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ecdereus's review against another edition
4.0
Zo'n beetje de eerste helft van dit boek is een herhaling van de jaren 1934-1968 uit het boek Kane en Abel, maar dan toegespitst op het leven van Florentyna, de dochter van Abel en Zaphia Rosnovski. Uitgebreid wordt verhaald hoe haar prille jeugd verliep en hoe vanaf haar 4e jaar gedurende haar kleuter-, school- en studententijd haar karakter sterk werd gevormd onder leiding en invloed van haar Engelse gouvernante Miss Winnifred Tredgold. Doordat deze periode nu voornamelijk uit het gezichtspunt van Florentyna wordt beschreven, blijft het toch interessant.
De tweede helft van het boek speelt van 1968 tot 1995, wanneer Florentyna, ondertussen getrouwd met Richard Kane, politieke aspiraties ontwikkelt waardoor ze voor de staat Illinois als afgevaardigde voor de Democraten in het Congres wordt verkozen, een aantal jaren later wordt gekozen als senator, bij de presidentsverkiezingen in 1992 wordt benoemd tot vice-president en het uiteindelijk zelfs tot president van de Verenigde Staten brengt. De lange en moeizame weg daarheen wordt boeiend beschreven, waarbij moet worden aangetekend dat Archer dit boek in 1982 schreef en dat een deel van het verhaal dus in de toekomst lag. Het was bijvoorbeeld wel grappig te lezen dat Florentyna in haar functie van vice-president als vertegenwoordiger van de Amerikaanse regering aanwezig was bij de kroning van Charles III in Westminster Abbey nadat koningin Elizabeth in 1994 afstand van de troon had gedaan.
De tweede helft van het boek speelt van 1968 tot 1995, wanneer Florentyna, ondertussen getrouwd met Richard Kane, politieke aspiraties ontwikkelt waardoor ze voor de staat Illinois als afgevaardigde voor de Democraten in het Congres wordt verkozen, een aantal jaren later wordt gekozen als senator, bij de presidentsverkiezingen in 1992 wordt benoemd tot vice-president en het uiteindelijk zelfs tot president van de Verenigde Staten brengt. De lange en moeizame weg daarheen wordt boeiend beschreven, waarbij moet worden aangetekend dat Archer dit boek in 1982 schreef en dat een deel van het verhaal dus in de toekomst lag. Het was bijvoorbeeld wel grappig te lezen dat Florentyna in haar functie van vice-president als vertegenwoordiger van de Amerikaanse regering aanwezig was bij de kroning van Charles III in Westminster Abbey nadat koningin Elizabeth in 1994 afstand van de troon had gedaan.
mmaclaren13's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
wickedmitch's review against another edition
4.0
Overall this book does a solid job telling its story about the life of the first female president of the US before she got to that position. It does skew a bit politically however.
alicetagg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
siwdina's review against another edition
2.0
It was off to a promising start, but in the last 150 pages, it became unbearably dull.
martafleite's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alestotle's review against another edition
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
This started off as a 4 star read for me, and yet I decided to leave it unfinished because I lost all interest and knew if I forced myself I would get into a slump.
From most of the reviews I've read, I can tell that for many people the fact that many scenes within Kane & Abel were repeated here was an issue. I'm sure not including those moments could definitely cut down the size of the book and if I were reading them back to back it would get frustrating but I was actually glad for it since it had been so long since I read the first instalment. My issue with the novel instead came from around the midway point.
I love Jeffrey Archer's writing style and Florentyna was such a fun character to follow despite having a much more cushiony life than Abel did in the previous novel. This book didn't have to be about the immigrant struggle and it knew that. Where it went wrong is that it never then decided what it actually wanted to be about. To me it was very obvious that since the last book ended with their children meeting, that the main source of tension for this book should be in overcoming the rivalry between Kane and Abel through this intense and difficult romantic relationship a la 'Romeo and Juliette' (as well as following the other aspects of their lives of course). That's what drew me to the sequel in the first place. Instead we don't see the Kanes until about 150 pages into the story and when we finally do, they meet, find out that they're fathers are deadly rivals, and then marry all within like 10 pages. I was shocked. Why does Florentyna's education get more "screentime" then the driving force of this novel? Within about 30 pages both of the patriarchs have died and all of the big reveals were just quickly written in with no thought to building tension or satisfactory reveals. It was honestly really disappointing and made me lose all interest in anything else that could happen next. Let me guess, they earn more money and become more influential. Good for them I guess.
Another extremely frustrating aspect was the perspective change as soon as Kane is introduced. Again, Archer should have been decisive from the get go on how he wanted to approach the voice of the novel. If you want Richard to have his perspective, then bring it to us from the beginning. Show us a parallel of Florentyna and Richards' upbringing side-by-side. Let us get attached to both characters and used to both of their point's of view. It was a huge mistake in my opinion to make the entire first part of the novel be about solely Florentyna and her journey, making us as the audience watch her grow, just to push her to the side for the most important part of the novel. Now we're following the perspective of a grown man who we have absolutely no attachment to and have to hear from him how Abel responded to Florentyna when hearing the news of their engagement! It felt like a robbery. 200 pages in I don't know Richard, I don't care about how his family reacts, and I don't care about how he feels about the whole situation. Give me back Florentyna's point of view. And stop calling her Jessie.
It all went too fast, suddenly both Abel and William were dead and there's still another 250 pages to go. I would be interested to see what came of Florentyna but its not even about her anymore, she has been completely sidelined, so I don't see the point. And then I got to the part where someone attempts to seduce Richard and sleep with him and though he doesn't he kind of considers it still and that there was my breaking point like why do I have to push through this?
Its a true shame cause I couldn't put the book down in the beginning half and with about 70 pages my opinion on it completed flipped. What a shame.
From most of the reviews I've read, I can tell that for many people the fact that many scenes within Kane & Abel were repeated here was an issue. I'm sure not including those moments could definitely cut down the size of the book and if I were reading them back to back it would get frustrating but I was actually glad for it since it had been so long since I read the first instalment. My issue with the novel instead came from around the midway point.
I love Jeffrey Archer's writing style and Florentyna was such a fun character to follow despite having a much more cushiony life than Abel did in the previous novel. This book didn't have to be about the immigrant struggle and it knew that. Where it went wrong is that it never then decided what it actually wanted to be about. To me it was very obvious that since the last book ended with their children meeting, that the main source of tension for this book should be in overcoming the rivalry between Kane and Abel through this intense and difficult romantic relationship a la 'Romeo and Juliette' (as well as following the other aspects of their lives of course). That's what drew me to the sequel in the first place. Instead we don't see the Kanes until about 150 pages into the story and when we finally do, they meet, find out that they're fathers are deadly rivals, and then marry all within like 10 pages. I was shocked. Why does Florentyna's education get more "screentime" then the driving force of this novel? Within about 30 pages both of the patriarchs have died and all of the big reveals were just quickly written in with no thought to building tension or satisfactory reveals. It was honestly really disappointing and made me lose all interest in anything else that could happen next. Let me guess, they earn more money and become more influential. Good for them I guess.
Another extremely frustrating aspect was the perspective change as soon as Kane is introduced. Again, Archer should have been decisive from the get go on how he wanted to approach the voice of the novel. If you want Richard to have his perspective, then bring it to us from the beginning. Show us a parallel of Florentyna and Richards' upbringing side-by-side. Let us get attached to both characters and used to both of their point's of view. It was a huge mistake in my opinion to make the entire first part of the novel be about solely Florentyna and her journey, making us as the audience watch her grow, just to push her to the side for the most important part of the novel. Now we're following the perspective of a grown man who we have absolutely no attachment to and have to hear from him how Abel responded to Florentyna when hearing the news of their engagement! It felt like a robbery. 200 pages in I don't know Richard, I don't care about how his family reacts, and I don't care about how he feels about the whole situation. Give me back Florentyna's point of view. And stop calling her Jessie.
It all went too fast, suddenly both Abel and William were dead and there's still another 250 pages to go. I would be interested to see what came of Florentyna but its not even about her anymore, she has been completely sidelined, so I don't see the point. And then I got to the part where someone attempts to seduce Richard and sleep with him and though he doesn't he kind of considers it still and that there was my breaking point like why do I have to push through this?
Its a true shame cause I couldn't put the book down in the beginning half and with about 70 pages my opinion on it completed flipped. What a shame.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I read Kane and Abel a few months ago, after years of debating if I wanted to read Archer. I finally did (more than a decade after seeing it on the BBC Big Read Top 100), and loved it. I soon after discovered there was a sequel, concentrating on a protagonist's daughter and her rise to power.
I've enjoyed reading this too, though it's not quite as powerful in its use of modern history to tell the story, and though I love the characters and story, I don't really like Archer's style very much. That didn't stop me reading, or awarding 4 stars.
The first half however, is almost a recap of Kane and Abel (sometimes whole scenes and dialogue feel incredibly familiar), but from the perspective of Florentyna and her childhood/young adulthood to the death of her father (no spoiler here - this is from Kane and Abel!). Her flaws and failings of childhood give way to the better sense and ambition of adolescence and adulthood, her wonderful governess doling out lifelong advice, her meeting with her future husband Richard and elopement.
I was glad to get through this to new material (some of the first half didn't seem relevant to Florentyna's story at all), though I did like the new perspective on Kane and Abel from their children's eyes, and also the sight of a 40s-50s upbringing.
Florentyna, through work (and a little luck) then ploughs her own path as a businesswoman, mother, and finally politician. Of course, without her father's (and father-in-law's) empire, she would have failed at bankrolling it all, but never mind. She's a self-made woman... sort of.
I very much enjoyed the insight into American politics, the voting system, Houses of Representatives, and the life of an American politician. The moments where Florentyna stalls, as her path becomes blocked, it's only luck that seems to be on her side, and this I thought a little too convenient, especially as it happens more than once.
I genuinely didn't see a very sad part coming, and as the years rolled by the deaths mounted up, though Archer wasn't very talented at showing the time passing, no real dates written into the story, but lots of exposition and description. At times it feels like a whistle-stop tour of a life, with occasional stops at key moments for a scene of dialogue before back on the time-train to whizz through to the next segment. It meant a life of 60 years was covered in 480 pages, but it did also mean it's heavy on the reporting of the story rather than the reader getting to see the characters talking and enacting their lives. It worked, but I'm not convinced it couldn't have been told differently. But who I am to judge? I'm not a published author.
It ends at the right point though, but I did want to know what happened to Florentyna's daughter, earlier a little 'wayward', never really followed through with as an adult. We know about the son, the friends, but not Annabel. A final nod to her father would also have been fitting, but surprisingly that didn't happen.
So a 4 star read from me, not 5. Loved continuing with the characters and seeing American politics (not too in-depth) from the inside.
I've enjoyed reading this too, though it's not quite as powerful in its use of modern history to tell the story, and though I love the characters and story, I don't really like Archer's style very much. That didn't stop me reading, or awarding 4 stars.
The first half however, is almost a recap of Kane and Abel (sometimes whole scenes and dialogue feel incredibly familiar), but from the perspective of Florentyna and her childhood/young adulthood to the death of her father (no spoiler here - this is from Kane and Abel!). Her flaws and failings of childhood give way to the better sense and ambition of adolescence and adulthood, her wonderful governess doling out lifelong advice, her meeting with her future husband Richard and elopement.
I was glad to get through this to new material (some of the first half didn't seem relevant to Florentyna's story at all), though I did like the new perspective on Kane and Abel from their children's eyes, and also the sight of a 40s-50s upbringing.
Florentyna, through work (and a little luck) then ploughs her own path as a businesswoman, mother, and finally politician. Of course, without her father's (and father-in-law's) empire, she would have failed at bankrolling it all, but never mind. She's a self-made woman... sort of.
I very much enjoyed the insight into American politics, the voting system, Houses of Representatives, and the life of an American politician. The moments where Florentyna stalls, as her path becomes blocked, it's only luck that seems to be on her side, and this I thought a little too convenient, especially as it happens more than once.
I genuinely didn't see a very sad part coming, and as the years rolled by the deaths mounted up, though Archer wasn't very talented at showing the time passing, no real dates written into the story, but lots of exposition and description. At times it feels like a whistle-stop tour of a life, with occasional stops at key moments for a scene of dialogue before back on the time-train to whizz through to the next segment. It meant a life of 60 years was covered in 480 pages, but it did also mean it's heavy on the reporting of the story rather than the reader getting to see the characters talking and enacting their lives. It worked, but I'm not convinced it couldn't have been told differently. But who I am to judge? I'm not a published author.
It ends at the right point though, but I did want to know what happened to Florentyna's daughter, earlier a little 'wayward', never really followed through with as an adult. We know about the son, the friends, but not Annabel. A final nod to her father would also have been fitting, but surprisingly that didn't happen.
So a 4 star read from me, not 5. Loved continuing with the characters and seeing American politics (not too in-depth) from the inside.