My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.”
----Rick Riordan
Jeffrey Archer, the international bestselling author, is back with the final installment in The Clifton Chronicles called, This Was a Man that yet once again brings alive our favorite characters alive with new shocking twists and turns that will overthrow both the powerful families, the Barringtons and the Cliftons along with some supporting cast of characters, thereby giving the readers a closure from this extremely enticing and slightly heart breaking tale.
Synopsis:
This Was a Man is the captivating final installment of the Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven novels that has topped the bestseller lists around the world, and enhanced Jeffrey Archer's reputation as a master storyteller.
This Was a Man opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies?
In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game?
Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job.
Sebastian Clifton becomes chairman of Farthings Kaufman bank, but only after Hakim Bishara has to resign for personal reasons. Sebastian and Samantha's talented daughter, Jessica, is expelled from the Slade School of Fine Art, but her aunt Grace comes to her rescue.
Meanwhile, Lady Virginia is about to flee the country to avoid her creditors when the Duchess of Hertford dies, and she sees another opportunity to clear her debts and finally trump the Cliftons and Barringtons.
In a devastating twist, tragedy engulfs the Clifton family when one of them receives a shocking diagnosis that will throw all their lives into turmoil.
All the doubts of Giles Barrington comes to an end, when he learns the bitter truth about the love of his life, Karin's background that gives him closure whereas overthrows Karin from her path to confessing her husband, Giles, about her past and the nature of her work, and challenges her to confront the hurdle of facing her husband who has already learnt the truth about her. Sebastian Clifton's dreams of becoming the chairperson of the Farthings Kaufman Bank has finally come true, but a shocking news comes his way that threatens to disrupt his whole family, as his daughter, Jessica is expelled from a reputed institute. Lady Virginia can no longer support herself as her beneficiaries close in on her, and she is no longer finding any suitable way to support her finances but a sudden death of someone she wanted to be dead, holds her back in the country and helps her to scheme and hatch more devious plans against the Cliftons. Emma Clifton receives to head a prestigious as well as royal position after her hard work and dedication for so many years, on the other hand, Harry, the man of the book, the bestselling author, is getting all set to put the pen down with his final book before he sets sail for a book tour, and that is when a sickening news about his wife's health overthrows his happiness in one sweeping move, yet the love between the two is going strong for so long and will be going strong, no matter what. Even though yet another shocking revelation about the parents of Harry and Emma pushes them over the edge.
Archer concludes The Clifton Chronicles with his signature style grandeur, flair and yet more intriguingly, that will not only give closure to the fans of this series but will justifies the tale thoroughly. The author yet once again surprises his readers with his mind blowing twists and turns that will not only take the readers by surprise but will also make this tale riveting enough to be a hard core page turner. The author concocts the family drama with secrets deceits, treachery, conniving challenges of the two historic families, the Cliftons and the Barringtons through many obstacles and mysteries. And before picking up a copy of this book, make sure, you have read the previous six novels from the very same series, as this book is hard to comprehend with, if read it as a standalone book.
The author's writing style is flawless, polished and strong yet easy to contemplate with from the readers' own perspective. The emotions forever lacked from the author's prose, yet somehow, the thrill and the rush of the story line will make up for the missing emotional attachment. The narrative is highly absorbing and it is free flowing with a smooth and moderate pace as the author peels away one after another layer until the readers get to the very depth of the story line.
The characters yet once again excels with their striking demeanor. They are real to the very core, flawed, and extremely believable. All the characters are distinct from one another, and even the bad ones, like Lady Virginia too will make the readers fall for her constantly plotting ideas against the Cliftons, and also the weaker ones who make the story interesting. Each and every character is like a rare piece of gem that brightens up the whole story with their individual glow and aura.
The one thing that every fan of Archer will agree with the author's ability and extent to go as far as possible to include anticipating twists and plot them at the right moments thereby making the story one hell of a roller coaster ride filled with adrenaline rushing moments, edgy twists and nerve racking scenes that will grip the readers until the very last page. The climax will satisfy the readers and at the same time, will break a million hearts.
In a nutshell, the story is extremely enticing, captivating and highly exciting despite being sympathetic in its own way. The author devised one hell of a spellbinding tale that won't disappoint any of his readers.
Verdict: The best possible way to say goodbye to the Cliftons and the Barringtons! Long live Mr. Archer!
Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Pan Macmillan India for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician.
He was a Member of Parliament and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, and became a life peer in 1992. His political career, having suffered several controversies, ended after a conviction for perverting the course of justice and his subsequent imprisonment. He is married to Mary Archer, a scientist specialising in solar power. Outside politics, he is a novelist, playwright and short story writer.
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