A Prisoner of Birth
by Jeffrey Archer
List Price:
Our Price: $5.68
You Save: $4.31 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jeffrey ArcherEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-12-02
ISBN: 0312944098
Number of pages: 624
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780312944094
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of A Prisoner of Birth
Book Review: A 'captivating' read from Archer
Summary: 4 Stars
OK, it's true that 'Prisoner of Birth' depends on a rather old literary device('Our falsely-accused hero switches identites with his double'), and readers who are more literal-minded/inclined to nitpick may have trouble swallowing absolutely everything. For everyone else, whose 'suspension of disbelief' capabilities are at full strength, this will be a really entertaining read! Archer plays to his strength as a courtroom thriller specialist, and adds more than a little of his autobiographical experience. Those who(unlike me) have read his 'Prison Diaries' will likely enjoy comparing the real and fictional versions of Belmarsh. Even if you aren't too familiar with Archer's background,you'll still appreciate his attention to detail in both the prison and the courtroom. Unlike many other authors (on both sides of 'the pond'), Archer is good at including plenty of detail, AND actually making it relevant to the plot, and easy to read (After plodding through Karen Robards' much shorter, but infinitely shallower 'Obsession', in my last review, it was refreshing to read an 'intelligent adult' novel for a change!) It also helps that Archer tells us more about characters, and less about their home or office furnishings, a particular sticking point for P.D. James, and some other British authors of 'police procedurals'. This is a good departure from the traditional 'crime drama', in that the police play a much smaller(though still important) role, and the spotlight is on the legal and penal systems instead.
Archer's characters are, for the most part, fascinating, and unlike some of the lower reviews, I didn't really feel that he failed to develop any of them. If anything, he may have overdeveloped some characters/subplots while putting others aside for lengthy stretches(particularly the real villains); I agree that a bit more introspection from Danny(as 'himself', rather than as Nick) would have been nice, and feel a bit disappointed that he and Beth are kind of glossed over at times to get everything else in. After more than 600 pages, I actually felt like I could have read a couple hundred more, just because I didn't want to 'let go' of the characters just yet!
The 'Musketeers' are all suitably melodramatic, self-centered creeps, without being cartoonish...OK, with the possible exception of Lawrence Davenport, but the payoff is worth it where he's concerned!
Archer, understandably, is also particularly skilled at the 'financial thriller', and he certainly doesn't disappoint those who enjoy the intrigue of banking, auction houses, and shady transactions! Some of his descriptions and attention to detail in these sections wander off toward long-windedness, but he manages to tie it all together, and make it sound far more compeelling than a lesser author could have(again, PD James would have been too busy rhapsodizing on the finish of the wood paneling in the banker's wall...while Karen Robards wouldn't even make the effort to tell a compelling story, and would have used the office for a gratuitous 'sex' scene, with the heroine 'accidentally' leaving an incriminating shoe behind!;-D)
While the 'financial dealings' are crucial to the plot, the twists, turns, and changes of pace amid all the jumping back and forth among the various lawyers and bankers, and Danny/Nick's individual dealings with his/their enemies, sometimes overshadows the courtroom drama. I might have given the book five stars, but I find that the Hugo Moncrieff subplot is just a slight letdown compared to the rest of the story; good, just not as compelling as finding out how things will turn out for Danny.
All in all, though, this is an excellent novel by Archer, ranking ahead of the last of his books that I read, 'False Impression.'
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.73
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Quiet Gameby Greg Iles
Signet; Published: 2000-07-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.59
Price in other shops:
First Among Equalsby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2004-05-16; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.62
Price in other shops:
The Prodigal Daughterby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2004-05-16; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.23
Price in other shops:
Paths of Gloryby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2009-12-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.44
Price in other shops:
False Impressionby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2006-11-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops:
Shall We Tell the President?by Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2008-12-30; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Kane and Abelby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2009-11-03; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
As the Crow Fliesby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2004-05-16; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.24
Price in other shops:
A Matter of Honorby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2004-12-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.61
Price in other shops:
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Lessby Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 2004-05-16; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.16
Price in other shops: