Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles) (The Clifton Chronicles, 1)

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I didn’t realize Mum had other plans for my future, which didn’t include joining Uncle Stan in the shipyard.

I was pleased to have fallen at the first hurdle. But as I was to discover, Miss Eleanor E. Monday didn't give up easily. The choir mistress turned a blind eye to the fact that I placed theft ahead of murder, couldn't spell "adultery," and certainly didn't know what it meant. Only after two other miscreants were summarily dismissed for lesser offenses did I realize just how exceptional my voice must be.Only Time Will Tell covers the years from 1920 to 1940, and includes a cast of memorable characters that The Times has compared to The Forsyte Saga. Volume one takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford, or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany. The countdown is the thing; the pace, the pursuit, the what-next, the how-is-it-going-to-come-out…” — Boston Globe on SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT?

Does the fact that the book ends with a cliff-hanger make you eager for the next installment in the series? Or do you wish this book's ending had offered more closure...a gentler "angel of repose"? adding Harry Clifton to my list of worst protagonist* I would have given it a 2 star if the characters were any good , but no no , Mr. Archer was determined to bore us with these stupid and boring characters going to lengths to prove their worth or whatever ! I live for drama but if the characters do anything stupid and bore me with their mindless conversation I have no other choice than to mentally kill themThe epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, ‘I was told my father was killed in the war.’ Harry Clifton, stupid. He’s on a school trip to Rome and I promised to get away and spend the day with him.’ He didn’t need to spell out that Papa wouldn’t have approved. ‘All you have to do,’ he continued, ‘is ask Mama if she could take you to Rome for the day.’ The first in the series, Only Time Will Tell takes a cast of memorable characters from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take his place at Oxford, or join the fight against Hitler’s Germany.

The family were all staying at our villa in Tuscany that summer when Giles took me to one side and said he needed to ask my advice. He only ever did that when he wanted something. But this time it turned out to be something I wanted just as much as he did.

About Jeffrey Archer:

I have to admit that I was not looking for a long series of books about these characters and presumably their descendents. I would have preferred to simply have the questions posed throughout the book answered and be on my way to another book. In fact, I would sort of like it if someone just answered my questions so I wouldn’t have to read the next book(s). The direction the story took right at the end was not as intriguing to me as everything that came before and I can’t say that I’m all that interested in plowing through the trials and tribulations introduced in the last 25 to get the answers to the questions posed in the first 25. Only Time Will Tell was a relatively fast read and I did like quite a few of the characters very much, but not quite enough for another (or 4 more) books about them. He achieved this after three years of training offered by Brasenose College, Oxford. However, this academic feat was not without claims that he was actually never registered as an undergraduate student in this College. Despite such claims, he thrived in the field of athletics competing for his school and later on for England as well as Great Britain. Mr Archer’s life was not short of controversies and much speculation. During his time at Brasenose College, he received much criticism on his financial state of affairs.