Jeffery Archer, they say, could have easily lived off the money he made from his bestselling book Kane and Abel, which he wrote about 4 decades ago. Being the passionate writer that he is, at the age of 70 he decided to embark on a 5-book series in an attempt to keep himself busy (read: give a purpose to his life) and stay “young and kicking”. Today, he turns 76! What started off as a 5-book series turned into a 7-book series, and Archer is more alive and kicking than he ever was. His only regret: that the only book in recent times to have sold more copies than both Kane and Abel (which has sold close to 38 million copies after its hundredth reprint) and To Kill a Mocking Bird (which has sold more than 40 million copies after its hundredth reprint) put together, is very regrettably Fifty Shades of Grey! Frankly, I feel the old man. It IS such an excruciatingly sad predicament.
So, the product of this 5 to 7 book ordeal is the Clifton Chronicles. When I got the opportunity to attend the opening of the 5th book of this series and to meet the man himself, I had not even started reading the series yet. It is only one year later, when the 6th book hit the shelves, that I finally started reading it. And finished all the six in about 15 days! Recently, when someone asked me to review a book for them, I decided to give them a free upgrade and review an entire series – or what is so far written of it. So, here goes.
The Clifton Chronicles revolves around the life and adventures of Harry Clifton primarily, and the people in his life – friend and foe alike. It is rather easy to fall in love with this central character, thanks to Archer’s ingenuous characterization and Harry’s vastly intriguing life (despite the fact that I fall in love with people named Harry a little too easily). What is interesting to note is that the series is as much about Harry as it is about Maisie Clifton – Harry’s devoted mother, Emma Clifton – his beloved wife, Giles Barrington – his best friend and brother-in-law, and now Sebastian Clifton – his smart-ass son! It gives due attention to other significant people as well, like the formidable Lady Virginia Fenwick – the Cliftons’ and Barringtons’ arch nemesis, the cute Jessica Clifton – Harry and Emma’s immensely talented daughter, and Major Fischer – the obligatory twisted mind that does all the dirty work. It is a long and drawn out drama, in every sense of the word.
The Chronicles, a series of sub-plots which are wrapped up in each book, glibly take us through the ups and downs of its characters’ lives, all the while building up a larger plot. It has a little of everything – romance, politics, business, war, feminism, tragedy, controversy – all the hot topics.
Archer has masterfully woven a tale that takes you straight down to the backstreets of the little town of Bristol every time you pore over the pages of his books. You tend to sink into a world that is both familiar and comfortable, only to be jolted out of it and into a nail-biting cliffhanger at the end of each book. The master story-teller seems to like playing with the minds of his readers! But never once does he let the plot slip into a monotony. His characters move in and out of hassles, occasionally straying into movie-like car chases and bullet-flying territories. Not only do you begin to anticipate twists and turns, you will also find yourself trying to predict your characters’ reactions. You can effortlessly crawl into their skin, curl up and take a nap. That is the mastery with which he builds his characters. Archer’s genius of story-telling becomes evident when at some point there is a little girl who addresses Sebastian as “Pops” and you tend take a step back and exclaim with glistening eyes, “Oh Seb! You grew up so soon!”. You don’t just read the books, you live them.
While the series is very engaging, it seems all too Ekta-Kapoor-esque. And not in a bad way. She would jump at an opportunity to turn this into one of her soaps. Imagine Ekta Kapoor in an English setting. Minus all the nonsense and the unnecessarily melancholic background score, of course. Well, I was not very far. Apparently, a television series based on the Clifton Chronicles is in production. I am just glad that Ekta Kapoor is nowhere near that!
This Was a Man, the seventh and final volume of the Clifton Chronicles, is expected to come out in November of this year. And the next seven months for me, unfortunately, is going to be feverishly long! Because the naughty old man is at it again. Not only did Cometh the Hour (volume 6) end in a bitter, bitter cliffhanger, this time he managed to scratch at an old wound. That old geezer! Well, looks like my only respite till then will be the meagre ten episodes of the latest season of Game of Thrones.
So, do I recommend this series? If you are on vacation and you want something light to read, be sure to pack this one. Or, if you have been doing some serious reading and want something easy for a change, this is what you are looking for. And if you are an Archer fan… well, I am sure you have read it already! This might not be one of those books that change your life in anyway, but if you are half the reader that you want to be, you know you will miss a lot if you do not dwell in that little town of Bristol for those few hours. Because, the series most beautifully delivers what it promises – good ol’ British drama!
The Pensieve 