7. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
Topic/Prompt: book that takes place over a character's life span
Synopsis:
The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s 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 he’s 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 Archer’s 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 Hitler’s Germany.
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 Archer’s 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 Hitler’s Germany.
My Review:
This novel dragged quite a bit in the beginning and to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the first couple of chapters. But I am glad I stuck with it. Harry's life is chronicled as he tries to figure out who his father was/is. He only knows what he's been told: that his father was killed in the war. As Harry grows up, he starts to question that story.
Harry grew up poor and raised by his mom and uncle. His uncle teaches him the family workforce, the trade of the docks. It's expected of him to enter the shipyard when he's done with school. Everything changes when he gets accepted to a private school for boys on scholarship. His mother does everything possible to send him there, unbeknownst to him. As he grows older into adulthood, he finally starts to put the pieces together and gets to know the truth about his father (and his real father as well). Harry also realizes how much his mom sacrificed to be able to give him an education and a better life. She deals with her own tragedies and obstacles on her path to provide him with that, but doesn't let Harry know.
Once he graduates high school, Harry has to choose between going to Oxford or go to war with the navy. His past doesn't make it any easier to decide. When it turns out that his father might be his best friend's and lover's father as well, it complicates things even further. With his decision, he puts everything on the line. He ends up choosing the navy. When the ship gets sunk by the Germans, there are only a handful of survivors. To escape his past of buried family secrets, he assumes the identity of another crew member, not knowing what it might entail. The story has an ending you don't see coming and it leaves a major cliffhanger.
Throughout the story, Harry is guided by some great people to help guide him in life. There is a vast set of characters. Even though the story is told mostly from Harry's viewpoint, there are several chapters devoted to some of the other characters, which I thought was a good thing to help understand everyone involved in Harry's life, whether protagonists or antagonists.
This is the first book in the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer. Harry's life is chronicled in the six other consecutive books. That is why I chose this for the prompt listed above.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
Once he graduates high school, Harry has to choose between going to Oxford or go to war with the navy. His past doesn't make it any easier to decide. When it turns out that his father might be his best friend's and lover's father as well, it complicates things even further. With his decision, he puts everything on the line. He ends up choosing the navy. When the ship gets sunk by the Germans, there are only a handful of survivors. To escape his past of buried family secrets, he assumes the identity of another crew member, not knowing what it might entail. The story has an ending you don't see coming and it leaves a major cliffhanger.
Throughout the story, Harry is guided by some great people to help guide him in life. There is a vast set of characters. Even though the story is told mostly from Harry's viewpoint, there are several chapters devoted to some of the other characters, which I thought was a good thing to help understand everyone involved in Harry's life, whether protagonists or antagonists.
This is the first book in the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer. Harry's life is chronicled in the six other consecutive books. That is why I chose this for the prompt listed above.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
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