Mondays Book Talk - Sons of Fortune

Written by MikeH 

Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer 

Sons of Fortune is the first novel from English author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, that I got the opportunity to read. This is a story about two brothers separated by fate and reunited by destiny. In late 1940s, Hartford, Connecticut a set of twins are separated at birth by the nurse of a millionaire couple, after their own child - born on the same day - dies in the hospital. The nurse secretly switches Peter for the dead Fletcher Davenport. Nat Cartwright goes home with his parents, a schoolteacher and an insurance salesman, while his twin brother is to begin his days as Fletcher Andrew Davenport, son of a wealthy CEO and his society wife.

Nathaniel Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport are raised in different worlds, and have both thrived among the best and brightest of their generation. In an era of violent change, free love, and blind ambition, Nat goes off to war, while Fletcher enters political combat. With each choice they make — in love and career, through tragedy and triumph — their lives mirror one another until a high-profile murder case brings them together and a high-stakes political battle turns them into rivals. A decades-old secret is exposed and two powerful men must confront their bonds of fortune.

Personally, Sons of Fortune is a good thriller where the author plays with strong personal interests; politics and law. The book was written in 2002 whilst Archer was serving a prison sentence for perjury, and according to some critics, this effort fell short of his usual standard. Despite the numerous negative critics received, I found this story very pleasant and easy to read. The beginning is somehow slow as it contains numerous dialogues which the reader can get lost. Archer often teases the reader with the potential to reveal, only to make the actual revelation some time later - almost as part of normal conversation like we should have known all along. 

The ending, although perfectly implausible, is entertaining for this type of story. Jeffrey Archer has a skill of putting everything into place in an excellent way. Read the ending carefully twice or thrice to get it right. At first you might think something else but if you read it again carefully, you will attain the right answer. I hope you all enjoy reading this book as much as I did. 

Image: Supplied by Author