First Among Equals [Mass Market Paperback]

Jeffrey Archer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Charles Seymour, second-born son, will never be the earl like his father, but he did inherit his mother's strength-and the will to realize his destiny...Simon Kerslake's father sacrificed everything to make sure his son's dreams come true. Now it is Simon's chance to rise as high as those dreams allow...Ray Gould was born to the back streets but raised with pride-a quality matched by a sharp intellect and the desire to attain the impossible...Andrew Fraser was raised by a soccer hero turned politician. Now it's his turn for heroics, whatever the cost.

From strangers to rivals, four men embark on a journey for the highest stakes of all-the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. Unfolding over three decades, their honor will be tested, their loyalties betrayed, and their love of family and country challenged. But in a game where there is a first among equals, only one can triumph.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This engrossing, well-spun tale of ambition and will-to-power is a pick-hit in the summer sweepstakes. Archer received his usual high marks for readability and gives his novel a pleasing sense of substance."-Publishers Weekly

"All the elements that make for a great commercial fiction: ambition, lust, greed, duplicity...a whale of a tale."-Newsday

"Top-flight entertainment."-United Press International

"Archer invests his novels with drama, irony and suspense-First Among Equals is no exception...fascinating."-The Boston Herald

"A razzle-dazzle fictional turn...engaging...pertinent and compelling."
-The Washington Times Magazine

"Archer is a master entertainer."--Time Magazine

"There isn't a better storyteller alive."-Larry King

"Archer is one of the most captivating storytellers writing today. His novels are dramatic, fast moving, totally entertaining-and almost impossible to put down."-Pittsburgh Press

"Cunning plots, silken style...Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader."
-The New York Times

"A storyteller in the class of Alexander Dumas...Unsurpassed skill...making the reader wonder intensely what will happen next."-The Washington Post

From the Publisher

Jeffrey Archer’s mastery of characterization and “white-knuckle” suspense, combined with a gift for the ingenious plot twist, demonstrate why he is one of Britain’s best-selling authors. In this collection of audiobooks, a fine cast offers readings of some of the master storyteller’s most spellbinding work. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312997124
• ISBN-13: 978-0312997120
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Saga

More About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britain's House of Commons, fourteen years in the House of Lords and two in Her majesty's prisons, which spawned three volumes of highly acclaimed Prison Diaries. All of his novels and short story collections--including Kane and Abel, Sons of Fortune, and False Impression--have been international bestsellers. Archer is married with two children and lives in London and Cambridge.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 tight election races by political insider, December 8, 1999

By 

Bill Mac "hmcs_kenogami" (windsor, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Among Equals (Mass Market Paperback)

(The following refers to the unabridged audiobook version)

First Among Equals profiles the lives of four fictional British politicians from their entry into the House of Commons until one becomes Prime Minister. Since Archer was a politician through some of the period that First Among Equals covers, the novel possesses an insider's knowledge. It also contains scheming, shady deals, sex, personal tragedy and terrorism. It is an enjoyable story but a little too orchestrated to be plausible.

Archer starts by introducing the reader to four different characters, all of whom have different skills and different reasons for wanting to be the Prime Minister. While the reader is given some background on the characters, the novel really begins in earnest with the 1964 British general election. Two are Conservative Party and two are Labour Party members. For the next 27 years, Archer guides the readers through the ups and downs of the men's careers, their personal challenges, and their conflicts. The reader gets a sense of the hard work and sacrifice that is required for a politician to be a good MP and Cabinet Minister. It is also clear that good luck has a lot to do with progress; supporting the right leadership candidate at the right time and picking the right issues to tackle.

Archer tells a story and tells it well. He effectively builds suspense, can lead the reader in one direction and then switch direction quickly. First Among Equals is also not a nasty novel. Even the rogues have their redeeming points and are sometimes portrayed sympathetically.

First Among Equals is a good read although I did have some problems. I did find some of the election races just too close. Archer's twists of direction began to get predictable and manipulative. The box cover indicated that only one of the four could get to be Prime Minister and the novel does end with one's appointment. However, the novel doesn't exclude the possibility of another individual achieving the Prime Ministership later. I was also very disappointed by the ultimate resolution of the novel. The last chapter struck me as unrealistic and contrived. I just could not believe that it would actually happen as Archer described it. Archer constructed a Lady and the Tiger ending without any explanation for the ultimate decision. I also had a bit of difficulty believing that politicians are as straightforward as most of the ones portrayed.

Still, First Among Equals is enjoyable and educational to some degree. Politics and politicians can be quite boring. First Among Equals definitely is not boring.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware! U.S. v. British Editions, August 5, 2009

By 

W. Hoffer "Political Junkie" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Among Equals (Mass Market Paperback)

I write this review having now read both the British and American versions of the book. I found both engrossing and highly readable, but the British version without the Scott, Fraser, and the different plotline for Simon Kerslake to be a superior story. Beware! The American version does not alert you to the rather substantial difference. I would not have bought it knowing now the difference.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-class, May 28, 2002

By 

Vijay Krishna (Chennai, TN, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Among Equals (Mass Market Paperback)

'First Among Equals' is quite a different tale. Some of my friends told me that they found the initial part boring. Well, I didn't find that assessment to be true. This novel makes a very interesting reading, and like many other Archer novels, it picks up action as you reach 200-odd pages.

This is a tale of four aspiring gentlemen: Fraser, Gould, Kerslake and Seymour who enter the House of Commons in the 1960s, each aspiring to win the highest office - and to reach 10 Downing Street. But only one man can do it. Archer, the master storyteller that he is, narrates in detail the lives of each men - the ups and downs each must face - and winds it up with the final battle.

The suspense is gripping and the man who becomes the Prime Minister is revealed only in the very last paragraph of the novel.

Overall a great story... hats off.