Customer Reviews

Only Time Will Tell (Clifton Chronicles 1)

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I love to read a good family saga. I used to eagerly read Susan Howatch before moving on to Edward Rutherford and the "Forsyte Saga". I love watching a family evolve through the years. This book has the earmarks of a great series.

The story revolves around the Cliftons, a lower class family of dock workers who have a son of exceptional talents, and the Barringtons, a wealthy family whose children seem remarkably decent and grounded. Harry Clifton, the son, has an outstanding voice that offers him a way to better himself through a scholarship to a fine school. Even with his talent, it takes a village to give him the tools to win the scholarship. The book tells the story from various character viewpoints so you can see the help given to young Clifton.

I was so surprised to read the reviews talking about it being the first book in a series like it was a big deal. There are so many series out there that it shouldn't come as such a shock. Lee Child has his Reacher, Bernard Cornwell has his Uhtred and Diana Gabaldon has Jamie and Claire. If you don't like waiting for the next book then wait until the entire series is out. Otherwise just relax and enjoy yourself.

Jeffrey Archer is a skilled story teller. The story moves right along and it is hard to put down. He's like John Grisham- not the most skilled writer but a great story teller. I read this at a fast rate and enoyed every moment of it. I found it to be a fun read.

I picked this book up on a recent trip, during a connection through London, where it's already published. (I don't really have the Kindle edition, I have a softcover, but Amazon doesn't allow reviews for any edition except Kindle as I write this.)

I've read so much fiction in my life that only pretty good writing will hold my interest. This is high quality writing with quite good characterization.

The viewpoint of the story switches among the main characters. Each section for a character starts off with a first-person narrative, and then switches to a traditional third-person narrative for that character.

This results in overlap. It's common to see the same timeline covered from multiple viewpoints. That's tricky writing to pull off, but Archer is a pro, so he does it pretty well.

The era is early twentieth century, between the World Wars and leading up to World War II. It's clear that WWII will play a big part in the entire story, and in fact it begins just as this book ends.

The protagonist is from a lower class family, and the early part of the book covers his attempts to rise via his education.

The plot is fairly predictable. There are a few twists that I didn't see, but the broad outline became clear early on. I was still engaged enough with the characters to want to see the story through.

And that leads to the biggest criticism: as other reviewers have noted, this is just the beginning of a series. The end of the book leaves all of the major plot elements unresolved. So if you like your fiction to contain a story wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end, you probably ought to avoid this one until the story is all published. However, if you can let the unresolved elements sit for a while until the rest is published, then this would be a fine summer reading choice.

This book by bestselling author Jeffrey Archer is excellent. The story grips readers who become emotionally involved with its characters. This is volume one of The Clifton Chronicles. When readers finish it, they will look forward with eagerness to see what happens to Harry Clifton.

The opening chapters of the adventure, in the 1920s and 1930s, tells the same events from the perspectives of several different people, each adding or changing what had been told before, and thereby deepening the understanding of the events and the people involved. This style had been used effectively before by William Faulkner in The Sound and the Fury - who people call "the greatest author the US South produced" - and by the editors of the four New Testament Gospels, where each Gospel writer revisits what the others told, with changes, deepening the readers' interest and understanding.

The story hangs on the mystery of Harry Clifton's parentage: who was his father? This mystery, in turn, creates others. What difference does it make who Harry's father is? What happened to Harry's mother's husband? Why do people keep her husband's whereabouts secret? If the mystery of Harry's parentage is not resolved, will it destroy his life?

We read about the extraordinary sacrifices of Harry's mother. She is poor. She is determined that Harry will get schooling, even though she lacks money to pay for the schooling, and even though someone is repeatedly sabotaging her efforts. We read about the very rich Barrington family, the grandfather who is a paragon of goodness, his son Hugo who is clearly evil, and his grandchildren Giles and Emma, and the strong positive emotional feelings that the two have toward Harry. We read also of the people who help Harry, people who travel distances to see his accomplishments even after they retire. These men and women include the poor disheveled bum Old Jack Tarr, a recluse, an eccentric, who everyone knows is crazy, who Harry comes to love, who despite having virtually no money makes sure that Harry has what he needs. And there is the famed Captain Tarrant, winner of the prestigious Victorian Cross, the man who saved many of his comrade's lives during the First World War by killing close to a dozen enemy soldiers, the man whom his comrades respect, a man readers will admire. We see how the onset of the Second World War affects these people.

This, in short, is a splendid well-told tale of generally very likable people who provoke our emotions, people who we like and want to know about.

Remember decades ago when Jeffrey Archer used to write those fantastic epics? Kane & Able, As the Crow Flies; that's what I'm talking about! Here's the good news: His latest novel, Only Time Will Tell harkens back to his glory days. It's the most entertaining thing he's written in years, in my humble opinion. Here's the bad news: What once would have been a juicy epic tale has fallen victim to the publishing industry's current trend of trilogizing. (New word. I coined it.)

Except, except, this is NOT a trilogy--this is, in fact, the first of the FIVE planned novels that will comprise The Clifton Chronicles. And as entertaining as the book is, and I'll get back to that in a moment, this is very annoying. Back in the day, you write an epic, it's 600 or 800 or even 1,000 pages. James Michener did it. James Clavell did it. And, yes, Jeffrey Archer did it. But in the very recent past, some marketing genius realized that you could get readers to pay a lot more for a long book by chopping it into pieces. Maybe pad the text a little, and leave some white space on the pages. What once might have been an 800-page novel is now three 300-page novels. It is the era of the trilogy. And writers don't even have to worry about writing in story arcs to end each segment. No, just end them wherever--or even better, end on cliff-hanger! And don't warn readers that they're only getting a very incomplete portion of the story they signed on to read! And make them wait years to get to the conclusion!

Sorry, was I ranting? It's true that Mr. Archer (Sir Jeffrey?) and his publishers are guilty of most of my complaints above. For instance, this novel ends very abruptly, with no sort of resolution at all, on a cliff-hanger. So, yes, this new trend is really bugging me. I'll move on now.

The series is named the Clifton Chronicles after the protagonist, Harry Clifton. This novel opens in 1919, when Harry is a mere gleam in his father's eye. What follows is roughly the first 20 years of that young man's life. Despite his very modest circumstances, Harry, it turns out, is a gifted fellow. In addition to being very bright, he's a truly exceptional singer. Harry's talents are recognized by several people in a position to nurture them, and so it comes to pass that this dock worker's son has an opportunity for an education and a future his family could not have imagined.

This first book covers Harry's school years--the friends and enemies he makes along the way, the triumphs and setbacks, the secrets and lies, and the many, many melodramas. Archer is at his soapy best, and Harry's story is engaging, eventful, and fast-paced. He's a likable protagonist, a veritable paragon of virtue, as are his mother, friends, educators, and so forth. You'll know the baddies when you see them. Archer's characters are not nuanced. What you see is what you get. But none of this takes away from the fun of the story being told. Only Time Will Tell is not challenging or literary; it's just good old-fashioned escapist fiction. I had a great time reading it. And as much as I grumble, I will be back for part two. Grrr.

I'm about 80 pages from finishing, and I'm finding the story predictable, repetitive, and parts of it a bit silly. Thanks for letting me know I will have to read a number of books into the future to get the "rest of the story". I'll quit here and return it to my library.

The book is good -- I can't wait for the next volume.

This is a family saga from the beginning of the 20th century, a time of incredible change for the entire world, and especially for the family at the center of it.

You'l breeze through, delighted at period detail and knowing sorrow lies ahead for the good people, and that something terrible is bound to happen to the bad guy.

I just read the Accidental SenatorThe Accidental Senator and while it is set in the modern day, there are some parallels. Something of a family saga, the author is setting us up for revenge on the bad guys. If you like Jeffrey archer, you may like Jane Hancock as well.

I rarely give 5 stars but I really enjoyed it. Hard to put down and the characters were interesting and fleshed out. Kane and Able was an all time favorite and I have a feeling the Cliftons are going to rank right up there with them.

Jeffrey Archer's latest book comes out this month. Only Time Will Tell is the first volume in a trilogy, the story of the Clifton family and therefore called The Clifton Chronicles. It begins in Bristol, England and at the end of the first book Harry Clifton comes to New York City.

The plot of this book is as old as storytelling and so it takes a master writer to make it fresh, new, different from all the other versions. Archer solves this problem with an unsettled time period and with the characters he creates to populate his story. His characters, after all, have to be real enough and interesting enough for the reader to care what will happen to them in the next volume of this trilogy.

As I finished the book yesterday afternoon I was anxious to know what will happen next, particularly since there is a fascinating twist at the end that throws everything up in the air.

The major character is Harry Clifton, a boy of only about five when the story begins and a young man at the end of the book. He is a character so believable and vividly drawn that I'm sure he will stay with me until the next book comes out. The poor kid goes through struggles that would make most people give up, but Harry struggles on showing he is truly his mother's son. She works as a waitress and has her own difficulties as she works to make enough money for Harry's schooling. His amazing voice helps him get ahead for several years, but puberty sends him to the drama department where his maturing voice and theatrical talent added to his determination to make good grades ensure his success.

The other character I love in this book is known as Old Jack Tar. He lives at the docks and befriends Harry, becoming a father to this fatherless boy. You'll be surprised at who Jack really is, as is most everyone in the town.

There are many other wonderful characters in the book, all of whom raise this story above the ordinary telling of this well-worn plot. I do recommend the book which I won from the blog "Tutu's Two Cents."

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of this book, and I am sure glad I did!

This book is classic Jeffrey Archer - excellent dialogue between the characters, good pacing of the tale, and Archer has the unique ability to get you into the head of not only the main character but what I would consider the supporting cast of characters. When they are sad, happy, excited, full of love, etc. most of the time you feel the same way as the character does.

Without providing a spoiler, the bottom line here is Archer is one heck of a storyteller and I could not put this one down; when I did, I kept wanting to get back into the story. It has been a few years since I have read an Archer novel, and I forgot how good he is. If you are looking for a good book investment, this one (or any other Archer novel) is for you.

About the only negative I have is I hate the fact this is the first book in a planned series - when the book ended, I was really wanting more and eager to see what happens next. Here's to hoping the next books in the series come out fairly quick as (a) I am impatient, and (b) it would be too bad if I forgot about this one during my reading and missed future books in the series.

This story drew me in from the start. It is about two families, their parallel lives and the bonds that find them inextricably tied. It is a captivating tale about the main protagonist - Harry Clifton - and his rise through poverty and desolation through natural talent, hard work and the benefit of sage guidance from several noble people in his life. It speaks of the integrity of character, the power of will and the forces of malicious intent that seek to crush him against all odds. I stayed up late into the wee hours because I could not put it down. But be warned... it ends with a hook! A sequel is to follow. I cannot wait for its publication so I can follow Harry Clifton from his travails to his triumph.