Synopses & Reviews
From the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.
The epic tale of Harry Cliftons life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once hes left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school, and his life will never be the same again.
As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?
This introductory novel in Archers ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitlers Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Review
Praise for Only Time Will Tell
“I was utterly hooked. It was an absurdly enjoyable read.”
---Anthony Horowitz, Daily Telegraph (London)
Praise for Jeffrey Archer
“A dynamite commercial novel…Archer brings it off with panache.”
---The Washington Post on A Prisoner of Birth
“A compelling read…The pace never flags.”
---Newsday (New York) on A Prisoner of Birth
“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.”
---Los Angeles Times
“Archer is a master entertainer.”
---Time magazine
“A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas.”
---The Washington Post on A Twist in the Tale
“There isnt a better storyteller alive.”
---Larry King
“Kane and Abel…that classic of modern literature.”
---The Times (London)
Review
Praise for
JEFFREY ARCHER
“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.” —Los Angeles Times
“There isnt a better story-teller alive.” —Larry King
“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.” —The Boston Globe
“Cunning plots, silken style…. Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader.” —The New York Times
“Archer is a master entertainer.” —Time
“A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas…unsurpassed skill.” —Washington Post
And his novels
SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT?
“Outrageous and top-notch terror.” —Vogue
“The only difference between this book and The Day of the Jackal is that Archer is a better writer.”—Chicago Tribune
“Authentic, literate, and scary.”—Cosmopolitan
“The countdown is the thing; the pace, the pursuit, the what-next, the how-is-it-going-to-come-out…”—Boston Globe
“Holds the reader in a vicelike grip.”—Penthouse
A PRISONER OF BIRTH
“A compelling read.” —Newsday
“Dynamite…plot twists and a slam-bang finale.”—The Washington Post
“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.” —The Boston Globe
“Thoroughly enjoyable.”—Publishers Weekly
“Compulsively readable.”—Library Journal
“Gripping.”—The Vancouver Sun
“An exercise in wish fulfillment. The good may suffer, but the bad will get theirs in the end. The fun is watching it unfold.”—St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
CAT ONINE TALES
“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.” —The Boston Globe
“The economy and precision of Archers prose never fails to delight. The criminal doesnt always get away with his crime and justice doesnt always prevail, but the reader wins with each and every story.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
FALSE IMPRESSION
“A worthy successor to The Da Vinci Code.”—Liz Smith, New York Post
“Archer is back in top form with [this] latest thriller.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Thoroughly imagined...entertaining...thrilling.” —Denver Post
“Murder and a high-stakes art-world theft are cleverly blended [in this] exciting...global thrill-ride.” —Vancouver Sun
“Sail along from one high crime to the next....Archer is a great plotter....[and] in the middle of the action, [he] drops research gems.”—Liz Smith, New York Post
Review
Praise for Only Time Will Tell
“Archer delivers another page-turning, heart-stopping saga, with delightful twists, and a surprise ending… readers will surely wait for the next with bated breath.”
---Publishers Weekly
“General readers as well as Archer fans will enjoy this unforgettable tale, which abounds with cliff-hangers that propel its intriguing and intricate plot.”
---Library Journal (starred review)
“What appears at the outset to be a straightforward coming-of-age tale becomes, by the end, a saga of power, betrayal, and bitter hatred. The novel ends on a deliberately dark note, setting the stage for the sequel…An outstanding effort from a reliable veteran.”
---Booklist (starred Review)
“I was utterly hooked. It was an absurdly enjoyable read.”
---Anthony Horowitz, Daily Telegraph (London)
Praise for Jeffrey Archer
“A dynamite commercial novel…Archer brings it off with panache.”
---The Washington Post on A Prisoner of Birth
“A compelling read…The pace never flags.”
---Newsday (New York) on A Prisoner of Birth
“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.”
---Los Angeles Times
“Archer is a master entertainer.”
---Time magazine
“A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas.”
---The Washington Post on A Twist in the Tale
“There isnt a better storyteller alive.”
---Larry King
“Kane and Abel…that classic of modern literature.”
---The Times (London)
Review
Praise for Only Time Will Tell
“Dual narrators Roger Allam and Emilia Fox do a truly wonderful job bringing the story to life…Only Time Will Tell is an enjoyable and artfully done listen. If you are a fan of family sagas, or of Jeffrey Archer in general, you wont be disappointed. However, listener be warned, you will have to wait until next year for the next installment so you may want to savor this one slowly.” - Abbreviated Audio
“An extraordinary, sweeping saga, Only Time Will Tell is an excellent addition to audiobook fiction collections.” - The Midwest Book Review
“[Roger Allam] is the perfect choice for this story. From the very beginning I felt a strong connection… [Emelia Foxs] voice is a stark contrast, being light and pleasant. The entire audiobook seemed more like a theater production than just a reading of a book.” - Reading with Mo
“Both [Roger Allam and Emilia Fox] do an outstanding job, and I let myself listen to some sections several times just to hear their marvelous voices.” - The Record-Courier
“Archer delivers another page-turning, heart-stopping saga, with delightful twists, and a surprise ending… readers will surely wait for the next with bated breath.” - Publishers Weekly
“General readers as well as Archer fans will enjoy this unforgettable tale, which abounds with cliff-hangers that propel its intriguing and intricate plot.”- Library Journal (starred review)
“What appears at the outset to be a straightforward coming-of-age tale becomes, by the end, a saga of power, betrayal, and bitter hatred. The novel ends on a deliberately dark note, setting the stage for the sequel…An outstanding effort from a reliable veteran.” - Booklist (starred Review)
“I was utterly hooked. It was an absurdly enjoyable read.”- Anthony Horowitz, Daily Telegraph (London)
Praise for Jeffrey Archer
“A dynamite commercial novel…Archer brings it off with panache.”
---The Washington Post on A Prisoner of Birth
“A compelling read…The pace never flags.”
---Newsday (New York) on A Prisoner of Birth
“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.”
---Los Angeles Times
“Archer is a master entertainer.”
---Time magazine
“A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas.”
---The Washington Post on A Twist in the Tale
“There isnt a better storyteller alive.”
---Larry King
“Kane and Abel…that classic of modern literature.”
---The Times (London)
Synopsis
From the popular author of
Kane and Abel and
A Prisoner of Birth comes the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.
The epic tale of Harry Cliftons life begins in 1920, with the words, “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once hes left school. But then his unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school, and his life will never be the same again.
As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question who was his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the first-born son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?
This introductory novel in The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitlers Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only TimeWill Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Synopsis
From the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.
Synopsis
Only Time Will Tell
Jeffrey Archer
The first novel in the Clifton Chronicles, an ambitious new series that tells the story of a family across generations and oceans, from heartbreak to triumph, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Archer
The epic tale of Harry Cliftons life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father and expects to continue on at the shipyard, until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school, and his life will never be the same again...
As Harry enters into adulthood, he finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: Was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? From the ravages of the Great War and the docks of working-class England to the streets of 1940 New York City and the outbreak of the Second World War, this is a powerful journey that will bring to life one hundred years of history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Synopsis
The first novel in the Clifton Chronicles, an ambitious new series that tells the story of a family across generations and oceans, from heartbreak to triumph, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Archer
The epic tale of Harry Cliftons life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father and expects to continue on at the shipyard, until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school, and his life will never be the same again...
“If there were a nobel prize for storytelling, Archer would win.”—Daily Telegraph (London)
As Harry enters into adulthood, he finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: Was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? From the ravages of the Great War and the docks of working-class England to the streets of 1940 New York City and the outbreak of the Second World War, this is a powerful journey that will bring to life one hundred years of history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
“Archer is a master entertainer.”—Time
Synopsis
From the internationally bestselling author of
Kane and Abel and
A Prisoner of Birth comes
Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.
The epic tale of Harry Cliftons life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once hes left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school, and his life will never be the same again.
As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?
This introductory novel in Archers ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitlers Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
About the Author
JEFFREY ARCHER was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britains House of Commons and twenty-two years in the House of Lords. All of his novels and short story collections—including Be Careful What You Wish For, Best Kept Secret, Sins of the Father, and Only Time Will Tell—have been international bestselling books. Archer is married with two sons and lives in London and Cambridge.