNATE LIFE is history - history of the most personal and valuable sort. Because, for his time, Albert Facey was a kind of Everyman. And the reading world is very fortunate indeed that Albert Facey took the time, with the encouragement of his devoted wife, to set it all down for us. A.B. Facey died in 1982, nine months after his book was published. He was 87 years old.This is simply one helluva good read. VERY highly recommended.- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER

There aren't that many books out there with enough substance in them for me to consider them a worthwhile read. This is one of them though. I don't think it's possible to read this book and not come out of it feeling good about your life and the world in a genuine and accepting sort of way. It also helps that it's a page turner as this man's life growing up in Australia in the early 1900's was fascinating! I finished it very quickly and wished there were more! Just bought a copy for my mother in law who is coming out to visit my fiance and I, who are currently living in Australia. It is a great book to get a feel for Aussie culture and values as well as what life was like in Australia in the early 1900's.

This book got a rave review on KBYU's "Book Beat". My interest was piqued. The reviewer was moved by this account of the hardscrabble life of an Australian itinerant orphan as the western half of "Oz" was being settled in the early 20th century. Her impression was "spot-on"!A.E.Facey's fascinating account of his life really draws you in. The heartbreak of his mostly indifferent extended family, his abuse at the hands of Australian frontiersmen and women, the horrors of Gallipoli, his post-war health woes and much more make for a fascinating read.Biographies are my favorite genre and this one is excellent and exotic.

This is a wonderful book. A man born in 1894, with no schooling, and starting work as just a boy. It covers the establishment of Western Australia, World War II, and so many adventures. What a life. I have shared it will four people and they all loved it.

I first heard of this book when Alex O'Loughlin said that it changed his life when he read it as a young man. Being an avid reader myself, I was intrigued and I read it. What an amazing journey. Mr. Facey was born in Australia in 1894 and led an incredible life. He went through such hard times as a young man but never let it stop him from moving on and improving his life. It made me realize that some of us take so many things for granted in life every day - things that would have seemed like utter luxuries to Bert for most of his life.The writing is simple and beautiful. Not only does is tell of the author's life but I learned so much about the last century of life in Australia. This is a book to keep and one that makes a wonderful gift.

It is a really good life story of one who made a successful life in spite of enormous obstacles.If you want to read about grit , read this. It is inspiring.

Facey faced innumerable misfortunes in his long life from infancy to his early eighties which made me think long and hard about his chosen title, A Fortunate Life. I recommend this book to all Australians wanting to know more about the stories of their country and people in the early to mid-20th century told by one of their own, a true original, an incredible man. I also recommend this book to those of us who hold in high esteem the pioneering spirit, the work ethic, the strength of body and character and the ability to love family that made up this man.

forget all those "biographies" which turn out to be faked, or people blaming their upbringing for the way they turned out. This guy really lived a tough life, but came through it happy and apparently well-adjusted

The Australian writer tells about his life—abandoned by his mother and father at the age of eight, he had to start work. He found employment on farms where he was, mostly, badly treated, on one occasion beaten so badly with horse whips that he nearly died. He survived and as soon as the scars of the whipping healed, went back to work. Eventually he was appreciated for his reliability and intelligence, although he could not read or write. It is the story of what today we would call an unfortunate life, but the writer didn't see it as such. He was eventually persuaded by his children to write down the facts of his life, and he did. The writing is simple and elegant. The book also tells you much about the early years in rural Australia, the poverty and struggle to make a living on land that had never before been farmed and had to be 'broken in', and the brave men and women who did this. I haven't got to the end of the book yet, but I know there is much more to learn about this wonderful man.

I know full well this is a classic Australia book & came highly recommended to me, however, when it was delivered & I started it wasn't too long before I gave up, & believe me that is not in my nature todo with reading material. Sadly it was too heavy & awkward to hold, the printing was incredibly small & the very thought of wading through something which wasn't to my liking was my biggest issue. Please don't take this an excuse or reason for not purchasing this book as in fairness I didn't give it the time it was justifiable warrented.

Anyone intending to visit Australia for the first time would find this a fascinating as well as engaging and highly illuminating autobiography. An alarmingly tough childhood on the West Coast and in the Outback is related with honesty and clarity - not so much a literary triumph as one of courage, impressive practical good sense, and warmth towards people, especially a scattered family. A long life too - with happier and more successful later years. Can only recommend it most highly -

Written by a man who taught himself to read and write, its a wonderful story beautifully told.Its also a great insight into just how people lived as they moved around and settled australia 100 years ago, and what a hard life it was. There were a couple of parts where I wept for the small boy so badly treated, yet he took it all in his stride. I was sent this book 20 years ago by someone in australia and read it several times over the years. Then I was silly enough to lend it to someone who promised to give it back and never did. Thank goodness for Amazon.

Having spent a lot of time in Australia I could relate to the story very well. What away to grow up! Ithoughtit fascinating!