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Sons of Fortune  By  cover art

Sons of Fortune

By: Jeffrey Archer
Narrated by: Paul Michael
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Publisher's summary

In Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1940's a set of twins is parted at birth - not by accident. Nat Cartwright goes home with his parents, a school teacher and an insurance salesman, while his twin brother begins his days as Fletcher Davenport, son of a multi-millionaire and his society wife.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the two brothers grow up apart, following similar paths that take them in different directions. Nat leaves college to serve in Vietnam, then finishes school, earns his MBS, and becomes a successful currency dealer. Fletcher, meanwhile, graduates from Yale with a bachelor's and a law degree, going on to distinguish himself as a criminal defense lawyer before becoming a senator.

At various times in their lives, both men are confronted with challenges and obstacles, tragedy and betrayal, loss and hardship, before they both decide to run for governor, unaware they are brothers...

©2003 Jeffrey Archer (P)2002 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrink Publishers, LLC.

Critic reviews

"A master at mixing power, politics, and profit into fiction." (Entertainment Weekly)
"Cunning plots, silken style... Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader." (The New York Times)

What listeners say about Sons of Fortune

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good writing but story lacks complexity

Archer remains a good writer, but this story lacks the twists and turns his readers have come to expect in past novels.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Story!

Although the story was not a complicated trail of characters and twisting storylines, it was just an outstanding well done story that I enjoyed from start to finish. There were enough surprises to keep you listening from chapter to chapter.
I think if you would like to listen to a very expertly written and narrated story you will love this.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

A Total Disappointment

This is definitely no "Kane and Abel". In fact I will go as far as to say that this has been my biggest disappointment in two years at audible.com. After almost 14 hours of listening I still couldn't keep even the two main characters straight in my mind.....mostly because I couldn't have cared less about them. Fell asleep during the last twenty minutes (and innumerable other times) and almost didn't bother going back to see how it ended.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Old fashioned clean entertainment

It has been more years than I can count since I have had the privilege of listening to such a great story. It was not the normal murder mystery or suspense novel nor was it a thriller or a boring drama.

The character development was superb and the presentation of the two brothers as men of honor and integrity was a pleasant surprise.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the presentation of the audio program and the choice of music. Both hinted at the old radio dramas without actually imitating them.

I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. There is no content here that I would not be proud to present to my own children.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A little predictable, and cliche

I like Jeffrey Archer usually, but this was a bit trite. I felt like I could see what was around every corner...even the "big shockers". And, I have listened to Archer on audible twice now, and I could do without the dramatic, yet warbly and scratchy mood music between chapters.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Sons of Fortune

I got this book purely for my own political interest.

I mean think of it...two people who don't know they are twins run against one another for public office, and the ending would shock anyone even if you study politics.

I found my self not really pulling for one character or another, but I did find several characters I was glad were the bad guys.

If you love politics and enjoy great American dream stories then this is your book.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible

The characters are shallow, the plot is predictable and the story is sophomoric. It was a total waste of time and money. Steer clear...

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Impossible Odds

This author creates one improbable incident after another and would have his readers buy into it. One or two I could accept, but over and over again! In addition, it is unusual for the narrator to make the listener uncomfortable. This one succeeded by the use of a hackneyed, identical accent for each ethnic, regional or religious group that an individual belonged to. This was my first experience listening to an Archer book and it will undoubtedly be my last.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Archer-Formula delivers yet again

I like Jeffrey Archer books in general because I always know what to expect. Read one, read ‘em all!

Sure some are better than others, but overall they follow a very dependable (predictable) formula so you pretty much know right from the start what you’re in for – therefore as long as you’re in the right mood you’ll rarely be disappointed.

Don’t expect anything really new or ground breaking here, this book conformed comfortably to the mold created by past novels and delivered well on all my expectations.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Soap Opera

What a total disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if Jeffery Archer didn't have Danielle Steele assist him in this project. I expected espionage, action, and adventure and received a soap opera. I don't know if I was more annoyed that the book was below par or that I wasted my time finishing it.

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2 people found this helpful