Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles series Book 1)

Product Information

The next time I saw Harry Clifton was at the Advent carol service at St Mary Redcliffe. He sang O Little Town of Bethlehem, and my best friend, Jessica Braithwaite, accused me of swooning as if he was the new Bing Crosby. I didn’t bother to deny it. I saw him chatting to Giles after the service and I would have liked to congratulate him, but Papa seemed to be in a hurry to get home. As we left, I saw his nanny giving him a huge hug.

What's the significance of the novel's title, "Only Time Will Tell"? How does it apply to events in the story? I have to admit that I was not looking for a long series of books about these characters and presumably their descendents. I would have preferred to simply have the questions posed throughout the book answered and be on my way to another book. In fact, I would sort of like it if someone just answered my questions so I wouldn’t have to read the next book(s). The direction the story took right at the end was not as intriguing to me as everything that came before and I can’t say that I’m all that interested in plowing through the trials and tribulations introduced in the last 25 to get the answers to the questions posed in the first 25. Only Time Will Tell was a relatively fast read and I did like quite a few of the characters very much, but not quite enough for another (or 4 more) books about them. I’m a history nerd, and love to read things that truly incorporate a particular time period into a story. Jeffrey Archer has managed to seamlessly intertwines the years and going-ons of Great Britain and the world together in his newest tale. Even if it is a little mention of a newscast, a new book or movie, the reader can definitely tell that he did his research. A fun thought experiment: what do you think of Harry's essay on Jane Austen, which purports that...His first novel was written when he was thirty four years of age. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was first published in the US and later in Britain by Deborah Owen, a literary agent. This book turned to be the silver lining in the cloud when at the brink of bankruptcy, Jeffrey Archer was able to make quite a fortune from sales. Between the early 80s and 90s this novel went on to be made into both TV and radio adaptations which were aired in BBC television and Radio 4 respectively. I was pleased to have fallen at the first hurdle. But as I was to discover, Miss Eleanor E. Monday didn't give up easily. Yeah so moving on , I feel cheated after I read this critically acclaimed book by Jeffrey Archer ( which not to forget is his best book ) and I happen to not like it , and I am wondering did I read the same book as everyone ?

I also really liked the setting. I loved the juxtaposition through Harry's relatively calm, no frills life with his mother and the lives of Harry's newfound friends at his new school. They are so different from each other but are still able to find common ground and really solidify their friendship. There are also some secret connections throughout the book that I'll go into more detail on below. She opened a hymn book, handed it to me and sat down at the piano. I smiled at the thought that I might still be able to make the second half of our Sunday morning football game. She began to play a familiar tune, and when I saw my mother glaring at me from the front row of pews, I decided I'd better go through with it, just to keep her happy. Deep things to think about, deep character portrayal, lots of historical details are not what you will find served in this book. Action and finding out what is going to happen, that is what you read the book for.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Only Time will Tell is the first part of the seven volume Clifton Chronicles series. It is a lengthy,sprawling saga which is a fairly mixed bag. Whenever I questioned my mother about his death, she didn't say any more than that he'd served with the Royal Gloucestershire Regiment and had been killed fighting on the Western Front only days before the Armistice was signed. Grandma said my dad had been a brave man, and once when we were alone in the house she showed me his medals. My grandpa rarely offered an opinion on anything, but then he was deaf as a post so he might not have heard the question in the first place. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, ‘I was told my father was killed in the war.’ The life and times of Mr Archer form a story of their own. Born in the great country of England, he rose to become not only an honorable British citizen but also a politician. His political responsibilities saw him resign after a scandal but later on return to politics. The second time round, the intrigues of politics saw him land an imprisonment term which unceremoniously ended his political career. Through all these, the author that was in him came to life and all through, he continues to thrill his readers and expand his fan-base. Born on the 15th of April 1940 in a London Hospital,he was officially named Jeffrey Howard Archer.