The Sins of the Father

Publisher's Summary

On the heels of the international best seller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles….

Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy. But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German Uboat, drowning almost the entire crew. An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw. When Bradshaw dies in the night, Harry seizes on the chance to escape his tangled past and assumes his identity.

But on landing in America, he quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting Bradshaw in New York. Without any way of proving his true identity, Harry Clifton is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape.

©2012 Jeffrey Archer (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Can';t Wait for the Next One!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book..........in fact when this one came out I went back and reread the first one before starting the second..........and was glad I did. The first one was just as enjoyable the second time around.

Do not understand all of the negative reviews from people who object to being left hanging at the end. The author stated from the start that this work was a series that would be produced over a period of years so if you don't like that format then don't buy the first one!!!

The reader was excellent...........there were just a few voices that grated on me (Alistair!) but for the most part they were delightful.

Highly recommend these books to anyone who likes this genre.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Great follow up to Book 1 and Cliffhanger to Book

First and foremost, I can't even recommend Book 2 without listening to or reading Book 1. I suppose it's possible to enjoy, but you'll get much more out of them by taking them in order.

Book 1 is very slow and long in character development. Book 2 picks up the action and character's on a riveting pace.

The series, which I understand is to be 6 Books, is a time capsule of the life and times of the characters on a fictitious base around historical times and events. The book really feels like a Ken Follett novel, which is a good thing to me.

Overall, I can't wait for Book 3, I expect it to be "Can't put down" as well.

Highly Recommended - Both books taken in order.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Jeffery Archer's Shameless

The Clinton Chronicles are addictive and as formula driven as a PBS/BBC costume-drama epic. They sprawl over decades of the Clinton family’s astonishing ability to survive the wiles of bad… bad… bad… villains who are unspeakably evil.. evil… EVIL…

Each volume carefully (some might quibble and say.. “tediously”) creates a new peril sure to destroy this loving, plucky, and noble tribe only to end in… in… a cliff hanger that demands the next book in the series to reveal. &^&%#!!

Yep, Jeffery Archer’s shameless. His characters have the depth and complexity of a Marvel Comic Book, and his plots seem driven by Snidely Whiplash menacing poor Nell who he’s lashed to the tracks.

And yet, I’ve listened to five of them now… Only Time Will Tell, The Sins of the Fathers, Best Kept Secret, Be Careful What You Wish For, and Mightier than the Sword. Each of these were already available on Audible so they could be purchased and enjoyed as one long tale. I recall giggling smugly when I understood his cliff hanger stunts, realizing that I’d not have to wait a year until the next one arrived: Unlike the poor addicted fools who discovered them one at a time as they were originally published.

And then I cursed at the end of Mightier than the Sword to realize that now I was in the cue of addled Archer addicts waiting to see how the family’d escape this latest threat. I HATE IT!

My advice, don’t start this series until you are sure Archer’s written the end to it. BEWARE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE! Archer will shamelessly diddle with you.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

Just as good as the first in the series - Only Time will Tell. Do get them in order for sure. The narrator is excellent, the characters compelling, the story line mesmerizing. Can't say enough good about it. Can't wait for the third installment due out in 2013!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

No More Cliff Hangers

What made the experience of listening to The Sins of the Father the most enjoyable?

After listening to "Time will tell" and "The Sins of our Fathers", I was a solid fan of Archer.
This was a "cannot put it down" book and; therfore, I am very sad to say that I will not be listening to future books by Archer as I just can't stand the fact that each book ends with a "cliff hanger" so that you will feel obliged to purchase the next book in order to see what happens.
Enjoyable books do not need such tricks to sway me to buy the next one. I follow the same authors over and over and can't wait for the next book to ocme out.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

One of the Best Storytellers of Our Time

I have been among many greatly anticipating the second book in the Clifton Chronicles and I am happy to report that it doesn't disappoint. I would say that The Sins of the Father is a faster moving and even more intriguing story then the first. The book jumps literally right as the first left off giving you answers to questions that we have been wondering about since the end of the first book. The Sins of the Father covers a lot of ground in terms of years, but once again ends with a nail biting cliffhanger that makes the wait for Book 3 even more difficult to bear.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A well done sequel...

Yet not enough to make me want the next installment. This is not to say this isn't a great read, it most certainly is.

The treachery of the villain is so complete it became tedious to listen too. And the continual, seemingly unending mountains and valleys of good and bad fortune and romance reminds me so much of Follet's Pillars of the Earth it seemed like I'd read it before.

Nevertheless the writing and narration are first rate. The characters are vivid and unforgettable.

Should you try this one? Absolutely. It's still a solid 4 star.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

As a Jeffrey Archer fan

What did you love best about The Sins of the Father?

This book was outstanding! It reviewed book 1 and caught those who had not read it up to date.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Emma is so in love with Harry and her perseverance to get to the truth is captivating.

Which character – as performed by Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox – was your favorite?

Both readers capture different voices as necessary for each character and they are excellent.

Any additional comments?

I can hardly wait for Mr. Archer to write the next book of the Clifton Chronicles.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good but not Archer's best

After reading three novels in a row by Charles Dickens I turned to Jeffrey Archer's second installment of the Clifton Chronicles. Therefore, my review may not do this book justice; after all, Dickens is in a galaxy of his own. "Sins..." is a good story that carries the reader along quickly through the trials and tribulations of Harry Clifton and Emma Barrington. However the story does not have the depth of the first book in this series which spreads across Europe and Russia.
Here is how book 2 differs from book 1, at least for me. When I finished "Only Time will Tell" I could not wait for the second in the series. I bought it as soon as it was available through Audible. Now when the third installment arrives, I will read the reviews, check it out so to speak and be more critical.
2 other points: (a) this book does not have an ending; it simply stops. In fact, if you read the "Sins of the Father" and not "Only Time will Tell", the story is much more difficult to follow, I assume. The author continually refers back to people and events in the first installment. (b) Whereas I believe the narrators do a good job telling the story, Emilia Fox does not do male characters very well. I like her female renditions and Jennings is fine for both sexes.
Now it is back to "The Old Curiosity Shop".

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

The series is wearing thin

Jeffrey Archer's style is wearing very thin. In past books, his plots were much more believable and less reliant on melodrama. These characters are completely non-believable. For example, Emma has to be the most accomplished woman in history. Rising from nothing, gaining her way in all sorts of situations through her incredibly strong personality, picking up waitressing in two weeks, making her way to the United States by obtaining a three week only job on a ship and then finding her non-husband who is the father of her child, blah, blah blah. Even writing this plot makes me nauseous. The fact that this is going to be an ongoing five part series borders on theft. This series is one step above comic book level.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful