The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer

A heart warming story set back in the early 1900’s which follows a young lad named Harry Clifton as he faces the many obstacles throughout his life’s journey to manhood. There are also several strong characters in this book with chapters devoted to their own narration.

All the characters in the book are interesting, especially the soldier Jack Tarrant, who takes charge of Harry Clifton’s life guiding him and playing his mentor.

It is a story about coincidences, about what people will do for love, about how life can go full circle, and how people get their due. This is a story about friendship, about the way different events are important to different people, and about how the actions of others – that we don’t even know about – can affect so many aspects of our lives. This is a story about unfortunate circumstances, about class bigotry, and about redemption.

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This is the second novel in the seven-book series, ‘The Clifton Chronicles.’

In the first book, Only Time Will Tell, Englishman Harry Clifton was about to marry his great love, Emma Barrington, when a surprise revelation derailed the wedding. Turns out Emma’s father – shipping heir Hugo Barrington – probably sired Harry as well, back in the days when Harry’s mother was an impulsive young woman.

As The Sins of the Father opens Harry is in New York, about to be tried for murder. A powerful attorney named Sefton Jelks, who has a secret agenda, arranges a plea deal and Harry is sentenced to six years in prison. While he’s incarcerated Harry makes friends with a fellow inmate, deals with a sadistic guard, works in the prison library, keeps a diary, and is a model prisoner…..all of which leads to some important opportunities and events.

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The third generation of the Clifton/Barringtons start moving to center stage in this installment of the Clifton Chronicles. Sebastian, son of Emma and Harry is a handful as a toddler and becomes more so as he grows. His half-sister Jessica is given a back seat to Sebastian’s spotlight, though I sense(and hope) given the length of the series she will be given her place in the sun.

The saga has moved into the nineteen fifties. Women are taking their place in the workforce and starting to be heard more in politics. History moves quietly in the background in this book. But isn’t that just way of life? Rarely do we live with historic bombshells on a daily basis. Yes, there is the occasional blast that shakes us to our core, but history is there being made quietly on a daily basis.

This one is set in post-WW2 England and there are some really great moments regarding an inheritance trial, a decedents will, a contested election between old foes and the smuggling of Nazi forged currency back into England. We are given a good introduction into young Master Sebastian Clifford, family nemesis Major Fisher and new evil guy Don Pedro Martinez.

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The novel opens hoping to resolve the major cliffhanger after Sebastian is in a major car accident and someone has died. Harry and Emma rush to the hospital to get the news, which changes their lives forever. Emma cannot sit by idly as Barrington Shipping’s chairman resigns, leaving her the opportunity to fill the void.

Don Pedro Martinez, a powerful new enemy of the Cliftons, uses his company shares in an attempt to place a hand-picked candidate in the chairmanship. While Barrington Shipping seeks to build its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham, Martinez proves the masterful saboteur in hopes of bringing the company to its knees as a final act of vindication.

All the while, Harry and Emma’s other child, Jessica, is making a name for herself in the art world and finding love in all the right places. That is, until another old rival, Lady Virginia Fenwick opens old wounds in an attempt to derail any happy future for Jessica and her extended family. Archer pits Martinez and Fenick against the Clifton and Barrington families in a set of adventures that will keep the reader wondering how long the fast-paced action can continue.

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In this, fifth book of the Clifton Chronicles, Jeffrey Archer ups the pace of the plot to great effect.

Harry Clifton is an author on a crusade. As President of the English PEN society, he is determined to be the catalyst for the Russians freeing jailed author Anatoly Babakov.

Emma Clifton, chairperson of Barringtons, is facing challenges on all sides, within the boardroom following the hushed up IRA bombing of their ship on its maiden voyage; and without from her brother Giles ex-wife Lady Virginia Fenwick who is determined to see Emma brought down.

Sebastian has been elected to the board and has proposed to girlfriend Samantha, but will she be able to live with his ambitions and the lengths he is prepared to go to attain them?

And Sir Giles Barrington’s political and personal lives are both in disarray.

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This is the sixth and the penultimate instalment of Clifton Chronicles. We pick up the story in the 1970s, immediately following the cliffhanger ending in the previous book of the series, Mightier Than The Sword. Harry has become a successful author and his wife, Emma, is still running Barrington Shipping.

Her brother Giles is a Member of Parliament but is working hard to get the woman he loves out of East Germany. Harry and Emma’s son, Sebastian is the director of the bank and his former girlfriend, Samantha, reappears with a surprise.

Margaret Thatcher, MI6 and the KGB all make an appearance. There are plenty of bad guys to interact with the good guys, and I’m happy to say one of the very worst, Lady Virginia Fenwick, makes her appearance with the well constructed manipulation of a wealthy American.

This book follows the same format as the previous books in the series and naturally, ends with a big cliffhanger.

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This is the final installment in the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer. The prologue here takes place in 1978, followed by a section on Harry Clifton and his wife Emma from 1978 to 1979, and at the end are chapters on Harry and Emma in 1992.

In between are looks what’s happening in the lives of other characters like Sir Giles Barrington and his wife Karin, Sebastian, Samantha and Jessica Clifton and Lady Virginia Fenwick.

Early on, Harry brings an end to his popular book series, deciding instead to turn his attention to writing his best-ever work. Emma, who’s spent the last 10 years as chairwoman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, gets a call from none other than Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who offers her a job. Sir Giles, meanwhile, is ramping up his efforts as a member of Parliament on the opposing side – pitting him squarely against his sister Emma.

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