Spiel der Zeit

I bought the Clifton Chronicles on sale and didn't know what to expect. I was looking for a new author and series to follow. It turned out to be a pleasing read. The story is almost entirely character building and has very little plot.

Set between the World Wars in England. Harry Clifton is a fatherless boy that grows up on the docks of Bristol. He gets a scholarship to secondary school and life starts to get better. Falls in love with his best friend's sister. Harry's mother works lower-class jobs available to women to make the better life for Harry all the while keeping a secret that would destroy everything.

The character development is very intriguing and drives the story. For the most part it's very well done and the reveals can for deduced without being obvious. The story is told from multiple points of view and this gives you even more insight into the characters motivations and struggles.

Unfortunately, the author uncharacteristically explicitly gives away a major spoiler with about 10% of the book left and I spent the last 10% of the book wondering how the author was going to continue the series instead of enjoying the final two twists. My enjoyment of the book would have been immeasurably improved without a single sentence at the end of Chapter 51.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book of the series and finding out where the story goes.

3.5. This was definitely a page turner and definitely evoked a lot of emotion. However, some of the characters I loved started to feel too good to be true, which sometimes broke the spell. The book felt a lot like a TV show, somewhat like a soap opera. I often loved this book while I was listening too it, and I suppressed any niggling, “Really?!”-type thoughts. I'm glad to have “read” it, but I have no desire to continue with the rest of the series. I'm satisfied with having read the Wikipedia synopses of the other 6 books instead.

It's been some years now since I read a Jeffrey Archer novel with Kane & Able being my favourite but with all the infamy the Tory peer has received it seemed his personal life would eclipse his literary one. When I saw the first instalments of his new series The Clifton Chronicles for the bargain price of 99p I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

I delved I to the first book in the series a little unsure of what to expect, the 1980's were the height of books which charted grand family sagas but would this format stand the test of the new millennia? I have to be honest and admit I was 100% gripped, I literally could not put it down. It was so well crafted and woven together that each chapter seemed to fly past in a myriad of action and drama.

It was such a lovely story of young Harry Clifton, the dockers son who through hard work, help from friends and the love of his mother finds himself at a private boys school achieving opportunities previously out with his grasp. At the heart of the story the question as to whom his father truly was, docker Arthur Clifton or shipping magnate Hugo Barrington. It is the relationships between Harry and his mother and his friend Old Jack which truly make the book come alive and lift it above the norm, truly wonderful writing.

It was just a joy to read, Archer left the book on such a cliffhanger that it is difficult not to rush off immediately and begin book 2 but then to rush them would seem a little indulgent and besides I have 4 children who might like to have a conversation with their mother this weekend and if I begin book 2 I couldn't entirely promise them that.....