Customer Reviews

The Prodigal Daughter

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was first given a copy of The Prodigal Daughter in high school, and have reread it several times since then. It is not only an entertaining and well-written story, it is very inspiring --especially to young women. Archer neither downplays nor exacerbates the difficulties faced by women in fields that have traditionally been dominated by men, and his chronicles of Florentyna's rise through business and politics are among the best available in fiction. Archer also does a good job of portraying the years of work that go into creating a successful political career.

By the time you're finished reading the book, you almost feel exhausted yourself--but the journey is worth it.

I thought KANE AND ABEL was one of the best books I'd ever read, so I was eagerly anticipating THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER. Although it falls a shade short of the greatness of its predecessor, this is still an outstanding novel that reveals more about the characters I had come to love in the first book.

Some may argue that Jeffrey Archer cheats the reader since approximately the first 200 pages are a recap of KANE AND ABEL. However, instead of getting the story from the viewpoint of the two men, we see the events throught the eyes of Abel's daughter Florentyna and the added insight makes the second telling of the events highly worthwhile.

Florentyna Rosnovski is a formidable and unforgettable character. She endears herself to readers as a young girl through her relationship with her governess Miss Tredgold and her adventures from elementary school through college. Even the expected meeting with Richard Kane takes on new dimensions as they marry despite the deep rejection by both fathers.

It was after the initial marriage and career boom that I thought the book faltered slightly. Florentyna became too perfect, everything came too easily, and even the tragic events did not seem to touch her as I would have expected. However, her rise to fame and her battle to achieve her childhood ambition by becoming President of the United States is a page-turning read, one that will surely satisfy fans of KANE AND ABEL.

This is an excellent sequel to the consummate novel, Kane and Abel. Archer once again is at his best. He remembers to interwine key details of the book with Kane and Abel, and the reader easily recalls the suspense and the pure entertainment of Kane and Abel in Prodigal Daughter. Jeffrey Archer molds Florentyna into one of the most memorable characters written. Not many authors would have dared to write a sequel to such a superb novel like Kane and Abel, but Jeffrey Archer willingly accepts the challenge. The result is The Prodigal Daughter, and it is one of the best novels ever written.

After reading Kane and Abel I was told that this was a sort of sequel to the book and I had to read it. Once again I loved this book and the author. Its one of those books where you just want to keep reading and never stop. I highly recommend reading Kane and Abel before reading this book so that you understand the characters more completely. This book does give a shortened introduction of the characters in the beginning but it is recommended by me that you read Kane and Abel which you will enjoy!!!

I found this book to be very much up to Archer's standards. To me this book was every bit as captivating as his first. This is a wonderful read for almost anyone interested in history, politics, or just in search of a great book.

Florentyna was an exceptional girl. Born of immigrant Polish parents, one of whom become a powerful and wealthy businessman, she was tutored well, learned well, and trained well. Until she threw it all away to marry the son of her father's most bitter enemy.

Richard Kane had also defied his father to marry his love, and the two were cast off without a cent into the world. However, not only do they live on love, but they forge their own business empire in the process. If Kane and Abel were rivals, but successes; only to see their greatest dream dashed at the hands of the other, Richard and Florentyna show what their father's might have achieved by working together.

Indeed, together they build the empire of both their father's dreams. Both of their fathers recanted their hatred at the end, and they build together. But eventually success at business bores Florentyna, and she goes into politics.

Florentyna is a success in many ways in politics. Congress, then the Senate... and the White House?

Indeed, I don't know if the novel makes or breaks itself with the dirty tricks played at the end. Florentyna made her biggest mistake when she didn't outright reject one offer. Character wise, I think that is the biggest weakness of the novel. Florentyna wasn't that stupid or naive. Would it have hurt to have had her cave in if the man had outright lied (and still trapped her), and her serve her term as vice-president with no illusions about him? PLus, I have to wonder if she, faced with the end of her career, wouldn't have conceeded defeat - and then dragged down certain people as well?

This sequel's not as good as Kane & Abel, but still not a bad read. Jeffrey Archer is a great storyteller and he does a good job of telling the story behind Florentyna's life from childhood to her life after her father's death. The third part of the book does get very politically heavy and I found it to be a little on the boring side. The first and second parts of the book are good pageturners. I felt this novel lacked a purposeful direction and the intrigue of Kane & Abel .

Jeffrey Archer's 1980 best-seller Kane & Abel introduced readers to William Kane and Abel Rosnovski, two boys from vastly different circumstances and opposite ends of the world who grew up to profoundly affect early twentieth-century America. In The Prodigal Daughter, Archer continues the story of these two men and carries it on to the next generation.

Archer's storytelling technique is in some ways archaic, relying heavily on narrative prose and shunning contemporary "rules" about showing versus telling. He is able to pull it off, however, partly because most he earned his reputation in previous decades before the evolution of the modern thriller and partly because his colloquial voice and strong characters make his books a pure pleasure to read even without much action or dialog.

The Prodigal Daughter is the story of Florentyna Rosnovski, daughter of hotel baron Abel Rosnovski. At the end of Kane & Abel, Florentyna fall in love with Richard Kane, the son of her father's arch-enemy, banker William Kane. The sequel begins by backing the story up twenty years and painting a picture of Florentyna's childhood. The story doesn't actually catch up to the end of the first book until about halfway through.

As the story continues, Florentyna and Richard marry, against the wishes of both of their powerful fathers. They are cut off from their families' fortunes and must start life on their own. Florentyna starts a fashion shop, while Richard begins building a reputation for himself in the banking industry. By the time they reconcile with their aging fathers, the young couple have managed to become wealthy on their own merit. After their fathers are dead, Florentyna becomes chairman of the Baron Group, her father's hotel chain, and Richard ends up on the board of Lester's, his father's bank. The middle part of the book, then, focuses on their experiences in corporate life.

When Florentyna decides to run for political office, their lives change yet again, and the last part of the book details her various campaigns, her time in Congress, and the nation's response to the first serious female contender for president of the United States.

Through it all, Archer adds a touch of realism through ties to real-life events and public figures, placing the story within its historical context. As always, his primary strength is his characters, and he puts them in situations that make them highly sympathetic and believable. Readers who have enjoyed Archer's other books--particularly those who liked Kane & Abel--will appreciate this continuation of a story they may have resonated with. Readers who are more accustomed to contemporary political and corporate thrillers, however, may find it difficult to engage with Archer's style.

This is an excellent sequel to the novel, Kane and Abel. Archer once again is at his best. He remembers to intertwine key details of the book with Kane and Abel, and the reader easily recalls the suspense and the pure entertainment of Kane and Abel in Prodigal Daughter. Jeffrey Archer molds Florentyna into a very memorable character. Not many authors would have even tried to write a sequel Kane and Abel, but Jeffrey Archer makes a triumph of challenge. The result is The Prodigal Daughter. While it lacks some of the intensity of K&A, it is well worth the read.

This book picks up where Kane and Abel left off. It is the story of the daughter, Florentyna. She runs the hotel empire. Entertaining, fast paced, a good read.