“Be Careful What You Wish For” by Jeffrey Archer – A Game of Opportunities
And that's in big reason due to the fact that every time a new part gets published, the hiatus is so long in-between that we tend to forget a few things, and the impact of the stories is lessened.
However, I believe that this is only a minor hurdle to overcome, one that certainly won't prevent you from enjoying the story in Be Careful What You Wish For, the fourth part of the epic saga where Jeffrey Archer sees two rival families trying to outdo each other, this time focusing on the numerous trials and tribulations that the characters face in the Barrington Shipping Company.
Amongst the many events taking place in this book is the attempted murder of Harry and Emma Clifton's son, Sebastian (an event which took its toll as his best friend Bruno died), almost certainly the work of Don Pedro Martinez, a known nemesis of the Cliftons.
In addition to that, the chairman of the Barrington Shipping Company has recently stepped down from his post, leaving a vacant position for which Emma, being a descendant of the company's founder, is vouching for. However, the cunning Don Pedro has plans of his own, to put in place a puppet he can control and use to destroy the family from within.
Of course, it goes without saying that there are countless other subplots branching and branching onwards, such as the arrival of a surprise candidate on the Barrington Shipping Company board none have heard of before, and the impending wedding of Harry and Emma's adopted daughter to Clive Bingham, a student and peer of hers.
And so, where exactly do we begin a review of a book that is sprawling all over the place like this one? I suppose we will tackle that point in itself; there is a whole lot to keep track of.
As mentioned above, there are plenty of storylines for Archer to develop here, and as it happens each chapter is set to focus on specific characters of the family and certain events, constantly switching between plots which often have little tying them together.
In other words, you may need to strain yourself a tad just to remember who is who and what's happening at any given moment. I do suppose that I had more trouble than many will because even though I like these types of family sagas, I don't come close to loving them as much as other literary genres.
In any case, convolutedness of the whole ordeal aside, I found the stories to actually be quite entertaining in their own rights, offering some nice twists and turns, variety, as well as some welcome pace changes at certain moments. It helped to make for a more diversified reading experience, one where you are constantly kept on your toes due to the condensed nature of all that is taking place.
The sole actual major gripe I have with this book is how it's wrapped up. Jeffrey Archer certainly had every right to keep things open for the next installment in the series, but he was in no way obligated to end things on what feels like a cheap cliffhanger, one where very little closure is offered.
I believe that even endings that give way to sequels should provide some sense of closure, at least in regards to the main storylines... in my eyes, this made the book feel akin to the middle entry in a trilogy; ambiguous in its lack of beginning and end, just moving things along.
I do recommend it if you have taken to reading Archer's family saga... if not, well then I'd suggest you start at the beginning, or you'll feel way too lost in this one.
 | Jeffrey ArcherPersonal site Jeffrey Archer is not only the author of the Clifton Chronicles and a number of other novels, short stories and even autobiographical prison diaries, but he is also an active politician and even officially titled the Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare. |
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