Book Review: First Among Equals by Jeffery Archer

I wasn't sure about reading this novel as my mind was going crazy without any activity. I browsed through my book shelf; I was even bored of looking at the books which I have not read (Not bored, actually. It was a feeling of sickness when realization hit me yet again: "There are so many good books to read!"). This was one of them. You know, sometimes, having done everything at your disposal, you still don't know how to kill time; even by wasting it. Well, start with something, I thought. I did eeny, meeny, miny, moe and it wasn't a bad choice after all.

This is the third novel by Jeffery Archer I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Its a political tale of four ambitious MPs of British Parliament wanting to be Prime Minister. All four, able men, hailing from different backgrounds and belonging to different constituencies. The story spans from 1964 to 1991. It is not just about their political careers, but it tells about how their personal lives get entangled with different problems and how they deal with them. Ultimately, as the title says, there is only one winner. The story is a little slow in the beginning because it took some time for me to get used to the jargon, but it gets interesting eventually. From the top view, its a battle between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. There are some peculiar points that will surprise the reader. For instance, the MPs appear to fight in the Westminster like wild cats and dogs; but behind the scenes they will be good friends. And, there are also quite a few characters in the novel which are real, like, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, etc. who served for the United Kingdom. When the novel nears the end, the climax is very gripping as Archer always keeps his promise.

What I take away from this novel is, that I learnt a lot about the British political structure and procedures involved in it. To me, it is always interesting to gain general knowledge about the things you already know by understanding the differences.

Honour Among Thieves

Alright! This review is going to be a short one for I don't have much words to describe its excellence. First up: fantastic novel! Great story filled with strong characters. The plot is about a conspiracy between USA and Iraq after the events of Gulf War. It has crime, love, murder, espionage - very intelligently detailed (the part I loved the most), the game of politics and everything you need for an awesome thriller. It begins with loose ends: all you can wonder is What's going on? I smell something fishy. Things begin to fall in place only after first 100 pages. The story grows breaking its own barriers thickening the plot and doesn't remain stagnant revolving over the same place. The loose ends are nicely interwoven and the way missing links are later connected as the pages turn is something only a well disciplined and a trained mind can do. Thus, it always engages its reader from start to finish. The intensity is a kept very much alive throughout. I found more characters in this book and each have played their part brilliantly. It made me think This is the kind of book I want to write one day. It turned out to be a great read. Thumbs up to Jeffery Archer!

Kane & Abel

I had heard a lot about this novel, so I thought let me pick it up. It is the tale of  of two boys growing up to become prominent men in America. Despite having troublesome childhoods, they have the will to achieve their objectives. One born to a rich banker of USA and another born in a forest of Poland. It focuses about their struggle in life and how they crossed roads with each other although both are from different worlds.

The story passes through famous historic events of the west; starting from the unfortunate sinking of the Titanic, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression of 1930, the Prohibition Era, the World War  and finally the assassination of John F. Kennedy which filled me enlightening facts. The flow of the story is rather predictable with some twists and turns. But it still kept me absorbed through out the book. While Kane becomes a well established banker, Abel establishes an empire of hotels. Their lives are interwoven by trivial incidents which become quite important later as the plot thickens causing intense rivalry between them. I wonder why this book is not made into a movie. While I read it, the images in my mind are so much similar to a screenplay of a blockbuster movie. Overall its a very good read and very gripping. Initially it may seem a little slow, but later it picks up pace very fast. Although this is my first read of Jeffery Archer, as one might expect, the climax is really good. Fifty pages spans for three to five years or more. I had to take a short break and look around me to make sure the time is - now. Apart from the main plot, one can learn a great deal about finance and commerce. 

This  paragraph contains spoiler. Read it when you are done reading the book. There are two events which touched me the most. One is when Kane criticizes Matthew, his closest childhood friend, for becoming a womanizer and an alcoholic and neglecting his work at the bank. He also finds out Matthew's irregularities are irreparable.  It is through his doctor Kane finds out about the situation when Matthew has just got three more months to live. Matthew has got cancer for over a year and he hasn't told anyone, not even his family. Another sequence of events brings out the  noble character of Alan Loyd. Kane competes against him for the chairmanship of the bank and loses. Kane hates to work under Loyd. Later, Loyd helps Kane to become the chairman at another bank and helps him to setup his family in New York. Then Kane realizes his mistake to suspect Loyd's abilities and generosity was a grave one.