As the Crow Flies

Jeffrey Archer

Summary:

Charlie Trumper’s earliest memory is of hearing his grandfather’s sales patter from behind his costermonger’s barrow, and when Grandpa Charlie dies, young Charlie wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps-his burning ambition to own a shop that will sell everything: ‘The Biggest Barrow in the World’.

Charlie’s progress from the teeming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace is only a few miles as the crow flies.

But in Jeffrey Archer’s expert hands it becomes an epic journey through the triumphs and disasters of the century as Charlie follows a thread of love, ambition and revenge to fulfill the dream his grandfather inspired.

Plot:

This is a wonderful story of one man’s extraordinary journey to follow and achieve his dreams. It has many twists, turns, sad parts as well as humorous moments that make up Charlie’s life. Archer manages to capture the characters entire existence in one book without leaving too much out, yet not overdoing it. It keeps you guessing, and has a great ending.

Characters:

Archer uses a different tactic in this novel, creating memorable characters and making them more than just part of their story. Also we get to see things from most of the main character’s perspectives as well as a 3rd-person narrator. This is a very interesting technique that gives the reader great insight into the story as well as the characters.

Who should read this:

(13+) there are some sexual content and violence, but nothing extreme. This is a pretty long novel, but it’s not hard to read, although some people may find the size of the book a little daunting. If you enjoyed books like ‘Great Expectations’, that is also about a man’s life, but want something a little easier to read, you might like this one. It does get a little complicated at times, Archer isn’t known for simplicity, but it’s never overly hard to understand.

My rating:

This is probably my favourite Archer novel, perhaps because it was the first I read, or the interesting narratives from the different characters, or just the intriguing storyline...I don’t know. 5/5

Quote:

When Grandpa asked me what I wanted for my fifteenth birthday I replied without a moment’s hesitation, “My own barrow,” and added that I’d nearly saved enough to get one.