A Prisoner of Birth

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As a friend very rightly put it… ’A Prisoner of Birth’ has all the makings of a Bollywood Masala Movie. Beth didn't protest; after all, Bernie was not only her brother, but Danny's oldest friend, and he'd probably already asked him to be his best man. Not tonight," said Danny, not letting go of Bernie's arm as he continued to lead his friend on down the alley. In fact, among the 500 novels I've read, I've only read: Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and The Lost Symbol;Ken Folett's The Eye of the Needle, Hornet's Nest and Whiteout; John Le Carre's The Spy Who Came in From Cold; Ian Fleming's Casino Royale; Vince Flynn's Protect and Defend; John Grisham's The Appeal and Robert Ludlum's The Ambler Warning. They are both oaks, even if they were planted in different forests. But then, m’lord, we all suffer in our different ways from being prisoners of birth.

Danny frowned. He had been to see Beth's father during his lunch break and had asked for permission to marry his daughter—some traditions die hard in the East End. Mr. Wilson couldn't have been more enthusiastic about Danny becoming his son-in-law, but went on to tell him that he had changed his mind about something Danny thought they'd already agreed on. A Prisoner of Birth is, basically, a retelling of Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo”. However, whether you have read that classic or not, you are bound to enjoy Archer’s version.A few hours later Danny is arrested for murder and later is sentenced to twenty-two years in prison, thanks to irrefutable testimony from Spencer, the prosecution's main witness. And when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat and the youngest partner in an established firm’s history, who is going to believe his side of the story? I've already phoned Mum and Dad," said Bernie as he popped the cork and filled the three champagne glasses. "They didn't seem all that surprised, but then it was the worst-kept secret in Bow." I want to leave," said Beth firmly. "I don't need a bunch of public-school snobs ruining my engagement party." This is the most well written book to which I've given a 1. It's also the first one star rating I've given to Jeffrey Archer. If you searched the words 'go to' in my dictionary, you'll find a picture of Archer. That's no longer true. More than the first half of the book had some merit, but it was only about build up, promise, and expectation. All three undercut, broken, and betrayed, respectively. If a restaurant makes you wait for so long that you're not faint of hunger but bored, impatient, and surly, do you feel satisfied in any way when a bunch of tripe is served to you? Of course(no pun intended) not; that is not sweetening the deal.

This was such a well written suspense/thriller. It's weaned me off my fantasy series books; it was such a good read. Jeffrey Archer is at his best when he writes about individuals in seemingly impossible situations. He portrays a realistic world of courtrooms, prisons, high society and Swiss financial institutions; his experiences as a member of the British Parliament and the House of Lords, as well as his own two years in prison, layer his novels with realistic details. Archer is well known for his international bestselling novels and short story collections, including Kane and Abel, Sons of Fortune, and False Impression. He writes with skill and imagination, unafraid to raise controversial issues such as prison life, fraud, revenge, and the corruption of the legal profession. Above all, Archer knows how to keep reader on the edge of our seats, right up to a heart-stopping surprise in the very last word of A Prisoner of Birth . The best part about the book is the way Jeffrey Archer used the beauty of the English language to weave the story.

Dream on," said Bernie. "Just because Danny boy's shaved and washed his hair for a change, don't think he's gonna make a habit of it, sis. No chance. Just remember that your future 'usband works in the East End, not the City." For me, among all of those, A Prisoner of Birth is one of the best, maybe comparable to those works by Le Carre and Fleming. Archer is definitely better than Flynn, Ludlum and Grisham. Archer is said to be the British equivalent of the American Grisham. I do not agree with this. For me, Archer is better than Grisham.

But have you got enough readies?" demanded Bernie. "'Cause basement flats don't come cheap, even in the East End." A murder attempt goes wrong, killing Nicholas, which gives Danny the chance to escape prison in the guise of soon-to-be-released Sir Nicholas Moncrieff. From there begins Danny’s journey for revenge and redemption. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the cast of supporting characters: Big Al, Alex Redmayne’s father; rt. Hon. Sir Matthew Redmayne KCMG QC, who handles Danny’s case in the end…and ofcourse, the wise Scottish solicitor Mr.Fraser Munro. Beth flagged down the cabbie as the man Bernie had felled staggered past her and disappeared into the night. Sir Nicholas slowly teaches Danny to read and to write. Their friendship grows closer, and Danny decides to dress like his friend in the hope that it will help his upcoming appeal. Danny begins to gather evidence for his appeal with the help of a young lawyer, Alex Redmayne, but unable to present the new evidence, Danny's appeal is denied, and he must serve his complete sentence in Belmarsh prison.Yes," Beth repeated, hoping he'd stand up before everyone in the room stopped eating and turned to stare at them. But he didn't budge. Danny remained on one knee, and like a conjurer, produced a tiny box from nowhere. He opened it to reveal a simple gold band boasting a single diamond that was far larger than Beth had expected—although her brother had already told her that Danny had spent two months' wages on the ring.