Title : Sins of the Father
Series : Clifton Chronicles (Part 2)
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Genre : Crime thriller
Year : 2012
Synopsis : Harry Clifton supposedly gets buried in sea as the war grows worse, leaving the Cliftons in misery and the Barringtons in glee, as his university sweetheart, a Barrington, waits for him to walk down the aisle. He sends one last letter home, before slipping into the skin of murderer Tom Bradshaw and gets whisked away to prison. Will he count the bars for the next six years or will he watch surprises unfold?
Rating : ★★★★★
"Impressive work"
This is my maiden attempt with Jeffrey Archer and I am absolutely hooked onto it.
Reading the synopsis, one might think this is all about Harry, but the carefully woven course of events proves you wrong even before you reach halfway and the fog gradually clears to reveal who this book actually talks about. Rather than Harry, I think the other characters, especially Emma, have a distinct depth to their personalities.
What I really liked in this book is the strength and portrayal of each character. Starting with Emma, my favourite, possesses a mature character beyond her age. Her perseverance and determination kept her undeterred when she discovered the possibility of Harry being his sibling, and we see her love for Harry only growing stronger day by day. Also, she breaks the boy-rescue-girl stereotype and flips the story when she shows courage and strength to get her Harry back, who is rightfully hers. Rather than letting men rule this story, Archer lets women dominate the play with characters like Emma, Maisie, Olga and Elizabeth.
"Ahead of its time"
Archer's willingness to reflect strong-willed female characters and emotionally weak male characters, winning my admiration of Archer's craft. Yet, there is one male character I felt connected to, Sir Walter Barrington aka Gramps. As you might have noticed by now, Emma is by far my favorite character as she outshines every character in the story and stands apart. Her intelligence and wit also accompanies her innate ability and proficiency as an academic. Her assertiveness and confidence is definitely ahead of her times and carries inspiration for women several generations ahead. Emma, a woman ahead of her generation, the story is led by powerful female characters like Maisie and Olga no less than their male counterparts, or in my opinion, worth much more.
The most intriguing part to me was the way Archer slipped in the death of a character. I think Archer knows his craft when we see him amaze readers with just a handful of words. The most impressive part of the book was the murder of Hugo and the final majestic argument of the Lords. The most noteworthy aspect is that Archer doesn't force his perception of the story on the reader; he lets you create it the way you want to. Unlike most authors, he does not thrust raw and weakly written characters and uses each character carefully to its maximum potential.
What I think
I read this novel regularly for two weeks during lunch break, which means I could spare around 15 minutes a day and sometimes, between class shift. This novel is by far the best of this series. To me, it barely left physical presence of myself at class while my mind was flying across Bristol and New York. I am so thankful for having found my lunch companion, which kept me engaged for a fortnight. In my mind, it felt like watching a film in my head. Archer's writing makes you root for your own characters and lets you form a connection. His characters are so grey, real and human, which shows both their admirable qualities as well as their insecurities hidden deep down.
His lucid writing keeps the narrative gripping and makes it hard to put it down, or what I call 'unputdownable'. The last line was delightfully disappointing and it almost made me tear up when my fingers stroked the very last page and it seemed like it was over too soon, after five hundred pages.
Archer's writing inspires me to write better and slowly learn the art of hooking a reader onto your work until the last page and keep them craving for more. This is definitely a thriller that keeps you on your toes and makes you thirsty for what's next.
Maanasa's verdict : A must-read novel for anyone interested in reading good crime fiction.
If you have already read this novel, leave a piece of your mind here and I'll be happy to know what you think!
P.S - A big thank you to Gayathri aunty for kindly lending this novel to me!
Series : Clifton Chronicles (Part 2)
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Genre : Crime thriller
Year : 2012
Synopsis : Harry Clifton supposedly gets buried in sea as the war grows worse, leaving the Cliftons in misery and the Barringtons in glee, as his university sweetheart, a Barrington, waits for him to walk down the aisle. He sends one last letter home, before slipping into the skin of murderer Tom Bradshaw and gets whisked away to prison. Will he count the bars for the next six years or will he watch surprises unfold?
Rating : ★★★★★
"Impressive work"
This is my maiden attempt with Jeffrey Archer and I am absolutely hooked onto it.
Reading the synopsis, one might think this is all about Harry, but the carefully woven course of events proves you wrong even before you reach halfway and the fog gradually clears to reveal who this book actually talks about. Rather than Harry, I think the other characters, especially Emma, have a distinct depth to their personalities.
What I really liked in this book is the strength and portrayal of each character. Starting with Emma, my favourite, possesses a mature character beyond her age. Her perseverance and determination kept her undeterred when she discovered the possibility of Harry being his sibling, and we see her love for Harry only growing stronger day by day. Also, she breaks the boy-rescue-girl stereotype and flips the story when she shows courage and strength to get her Harry back, who is rightfully hers. Rather than letting men rule this story, Archer lets women dominate the play with characters like Emma, Maisie, Olga and Elizabeth.
"Ahead of its time"
Archer's willingness to reflect strong-willed female characters and emotionally weak male characters, winning my admiration of Archer's craft. Yet, there is one male character I felt connected to, Sir Walter Barrington aka Gramps. As you might have noticed by now, Emma is by far my favorite character as she outshines every character in the story and stands apart. Her intelligence and wit also accompanies her innate ability and proficiency as an academic. Her assertiveness and confidence is definitely ahead of her times and carries inspiration for women several generations ahead. Emma, a woman ahead of her generation, the story is led by powerful female characters like Maisie and Olga no less than their male counterparts, or in my opinion, worth much more.
The most intriguing part to me was the way Archer slipped in the death of a character. I think Archer knows his craft when we see him amaze readers with just a handful of words. The most impressive part of the book was the murder of Hugo and the final majestic argument of the Lords. The most noteworthy aspect is that Archer doesn't force his perception of the story on the reader; he lets you create it the way you want to. Unlike most authors, he does not thrust raw and weakly written characters and uses each character carefully to its maximum potential.
What I think
I read this novel regularly for two weeks during lunch break, which means I could spare around 15 minutes a day and sometimes, between class shift. This novel is by far the best of this series. To me, it barely left physical presence of myself at class while my mind was flying across Bristol and New York. I am so thankful for having found my lunch companion, which kept me engaged for a fortnight. In my mind, it felt like watching a film in my head. Archer's writing makes you root for your own characters and lets you form a connection. His characters are so grey, real and human, which shows both their admirable qualities as well as their insecurities hidden deep down.
His lucid writing keeps the narrative gripping and makes it hard to put it down, or what I call 'unputdownable'. The last line was delightfully disappointing and it almost made me tear up when my fingers stroked the very last page and it seemed like it was over too soon, after five hundred pages.
Archer's writing inspires me to write better and slowly learn the art of hooking a reader onto your work until the last page and keep them craving for more. This is definitely a thriller that keeps you on your toes and makes you thirsty for what's next.
Maanasa's verdict : A must-read novel for anyone interested in reading good crime fiction.
If you have already read this novel, leave a piece of your mind here and I'll be happy to know what you think!
P.S - A big thank you to Gayathri aunty for kindly lending this novel to me!
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