This '91 story hardly seems to be "as the crow flies." Instead, it is a long capricious, classist and vindictive story over time. Hardly worth the effort from Mr. Archer. 3 of 10 stars

Week 31 Book 34
As The Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer
Rating: 5/5

Rereading another classic and as always, Jeffrey Archer doesn't disappoint.

This novel revolves around East Ender Charlie who grows up helping his grandfather sell fruits and vegetables off his barrow, and slowly and steadily rises in the retail business, to one day run the biggest retail mall in London.

Ofcourse his path to success is fraught with many obstacles, enemies, and sadness. But his determination makes sure he achieves his goals. Along with his wife, best friend, and honest and trustworthy colleagues, he builds a world class business.

Charlie Trumper is a go getter and my favourite character by Archer. Although this one is a long novel, about 750 pages, there's not a full moment. It's just as unputdownable today as it was 2 decades ago when I first read the book. Reading Archer is sheer joy! Highly recommended.

An engrossing period piece set in turn of the 20th century London. Great characters and an easy to follow story with enough plot twists to keep the reader turning pages.

A novel with a "rags to riches" theme that evolves over four generations and goes from the teaming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace in London, the span of only a few miles "as the crow flies", but legions in terms of society's class and wealth. Charlie Trumper is a young barrow boy from the slums of the East End who masters the craft of becoming the best fruit and vegetable boy by working at his grandfather's side. In the space of the novel he grows from being an eight year old urchin to a soldier in the first World War and then to Chairman of his own department store. He first meets Guy Trentham during the war, but Guy's family, and especially his mother Ethel haunt Guy for most of his life. Ethel is a rich snob and she is determined to see that Charlie and his wife Becky never get the happiness they worked hard for and deserve. Ethel's son Guy came to a bad end and Ethel blames Charlie for that. So she is determined that Charlie will pay.

Archer is a great story teller and this is a very enjoyable read.

Archer's novels are epic. Spanning decades, rich in detail, setting and character development. This was my first of his reads and I absolutely loved it.

This is a fascinating book about choices/consequences. It's also very interesting from a business perspective.


Note: mild language, one questionable scene with a barmaid (not critical to story)

What a fun read this was. I'd never read any Jeffrey Archer, and had the impression that he was just a mystery/thriller writer. Imagine my surprise, then, to become immersed in this atmospheric novel that begins in the early 20th century in the East End of London and ranges through the years (and the continents!) until 1970, with chapters that focus on the main characters, one by one. Charlie Trumper begins life assisting his grandfather on his fruit and vegetable barrow in the East End. As he grows up, he is faced with his grandfather's death, World War I, a dashing, handsome villain called Guy Trentham, and eventually a chain of events that flows from his brief unpleasant connection with Trentham at the Battle of the Marne. Charlie returns to London after the war, reconnects with Becky, his childhood friend and eventual partner, and begins to make his way in the world, eventually building up a retail empire in Chelsea, but old family secrets keep cropping up and putting roadblocks in his path. A rollicking good read!

Jeffrey Archer is a master raconteur, pure and simple, and he has turned that talent to tell the story of Charlie Trumper in "As The Crow Flies".

Charlie grew up in the East End of London working with his Grandpa, who was a trader on the Whitechapel Road market selling fruit and veg from his barrow. When Charlie's grandfather dies so begins Charlie's journey to own a store that sold everything under one roof - the "biggest barrow in the world"!

Spanning seven decades Archer takes the reader through Charlie's ups and downs, triumphs and disasters, from the battlefields of WW1 France to cities in America and Australia; from East End streets to elegant Chelsea Terrace. A story of love, ambition, heartbreak, and revenge.

"As The Crow Flies" is an easy book to read with Archer's writing style being free flowing and engaging. His characterisations make the reader cheer for the heroes and hiss at the villains. His twists and turns and story elements, that at times make you wonder where is he taking this tale, all make sense and come together beautifully by books end. While, I must admit, at one point I was thinking that this book was turning into a poor man's "Kane and Abel" Archer turned a corner to take the story in a completely different direction which made me wonder why I doubted his storytelling prowess in the first place.

While not his best book "As The Crow Flies" is far from his worst and gets 3.5 Whitechapel Road fruit and veg barrows out of five.

I love sagas. This book is the epitome of time and family saga. Beginning in early 20th century and going to the '60s, it follows the story of Charlie Trumper and his rise from a local street merchant to the owner of London's largest department store.

Told from multiple points of view, Archer does a great job of getting into the head and heart of the characters. He doesn't waste time with extraneous back story, but just enough to let us know what's going on.

He does start each character's story in first person to introduce them or that section of the story, then goes to third person. He does it well, but just be ready for the switch.

Great read!

4,5 ⭐

Samme som Lida!

I wasn't offered this book for twopence! Not even a penny or 'alf a penny! No, I got this one for about 300 rupees!

Charlie Trumper's earliest memory is of hearing his grandfather's sales patter (like the one written above) from behind a fruit and vegetable barrow

Classic rags to riches story of a chap from Whitechapel who makes his way into the snobbish upper classes of London while still retaining his cockney accent (Yeah, basically how Jason Statham talks when he's angry)

The story follows themes similar to Kane and Abel like revenge, betrayal, plottwists, long-held grudges, and nail-biting company board meetings, just a bit stretched in the middle but oh so worth it in the end!