A Fortunate Life

This is a wonderful, thought provoking autobiography by a person who was abandoned by his mother at the age of two in the early 1900's, brought up by his grandmother who was so desperate for money that he was sent out to work for his room and board at the age of eight. Despite all the awful things that happened to him during his childhood, his lack of any formal education, and the terrible things he endured throughout his entire life, he always considered himself very fortunate and did not write a single word of complaint about any situation that occurred during his entire lifetime. He was grateful for everything that happened, searched for and found that silver lining.My biggest wish is that whoever holds the copyright for this book would produce an inexpensive print version for sale in the USA. I have a few young relatives I would like to give an inexpensive print copy to. It would be a great read to hand them when they complain about how "tough" things are for them. Alas, I cannot afford $115.00 a pop mentioned for print copies here in Amazon. They must be first editions or something; at that price there was no point checking. I am content with the e-book for myself.

What a terrific sorry. What a terrific life. This man worked like a Trojan and suffered well more than his share of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, but no bare bodkin for him. He just prevailed. What an urge to survive and always to contribute his share to society around him A great pioneer of Australia. He set the finest example of manhood.

Though this story just could not happen in today's society, it gave me an insight into how it once was in Australian society. Commencing in 1900 Australia, this is the true, unamended story of a young boy who had to commence his working life at the ripe old age of 9 years old. It is an honest and pure telling from the boy himself, through the highs and lows of his life - the many people, good and bad he met and the hardships of war.Not having a lot of knowledge of Australian history, I was intrigued that things were so different back then. Conditions were a lot harder, survival was all that mattered in the harsh outback. I think in today's society we take a lot for granted and this put a lot of things into perspective for me.Though brief, it also gave me insight into what war was like, in particular, the Great War and Gallipoli in particular, which is very important to us Aussies. It has given me the push to find out more about this side of our history.Sadly, this is A B Facey's only novel, and it's sad that he was unable to write anything else as his writing is just so easy and honest to read. But it is certainly something that Australian literature should be proud of and I agree that it should have been included in the Top 10 "Aussie Books to Read Before you Die" which was currently voted upon and collaborated, winning the Number 2 position.

This is a good book to read to start a conversation about expectations in life, and how different generations have such different hopes. I found it difficult to relate to his ability to forgive the terrible exploitation he suffered. Maybe that is the difference, our generation gets angry; we have our basic needs met, so we can afford the luxury of indignation. The story is simply written, and sounds as if it has been taken down verbatim. This makes it feel very real, even if I remain bewildered by Facey's acceptance of his lot.

Written in a simple engaging style with a fundamental ring of authenticity, this story of a young boy surviving on his own and winning a full and worthwhile life has references to the early culture and lifestyles of West Australia that are highly evocative. The Bush, the work, the people and the struggles, all are documented in a straight forward honest style that held me from the first.

Though by no means materialistically wealthy, he did have a very fortunate life. It's a story I couldn't put down.

This is surely going to end up as one of Australia's Classics in the future.So simply written and yet with such powerful imagery Facey describes his amazing life.To have bourne such hardships at such an early age, as well as having no ability to read or write,might have turned any man into a pessimist for life, yet he overcomes his adversities withgood humour and a cheerful acceptance.Especially moving is his description of his time in the trenches at Gallipoli.One would have to be very hard-hearted not to shed a tear when reading this.Dogged by one misfortune after another, Albert Facey overcomes all and lives to a ripe old age when hefinally tells his story for the world to enjoy. A must read for all!

More like an unbelievable life I'd say... The story, set in early 1900s in Western Australia, is told by Albert Facey who had to earn his way through life starting at the age of 8 and had gone through some remarkable experiences along the way. The simple prose of the book only makes you relate to Albert and his story more, it reads more like an old story told by your grandmother than a book. When I finished the last page of the book, I cried like I lost a dear friend of mine.

As others have said, this IS a fascinating book, and really stands as the tale of the emerging nation of Australia told through one man's (early) life story. Bert Facey emerges from poverty stricken-childhood in western Australia, through loss and separation from his parents, to having to fend for himself from a very young age against cruel employers, wild animals, fate, and Australia's harsh environment. But Bert holds his nerve at every turn, spurred on by a strong personal sense of right and wrong, and an instinct to stay just the right side of danger. These raw materials are then invaluable to Bert when he finds himself dodging bullets on the beaches of Gallipoli, in a war that costs him the lives of two of his brothers. Injury and instinct combine again to throw him into the arms of his bride to be back home in Oz. The disappointment for the reader, though, is that having been entranced by Bert's story upto his marriage, he then skips over the next sixty-plus years in a few paragraphs, hopping through the emergence of his own family and further tribulations through the Depression, the Second World War, and the ongoing health legacies of his First World War experiences. As I said, it's a real shame that Facey does the opposite of what most autobiographers do, in speeding time up through his later life story, rather than slowing it down and spinning us a longer yarn. Despite this, Bert's message is clear - we all need good fortune in our lives, but we're all capable of shaping that good fortune ourselves.

This simply written narrative gives the reader a feeling for early 20th century life in Western Australia.Although the writer always presents himself in a very favourable light and seems a little self righteous at times, the reader cannot but admire the tenacity of spirit that enabled him to overcome great adversity.From being sent to work at the age of eight years, to being wounded in the first world war, losing his farm during the great depression and losing a son in the second world war, the writer remained cheerful and resolute and grateful for his lot.A great contrast with the attitudes of so many in our time.

Many years ago I chanced upon an Australian film depicting this incredible story. It made a big impact such that since then I have remembered Albert Facey and from time to time I have googled his name. I was delighted to find the story republished on Kindle and that the book can be obtained via Amazon. Once again was inspired and in remain awe of this man. It was a book I didn't want to finish.

After suffering some extremely pretentious writing in recent times, it was a great pleasure to read this simply-written, but gripping story of a young Australian boy, cast out into the world well before his time. The book was recommended to me by a very old playmate, who emigrated to Western Australia many years ago. It seems that Albert Facey is a National Icon "down under"; I can now see exactly why. What a man!

I had read this book and loved it, great read. Need to purchase another one, as the old one is a bit tattered.