Only Time Will Tell (PAPERBACK) details from infibeam

Only Time Will Tell
Jeffrey Archer
The first novel in the Clifton Chronicles, an ambitious new series that tells the story of a family across generations and oceans, from heartbreak to triumph, from #1" New York Times" bestselling author Jeffrey Archer
The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father and expects to continue on at the shipyard, until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again...
As Harry enters into adulthood, he finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: Was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? From the ravages of the Great War and the docks of working-class England to the streets of 1940 New York City and the outbreak of the Second World War, this is a powerful journey that will bring to life one hundred years of history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Since Not a penny more..not a penny less(1976) Jeffery Archer has thrilled us with some greatest stories mainly based on England and USA. Only Time will Tell is no doubt the continuation of the saga of his masterful writing. Its the 1st part of the Clifton chronicles. The total file span of the protagonist Harry Clifton is almost 100 years. There are 5 books in this chronicles. Only Time Will Tell is the story of Harry Clifton from 1919 to 1939. Harry Clifton is introduced to us here in the backstreets of Bristol with his mother, grandma and uncle Stan. He was told that his father died in war. But a slight hint of suspicion always remains in his mind. Later he actually came to know the horrible truth about his father. His firm voice can be heard every where in the book from the dockyard of Bristol to New York Harbour. Then there is Maisie Clifton, Henry's mother the extremely hard working woman but with some secrets from her early life. Old Jack Tarr who lives in a railway carriage but no one knows at first who he actually is. Sir Walter Barrington the head of Barrington family and a good family man. Hugo Barrington,son of Sir Walter.As by Old Jack Tarr as "A man not cut out of the same cloth as his father." Deakins, Harry's friend throughout school life. Giles Barrington, Harry's best friend and Hugo's son. Emma Barrington, Giles' sister and the love of Harry. All the characters are very descriptively written and follows an internal link which you can fell while reading. Once you start reading the book its hard to keep it down. It has all the twists and turns that makes you hooked in it till the end. The inter communication and the dialogues between the characters bears the trademark style of Jeffery Archer. This book ends in a very interesting situation at New York harbour which creates the perfect platform to start the part2....One can remember KANE AND ABEL only with awe. A tale which Archer told so captivating! Archer has used the same formula here. He blends his work with history. You will be interested as you encounter a Winston Churchil who there to award the protagonist Harry Clifton. You can find remarks about Dickens and Thomas Hardy. That all are nice. But coming to the story Archer sticks on to his KANE AND ABEL style. He sticks on to the same route. the birth of the protagonist, his fight for survival and all. There is incest in this work. I am not going into the details which will result in spoilers. Anyhow, it is immensely readable. But what kept me give 2 stars is because Archer used the same formula. He should had taken a different route to tell this tale with sequels to follow.