Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer

Archer creates another work of pure genious when forming this fantastic story. Set in Pre-WWI Europe and England and spanning almost 7 decades, it follows the story of two young men from birth, to death. One, the bastard son of a baron born in war-torn Poland, raised by a trapper's family, and the other, the son of a banker, born to one of the wealthiest families in the country. William Kane and Abel Rosnoviski are brought together by fate in this historically accurate and thoroughly engaging novel, to make, and to break one another. Archer's use of historical event is not merely a hurdle in around which he has to plot his story; his incorporation ...  Read the complete review

I purchased this book about a month ago, it being my first Jeffery Archer book and I can honestly recommend it. The book begins by setting out the lives of the two characters, William Kane and Abel Rosnovski, comparing Kanes life in Boston with Abels in Poland. Abel lives in a tiny cottage, rescued from beside the body of his dead mother by a peasant family, while Kane comes from a upper class, wealthy family. As the book progresses, you come to realise that both men have their issues, both losing family members and struggling to make their way in life due to huge political problems. The book is set from the start of World War 2, with each character struggling ...  Read the complete review

I can honestly say this was an excellent book. The book tells the story of two men from very different backgrounds. It begins as two seperate stories, but then the lives of the two men meet. This is where it get even more intersesting. They are both businessmen, although their characters differ greatly. i don't want to say anymore as i may spoil it. I recommend you read it for yourself. The story is so very clever, with many twists which are totally unexpected. This book made me laugh and cry. Archer has done an excellent job of tricking you into thinking one thing, when the opposite was the outcome. I had never read any Archer before I read this book, but I would ...  Read the complete review

This master piece tells the differing stories of two boys born into two very different backgrounds. One is the son of a wealthy family the other the son of a poor trapper. They will both rise to great power and become rivals but will be joined by the strength of love. Jeffery Archer has put a lot of research into creating this novel which begins in a pre world war world and then spans seventy years of changing values and ideals. Archer treats the world war period with the harshness that we know existed in those times. The book is engrossing and will keep you turning the pages as each mans story unfolds. Archer gets across to the reader that it does not ...  Read the complete review

I must say, I'm not a huge fan of Jeffrey archer as a person, but as a writer you can not fault him. This book is quick paced, thrilling, with turns at points you would not expect, and keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very end of the novel. The book is about the lives of 2 men born on the same day in 1906. One boy named William Kane grew into a privileged family in America, where as the other boy named Abel Rosnovski is orphaned in Poland, after an unwed woman dies giving birth to him in the woods. The boys lives run parallel in the novel, we follow Abel when he rescued by a huntmas in the forest, and brought back to a large peasant ...  Read the complete review