“So what are you going to do next, my boy?”
“Run away to sea. I’ll take any boat that will have me,” said Harry, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“What a good idea,” said Old Jack. “Why not play straight into Fisher’s hands?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that nothing will please Fisher more than to be able to tell his friends that the street urchin had no guts, but then, what do you expect from the son of a docker whose mother is a waitress?”
“But Fisher’s right. I’m not in his class.”
“No, Harry, the problem is that Fisher already realize he’s not in your class, and never will be.”
(from Only Time Will Tell, page 47 in the ARC; finished version may be different)
Only Time Will Tell is the first installment in Jeffrey Archer’s multigenerational saga, The Clifton Chronicles. The novel is set in Bristol, England, from 1919 to 1940 and centers on Harry Clifton, a young boy destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle and work on the docks until a new world is opened up to him. Harry has the gift of song, and when Miss Monday, the choir mistress, Mr. Holcombe, his elementary school teacher, and Old Jack Tar, a WWI hero and loner, join forces to get him accepted into a prestigious boarding school, his life is changed forever. Harry’s mother, Maisie, works as a waitress and scrimps and saves to send her son to school and give him a better life.
Maisie’s sacrifices and the secret of Harry’s parentage are the main focus of Only Time Will Tell. Harry has grown up thinking Arthur Clifton is his father and that he died in the war, but he begins to doubt that story when he does the math and realizes Arthur couldn’t possibly be his father if he died during the war. Maisie knows the truth about Harry’s parentage, and a few people know the truth about Arthur Clifton’s death, but no one tells Harry anything.
While Harry is off at school befriending Giles Barrington, the son of the man who owns the shipping company where Harry’s father and uncle work and who knows what happened to Arthur Clifton, Maisie deals with countless personal tragedies and must make some tough decisions to continue Harry’s schooling. At the same time, it looks as though England may go to war with Germany, and Harry must consider what this means for his future.
Archer deftly combines multiple viewpoints in Only Time Will Tell, giving Harry, Maisie, Giles, Old Jack Tar, Giles’ father Hugo, and Giles’ sister Emma the opportunity to drive the story. Sometimes reading several years from one point of view only to go back in time to read the events of those same years through the eyes of another character can slow down the progression of the plot, but Archer uses each character to fill in the gaps of the story, not to reiterate what has already transpired. I felt like I got to know each character well enough to care about them (or in the case of the villain, to hate him even more) and to understand their motivations. Archer also has a talent for pacing, revealing crucial details here and there throughout and providing just enough action and tension so that they story never slows down.
Only Time Will Tell is a tad predictable in spots, but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying it; in fact, I couldn’t read it fast enough and stayed up well past my bedtime because I needed to know what happened. Readers who like each book in a series to tie up loose ends and maybe give a little glimpse of what is to come will be disappointed because Archer ends with a cliffhanger and not much resolution with regard to the major plot points. However, if you enjoy multigenerational sagas set during the World War II era, then you’ll speed through this one and be eagerly anticipating the second installment in the Clifton Chronicles just like I am.
Although I read a print copy, Macmillan Audio would like to offer the audio book of Only Time Will Tell to one of my readers. The audio version is read by Roger Allam, and the first two chapters can be heard here. To enter, leave a comment with your e-mail address by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, September 25, 2011. Because the publisher is shipping the audio book, this giveaway is open to readers with U.S. addresses only.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I received a copy of Only Time Will Tell from St. Martin’s Press for review purposes. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
This sounds like a really good new series. Great review Anna!
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Thanks, Lisa!
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Jeffrey Archer has been a favorite author ever since I read Kane and Abel years ago. I would love to win this audio book. Thanks for the giveaway.
lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com
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I hadn’t heard of Archer until I read this book. I’ll have to check out his other books.
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I’ve heard of this one and am glad to hear you liked it. I’d like to be entered. savvyverseandwit at gmail
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I did, even though I wasn’t keen on beginning a new series.
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A bit predictable but I also enjoyed it and look forward to the next book!
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Predictable isn’t always bad. 😉
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Multi-generational stories set during WWII?? Ann, it gets no better than that!
florida982002[at]yahoo.com
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That’s what I was thinking! 😉
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Sometimes you can enjoy a predictable read as well. I think I will enjoy this one as well. Great review 🙂
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Thanks, Veens! Hope you get a chance to read it.
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I just starting to get into Multigenerational stories. This one sounds good. No need to enter me into the giveaway.
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I’ve always loved multigenerational family sagas, but I hadn’t read one in ages.
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would enjoy listening to this novel…thanks for the chance 🙂
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Love his books. Looking forward to this one
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I guess I’m the only one new to Archer!
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I have never read a book by him and this one sounds different..or am I thinking of someone else? Must google
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I have no idea. 😉 Glad to know I’m not alone in being new to his work.
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I won this book! Great review. I’m looking forward to reading it. I hate cliffhanger endings, though…
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It really worked in this book though. I can see why he ended it where he did or it would be really long. Still, I just don’t like the wait until the next book comes out. Certainly a way to build tension and excitement!
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I would love to get immersed into this story. I love well developed characters.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
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For some reason I had it in mind that Jeffrey Archer wrote books I wasn’t interested in. I must have him confused with someone else because reading your fantastic review totally piqued my interest in this book – I have so many questions about different characters and parts of the story. The setting is great as it is and then Archer weaves this story with so many different tantalizing aspects to it and you couldn’t put it down which makes this book sound like a sure things for me!
Please enter me in your giveaway and thank you for hosting one!
Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com
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I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. I was happy he weaved in so many viewpoints without the story becoming repetitive. And for once, I honestly liked and cared about most of the characters. Hope you have a chance to read it.
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Thanks for the detailed review! I probably would have skipped this one if I had not seen your interview. Now, I am interested!
Kirsten
kessna6(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Great! Hope you have a chance to read it.
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your 33rd book in the challenge- that’s amazing 🙂
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I’m not surprised, though, since I just gobble up historical fiction.
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i love books that can keep me reading late into the night. of course the next morning i’m always grumpy from lack of sleep, but i know it was well worth it. i’ll have to add this book to my wishlist. i think i’ve read an archer book before, but its been so long that i can’t really remember it.
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That’s exactly how I feel, especially since I have to get up at 4 am!
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Any book that keeps one up past their bedtime is a book I would like to read 🙂 Throwing my hat into the ring. kimspam66 at yahoo dot com
Thanks for the review & giveaway!
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I’ve been reading a lot of those lately, and it’s probably why I have dark rings under my eyes. 😉
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This sounds like my kind of series. Thanks for the fab review.
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Thanks! Hope you get a chance to read it!
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Sounds very interesting. Would love to read this!
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I love multi-generational sagas, having read Jakes in the past and loving his sweeping novels. I think I got a copy of this so please don’t enter me!
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I can’t wait to read your thoughts on this book!
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This sounds good Anna, and I recently won a copy that I’ll be looking forward to. I’ve enjoyed this author in the past. Fortunate Son was a good one.
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Thanks for the recommendation! Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
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AWESOMENESS! Thanks for the giveaway! I would LOVE to win!
MollyATreviewsbymollyDOTcom
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I have this one on my shelf, but am now thinking I should wait til the next one comes out to read it! I hate when there’s no resolution at all.
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That’s not a bad idea. I like when I have the entire series in front of me so I don’t have to wait in between installments.
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This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be chosen via Randomizer.org, e-mailed, and announced shortly. Thanks to all who entered.
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