Introduction
This Was a Man opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies?
In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game? Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job. Sebastian Clifton becomes chairman of Farthings Kaufman bank, but only after Hakim Bishara has to resign for personal reasons.
Sebastian and Samantha's talented daughter, Jessica, is expelled from the Slade School of Fine Art, but her aunt Grace comes to her rescue. Meanwhile, Lady Virginia is about to flee the country to avoid her creditors when the Duchess of Hertford dies, and she sees another opportunity to clear her debts and finally trump the Cliftons and Barringtons.In a devastating twist, tragedy engulfs the Clifton family when one of them receives a shocking diagnosis that will throw all their lives into turmoil. This Was a Man is a captivating final installment of the Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven novels that has topped the bestseller lists around the world, and enhanced Jeffrey Archer's reputation as a master storyteller.
Other titles in the series:
Book 1: Only Time Will Tell
Book 2: The Sins of the Father
Book 3: Best Kept Secret
Book 4: Be Careful What You Wish For
Book 5: Mightier than the Sword
Book 6: Cometh the Hour
Behind the Book
Me thinks
Having grown up reading Jeffrey Archer's books it is a huge honour to be able to review his book on my blog. I am not sure if you can see the smile, and the pride behind that smile on my face as I type this one. I still remember loving Kane & Abel, reading it more than once making my mom wonder what exactly I saw in those books that I devoured for hours together. But then that has been the magic of Jeffrey Archer since then and even now. I could keep reading his book devoid of food and sleep without any tinge of fatigue.
Jeffrey Archer for me has been an author par excellence. His ability to weave stories on the grandest of plots and carry them effortlessly to what I like to call a mammoth ending is something that has never failed to leave me awestruck. And in this book, he nailed it like a pro! I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion the Clifton Chronicles than this story. What a spectacular way to draw curtains on a series that I have read and re-read purely because of the beauty of story telling in those pages.
The amount of research that this man does behind all his stories shows in those pages. If you notice the character building, each and every character fleshed out well enough to leave a lasting impression on your mind. Once you are done reading this book you are able to connect those many story lines running throughout the series. And believe me that moment when the whole picture becomes clear is an epic feeling in itself. I was mighty impressed with the way the whole thing had spanned out and it made me go "WOW".
It is said the best story is one that leaves you asking for more and it happened for me in this story. When it ended I was sighing, asking why did it have to end. But then something as spectacular as The Clifton Chronicles deserved a marvellous closure like this one. Having said that, this book can be read as a stand alone by itself and it won't impact the reading at all. Under any circumstances it is un-put-down-able!
This series is one thing that will remain close to my heart now more so because of this review. Strongly recommended. Don't miss this one even if you have not read the whole series, this one might just tempt you enough to read all of them
Foodie Verdict
This book is like Lemon Cake - perfection redefined with all its flavours intact!
- ISBN: 978-1447252252
- Genre: Fiction / Thriller
- Publishers: Pan Macmillan UK
- Price: Rs.599/- ( I got the book for review from the publisher)
This Was a Man opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies?
In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game? Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job. Sebastian Clifton becomes chairman of Farthings Kaufman bank, but only after Hakim Bishara has to resign for personal reasons.
Sebastian and Samantha's talented daughter, Jessica, is expelled from the Slade School of Fine Art, but her aunt Grace comes to her rescue. Meanwhile, Lady Virginia is about to flee the country to avoid her creditors when the Duchess of Hertford dies, and she sees another opportunity to clear her debts and finally trump the Cliftons and Barringtons.In a devastating twist, tragedy engulfs the Clifton family when one of them receives a shocking diagnosis that will throw all their lives into turmoil. This Was a Man is a captivating final installment of the Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven novels that has topped the bestseller lists around the world, and enhanced Jeffrey Archer's reputation as a master storyteller.
Other titles in the series:
Book 1: Only Time Will Tell
Book 2: The Sins of the Father
Book 3: Best Kept Secret
Book 4: Be Careful What You Wish For
Book 5: Mightier than the Sword
Book 6: Cometh the Hour
Behind the Book
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| Source: Goodreads.com |
About the Author
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician.
He was a Member of Parliament and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, and became a life peer in 1992. His political career, having suffered several controversies, ended after a conviction for perverting the course of justice and his subsequent imprisonment. He is married to Mary Archer, a scientist specializing in solar power. Outside politics, he is a novelist, playwright and short story writer.
Jeffrey Archer, whose novels and short stories include Kane and Abel, A Prisoner of Birth and Cat O' Nine Tales, has topped the bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 275 million copies. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). The author is married to Dame Mary Archer, and they have two sons and two grandsons.
Me thinks
Having grown up reading Jeffrey Archer's books it is a huge honour to be able to review his book on my blog. I am not sure if you can see the smile, and the pride behind that smile on my face as I type this one. I still remember loving Kane & Abel, reading it more than once making my mom wonder what exactly I saw in those books that I devoured for hours together. But then that has been the magic of Jeffrey Archer since then and even now. I could keep reading his book devoid of food and sleep without any tinge of fatigue.
Jeffrey Archer for me has been an author par excellence. His ability to weave stories on the grandest of plots and carry them effortlessly to what I like to call a mammoth ending is something that has never failed to leave me awestruck. And in this book, he nailed it like a pro! I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion the Clifton Chronicles than this story. What a spectacular way to draw curtains on a series that I have read and re-read purely because of the beauty of story telling in those pages.
The amount of research that this man does behind all his stories shows in those pages. If you notice the character building, each and every character fleshed out well enough to leave a lasting impression on your mind. Once you are done reading this book you are able to connect those many story lines running throughout the series. And believe me that moment when the whole picture becomes clear is an epic feeling in itself. I was mighty impressed with the way the whole thing had spanned out and it made me go "WOW".
It is said the best story is one that leaves you asking for more and it happened for me in this story. When it ended I was sighing, asking why did it have to end. But then something as spectacular as The Clifton Chronicles deserved a marvellous closure like this one. Having said that, this book can be read as a stand alone by itself and it won't impact the reading at all. Under any circumstances it is un-put-down-able!
This series is one thing that will remain close to my heart now more so because of this review. Strongly recommended. Don't miss this one even if you have not read the whole series, this one might just tempt you enough to read all of them
Foodie Verdict
This book is like Lemon Cake - perfection redefined with all its flavours intact!
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| Source: goodtoknow |