Skip to main content

A Prisoner of Birth

A Prisoner of Birth is the latest belted out by Jeffrey Archer. After reading books like Not a penny more Not a penny less and Kane and Abel,(Actually I've read all his books) this book disappointed me a little because it looked like it was the modern Count of Monte Cristo(Alexandre Dumas). Archer has himself stated that A Prisoner of Birth has been inspired from The Count of Monte Cristo, but since I had enjoyed the latter, I also liked the former, albeit in a somewhat different manner.
The story starts with that of a happy young man Danny Cartwright,who is getting engaged to his long-time lover Beth and also becomes the head of the garage in which he works, and which is owned by his betrothed's father. To celebrate the occasion, the trio comprising of the young couple and Beth's brother Bernie, also Danny's best friend go to a pub. But things go awry and they get engaged in a brawl with four other men in the same bar, who call themselves The Musketeers. In the process, one of the Musketeers kills Bernie and in an attempt to save him, Danny gets injured and covered in blood. The only witness to what truly happened is only Beth, whose alimony doesn't count in the court and the barman, who is paid to keep his mouth shut. As a result, Danny is sent to prison for 22 yrs.

His cellmates are Nicholas Morceiff and Big Al, and the story goes on about how he spends his time in jail, Beth's visits, a failed reappeal, his growing friendship with Nick and how he learns all that Nick has to teach him, for instance to read and write and how to conduct himself. Just a few days before Nick's release, he gets killed by another prisonmate, who kills him mistakenly as Danny Cartwright due to their close resemblance. So Danny replaces Nick and gets out of prison, and first sorts out Nick's family problems as his uncle tries to take over the property and estate left to him by his grandfather. Also the way he avenges the injustice rendered to him by the Musketeers with the help of his lawyer Alex forms the further narration of the book.

The book is definitely well written and if this is the modern Count of Monte Cristo, I'm certain there can't have been a better one. So I'd recommend reading it atleast once, on a free evening with a cuppa tea/coffee in one hand and the book in other, not that I read it that way :-)
Labels:

Comments

Mel said…
Hey Arjun, thanks for dropping by at my blog. You're blog is awesome, so nice to find a place with grate books reviews. I will come back more often. Meanwhile, feel free to check my other blog as well: http://mel-brazil.blogspot.com

Take care.
Mel
September 29, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Vedang said…
personally, i like the count of monte cristo better! :D jeffrey archer doesn't write great stories, but he has a knack for writing them in a very easy-to-get, engaging way.
His best, I feel, were Not a Penny More, and Kane & Abel
September 29, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Akansha Agrawal said…
@vedang
Yeah it had a certain feel to it, and being a fan of everything French(the old culture),I did enjoy it immensely.
October 1, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Post a Comment

Also read

Does India need communal parties?

I think, it was Tan's post on this blog itself, Republic Day Event, where this question was raised. My answer. YES. we need communal parties even in Independent, Secular India. Now let me take you, back to events before 1947. When India was a colony of the British Empire. The congress party, in its attempt to gain momentum for the independence movement, heavily used Hinduism, an example of which is the famous Ganesh Utsav held in Mumbai every year. Who complains? No one. But at that time, due to various policies of the congress, Muslims started feeling alienated. Jinnah, in these times, got stubborn over the need of Pakistan and he did find a lot of supporters. Congress, up till late 1940's never got bothered by it. And why should we? Who complains? No one. But there were repercussions. The way people were butchered and slaughtered during that brief time when India got partitioned, was even worse than a civil war scenario. All in the name of religion. And there indeed was cr...
40 comments
Read more

Adopt what is right.....

I see that many people of my age group adopt certain western cultures. School students and college goers are often seen buying friendship bands and valentine cards. I feel its not right. You may think I am traditional and don't keep up to date views. But if you think a little maturely you will find out its not modern to wear friendship bands. Its rather pure pride. Now as I am talking about western culture I should tell you that I'm not against it in fact I find some of the western values very much followable like dignity of work, civic sense, accountability etc. We have to maturely decide what to adopt from the westerners and what not to adopt. Why should we go after them when we have a culture of such great versatility? -Priya Joyce
21 comments
Read more

7 Wild healing practices That Healed Me More Than Coaching Ever Did: What If Getting Better Means Getting a Little Wild?

What if healing does not always begin with another question, another worksheet or another carefully worded goal? Wild healing practices invite emotion into the body through movement, sensation, sound, memory and ritual. This first-person journey explores seven unconventional practices that helped me notice what conversation alone could not, while keeping therapy, safety and genuine trauma care firmly in view. Have you ever spent so much time trying to improve yourself that you began to suspect that self-improvement had quietly become another job? I know the feeling. There was a period in my life when I could discuss my emotional patterns with impressive confidence, identify my triggers before breakfast and explain the origin of almost every uncomfortable reaction with the solemn satisfaction of a man who had finally discovered the instruction manual for himself. I was learning, reflecting, journalling, setting intentions and having sensible conversations about growth. On paper, I was d...
Post a Comment
Read more