A Prisoner of Birth (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: bling bling, carpet warehouse, Sir Nicholas, Sir Matthew, Spencer Craig (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Archer (Kane and Abel) pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend and brother-in-law to be, Bernie Wilson. The outcome of the intriguing trial, which pits a relatively novice defense lawyer against a skilled prosecutor, is a 22-year sentence for Danny. In maximum-security Belmarsh prison, Danny is lucky enough to share a cell with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, the book's Abbé Faria figure, who teaches him to read and write. In a trick familiar to those who know their Dumas, Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name. While Archer doesn't explore the cost to Danny's soul his revenge exacts, the author's firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers helps make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. 250,000-copy printing; author tour. (Mar.)
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Review

Praise for Jeffrey Archer

“A storyteller in the class of Alexander Dumas.”
---The Washington Post

“Archer is a master entertainer.”
---Time Magazine

“Cunning plots, silken style.”
---The New York Times

“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.”
---Los Angeles Times

“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.”
---Boston Globe

“There isn’t a better storyteller alive.”
---Larry King

“A worthy successor to The Da Vinci Code… Sail along from one high crime to the next.”
---Liz Smith, New York Post, on False Impression

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312379293
• ISBN-13: 978-0739492246
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Old, Something New, March 4, 2008

By	Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Wow! I read THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO as a teen, and it's always been a favorite of mine, so I was delighted to learn that Jeffrey Archer's new novel was a modern version of that well-loved tale. But A PRISONER OF BIRTH is a good deal more than a new spin on Alexandre Dumas--it's a fascinating, edge-of-your-seat thriller that actually makes a few valid points about the world today. From courtroom to prison to freedom with a glamorous new identity and a burning desire for revenge, the young hero of Archer's book is a worthy contemporary counterpart of Edmond Dantes, the "Count" of Monte Cristo. But you don't have to be familiar with the Dumas original to enjoy this terrific story. It's a good, old-fashioned page-turner that succeeds on its own merits. Highly recommended.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Revenge is a dish best served cold.", March 8, 2008

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Prisoner of Birth (Hardcover)

Jeffrey Archer's " A Prisoner of Birth" opens on a cheerful note. An East-Ender named Danny Cartwright gets down on one knee and proposes to his pregnant girlfriend, Beth Wilson, who happily accepts. Bernie, Beth's brother and Danny's best mate, joins the happy couple at a pub to celebrate. The revelry ends abruptly when four drunken men pick a fight with Bernie and Danny, who depart with Beth to avoid a row. Unfortunately, the three are confronted by their antagonists and a vicious brawl ensues, leaving Bernie dead and Danny arrested for his murder. Although Danny's conscientious young attorney, Alex Redmayne, does his best to defend his client (who refuses to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter), the four men from the pub, who call themselves the Musketeers, concoct a bogus but credible story and stick with it.

The actual killer is Spencer Craig who, ironically, is a barrister specializing in criminal law. Craig is a sociopath who has convinced his three friends, Gerald Payne, an estate agent, Lawrence Davenport, a television, actor, and Toby Mortimer, a drug addict, whom he has known since their days at Cambridge, to lie on his behalf. The wealthy and privileged Craig has contempt for the uneducated Cartwright and is elated when the jury finds Danny guilty. The sentence: twenty-two years in Belmarsh high-security prison.

"A Prisoner of Birth" is purposely reminiscent of Dumas' classic "The Count of Monte Cristo," with Danny playing the role of Edmond Dantes, who was also the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice. While in prison, Danny undergoes a major transformation. His cellmate, Nick Moncrieff, is an sophisticated and cultured individual; under his tutelage, Danny loses his accent and begins to speak and behave like a gentleman. He also takes courses and proves to be an intelligent and gifted pupil, especially in mathematics and business. Although his future seems bleak, a series of unforeseen events provide Danny with the opportunity to clear his name while taking revenge on the people who wronged him.

Archer has written an engrossing tale that is blessedly free of the sensationalism, gore, and explicit language that is common in today's fiction. Archer's style brings to mind the novels of yesteryear, with a beginning, middle, and end, and no distracting flashbacks. On the downside, Archer offers no shading in his characterizations; the villains are contemptible and the heroes are loyal and steadfast. Since most people are somewhat familiar with the Dumas story, there are few surprises in store. Still, once the reader becomes invested in Danny's fate, he will be interested to see how the young man's problems are eventually resolved. There is something here for everyone: scenes of intense courtroom drama, a touching romance, high-stakes financial intrigue, and a few delectable twists and turns in the final chapters. Although "A Prisoner of Birth" is not subtle, edgy, realistic, or brilliantly written, it is a good old-fashioned yarn, and that alone will earn it an eager audience.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining thriller borrowed from Dumas but a new twist, March 14, 2008

By	V. Brown "llacharbach" (the hinterlands of Idaho-ho-ho) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The novel is engaging as I found Danny Cartwright more likable and accessible than Edmond Dantes from Dumas classic The Count of Monte Cristo. There are several devices to tie up the complex plot in A Prisoner of Birth (as a previous reviewer mentions) but then again in the Dumas classic there are several items that make the story go that strain credibility (that a prisoner can make medication, tools, and ink in his cell). A certain amount of this stuff is necessary to make the plot go. The fact that Cartwright can take a plea is pure modern times. Nice touch. The ending is riveting as Cartwright doen't completely blindside his enemies, and ruin them via his wealth and the power that brings [as Dantes does]. I loved Dumas' clasic and enjoyed this as well.