Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Renaissance Press (2004), Edition: Abridged
Description
Growing up in the slums of East End London, Charlie Trumper dreams of someday running his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow. That day comes suddenly when his grandfather dies leaving him the floundering business. With the help of Becky Salmon, an enterprising young woman, Charlie sets out to make a name for himself as "The Honest Trader." But the brutal onset of World War I takes Charlie far from home and into the path of a dangerous enemy whose legacy of evil follows Charlie and his family for generations. Encompassing three continents and spanning over sixty years, "As the Crow Flies" brings to life a magnificent tale of one man's rise from rags to riches set against the backdrop of a changing century.
User reviews
LibraryThing member corgidog2
Readable. English barrow boy to department store magnet. 900+ pages.
LibraryThing member roninc30
When Charlie Trumper inherits his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow, he inherits as well his enterprising spirit, which gives Charlie the drive to lift himself out of the proverty of Whitechapel, in London's East End. Success, however, does not come easiy or quickly, particularly when WWI
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sends Charlie into combat and into an ongoing struggle with a vengeful enemy who will not rest until Charlie is destroyed. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsHillReads
Jeffrey Archer is on our CP English booklist. I love most of his books...they remind me of Tom Clancy.
LibraryThing member missmath144
CD book, read by Simon Prebble and Barbara Rosenblat (she does the Mamur Zapt stuff). Charlie Trumper is a fruit and vegetable man who rises to a better neighborhood, huge department store, and becomes a lord. It started out promising, but in the end it was just romantic drivel. I only listened to
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it because Simon Prebble was one of the readers, and I'll listen to pretty much anything he reads. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaipakartik
The novel spans a lot of time and a lot of space as well. Its one of those saga type novels but it never feels right. There is no sense of urgency. Will be right up your alley if you like soaps and sob stories though
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
This is a rags-to-riches tale of East End barrow-boys, supermarkets, boardroom politics, war and vegetables. If anyone had told me in advance I would really like it I would have laughed, but looking back I know I was gripped by it. It is full of twists and turns, cliffhangers and things that seem
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to mean one thing and actually mean another. Show Less
LibraryThing member djlewis
An amazing journey from rags to riches showing that working hard and having a focused dream pays off. Archer carefully crafts each character and each event in a way that keeps his readers attention.
LibraryThing member Bennyjon
Again I read one more great story from JA. My favorite story teller. I wonder how can the author make so many twists in one story and finally brought to a good end.
LibraryThing member janismack
Story of Charlie Trumper who opened a large department store in England in the 20's and 30's. The story moves quickly along but so many personal details and emothion were missing, you felt you didn't really know the characters.
LibraryThing member Jiraiya
Jeffrey Archer has proven himself many times. As The Crow Flies proves that he hit the ground running and was already a very good storyteller while young. He knows that even if he repeats himself, as long as there are enough new twists to the plot of any of his book, he'll be forgiven, and his
I was thoroughly entertained reading this book which has a few lulls, but which forced me to have stakes in the story at a time when I felt temporarily indifferent. After all why should I care if a millionaire (even self made) is risking his benefits and at worst, would be a bit poorer. No skin off MY nose! Well the author had other thoughts. He made me care.
I no longer think Kane And Abel is this writer's best book. That praise went to Be Careful What You Wish For...now...I'm no longer sure. This book, which I've just read, is one of the strongest 5 star books I've ever rated. The plot points, fleshed out through the way characters behave, present themselves and motivate themselves, generate inexhaustible supply of surprises. Everything is perfectly clear in the book. As The Crow Flies defies any gross accusation that can be thrown at it. It deserved to be read. It's pure entertainment, of the type that can only be offered by books and their makers.
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works, enjoyed.I was thoroughly entertained reading this book which has a few lulls, but which forced me to have stakes in the story at a time when I felt temporarily indifferent. After all why should I care if a millionaire (even self made) is risking his benefits and at worst, would be a bit poorer. No skin off MY nose! Well the author had other thoughts. He made me care.
I no longer think Kane And Abel is this writer's best book. That praise went to Be Careful What You Wish For...now...I'm no longer sure. This book, which I've just read, is one of the strongest 5 star books I've ever rated. The plot points, fleshed out through the way characters behave, present themselves and motivate themselves, generate inexhaustible supply of surprises. Everything is perfectly clear in the book. As The Crow Flies defies any gross accusation that can be thrown at it. It deserved to be read. It's pure entertainment, of the type that can only be offered by books and their makers.
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LibraryThing member Tony2704
Brilliant . First novel i've read by Archer but wont be the last. So many twists to keep the story line interesting and an unexpected ending. As much as i don't like Archer you have to say that he is an exceptional author
LibraryThing member HowHop
Overall, an enjoyable read, even though the plot offered little in the way of a compelling crisis. Would Charlie Trumper succeed in fulfilling his dreams of building a bigger department store? Hardly compelling on the surface. Yet I still enjoyed the rags-to-riches story of the young entrepreneur
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from London's east end who overcomes early socio-economic disadvantages and survives the Western Front in order to build Trumper's -- a thriving publicly owned shopping centre which rivaled the world's best, despite the attempts of his bitter rival to thwart his aspirations. In Charlie Trumper, author Jeffrey Archer creates a main character who I could root for. A rather long, but easy read, worth the time invested. Show Less
LibraryThing member nancynova
good novel - following the life and empire building of a family
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
Lighter saga @ Charlie Trumper - founder of large department store his may trials - okay
Growing up in the slums of East End London, Charlie Trumper dreams of someday running his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow. That day comes suddenly when his grandfather dies leaving him the floundering
Growing up in the slums of East End London, Charlie Trumper dreams of someday running his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow. That day comes suddenly when his grandfather dies leaving him the floundering
Show More
business. With the help of Becky Salmon, an enterprising young woman, Charlie sets out to make a name for himself as "The Honest Trader". But the brutal onset of World War I takes Charlie far from home and into the path of a dangerous enemy whose legacy of evil follows Charlie and his family for generations. Show Less
LibraryThing member gogglemiss
Hugely enjoiyable and entertaining. My one criticism of J.A's books is that time runs either very slowlly or at an alarming speed, keeping me guessing how old the characters are. Rollicking good read, though, when there is always a twist at the end.
LibraryThing member PeterWhitfield
I really liked Kane and Abel decades ago and this reminds me of that. Competently written with engaging and real characters and a thoroughly gripping story. Perhaps a bit formulaic but well done. Hardly literature but you are in good hands.
Story: 5/5 Brilliantly engaging.
World: 4/5 Interesting
Characters: 5/5 Interesting variety of characters who were a bit unpredictable (that's good). A bit overly polarised between good and bad though. Well developed as story progressed.
Writing: 4/5 Smooth and competent without pretending to be literature.
Story: 5/5 Brilliantly engaging.
World: 4/5 Interesting
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period but not sure how much the world was conditioned to fit the story. Convincing though.Characters: 5/5 Interesting variety of characters who were a bit unpredictable (that's good). A bit overly polarised between good and bad though. Well developed as story progressed.
Writing: 4/5 Smooth and competent without pretending to be literature.
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LibraryThing member abhidd1687
once in a while a book comes which rekindles your interest in books.
this is one such book.
once i started it, it was very hard to part from it.
the way jeff archr takes the reader through the life journey of its character is unique.
this is one such book.
once i started it, it was very hard to part from it.
the way jeff archr takes the reader through the life journey of its character is unique.
LibraryThing member booklovers2
What a great story! Filled with all emotions. A rag to riches believable story of a Fruit Vendor who makes it rich and the obstacles of a on-going feud by an archenemy and his mother.
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
I always enjoy Jeffrey Archer books and this was no exception. A rag-to-riches story, the reader follows the life of Charlie Trumpers Beginning in 1900 young Charlie is an eight year-old barrow boy and over the next seventy years, through hard work and perseverance, becomes a self-made millionaire
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and chairman of his own chain of London department stores. His highs and lows, joys and disappointments, and his on-going feud with the Trentham family makes this an entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux
At 738 pages this isn't a particularly short novel by any means, but the story within is worth everyone of those pages. It's an epic tale of a young man with a dream and covers the unfolding expansion of a little fruit and vegetable wheelbarrow business into some far larger. We see the first world
Along the way we meet the Trenthams who are possibly the most unlikable and scheming characters (excluding the husband) that I've encountered in a novel.
This was just a really good book, which was a pleasant surprise considering I wasn't really that enthused by the blurb but once I started reading I was really drawn into the story, the characters and the unfolding situation. Would really recommend.
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war come and go, the great depression, the second world war, the post war boom and more through the eyes of a man trying to run his business.Along the way we meet the Trenthams who are possibly the most unlikable and scheming characters (excluding the husband) that I've encountered in a novel.
This was just a really good book, which was a pleasant surprise considering I wasn't really that enthused by the blurb but once I started reading I was really drawn into the story, the characters and the unfolding situation. Would really recommend.
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LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
Charlie Trumper's earliest memory is of hearing his grandfather's sales patter from behind his fruit and veg barrow. When his grandfather dies suddenly Charlie wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps; his burning ambition is to own 'The Biggest Barrow in the World', a shop that will sell
This book is a rags to riches tale taking us from the teeming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace spanning some 70 years (from 1900 to 1971) through the triumphs and disasters of 20th century Britain. My copy was in excess of 700 pages long yet it didn't really feel like it, its a relatively quick read if not a particularly fulfilling one.
I did like the way that the story switched perspective from one character to another, filling in the blanks as it did so. That made for some interesting transitions, but also meant a certain amount of repetition.
I found that this rather fat novel thin on substance. Too much of the book seemed to centre around just how Charlie managed to buy each shop, how much he paid for them and how quickly he was able to make them profitable again that it left little room for character development. They all seemed paper-thin and one dimensional. As always I found Archer's writing enjoyable but ultimately I simply couldn't shake off the feeling that I'd read it all before in 'Kane and Abel'.
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everything. This book is a rags to riches tale taking us from the teeming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace spanning some 70 years (from 1900 to 1971) through the triumphs and disasters of 20th century Britain. My copy was in excess of 700 pages long yet it didn't really feel like it, its a relatively quick read if not a particularly fulfilling one.
I did like the way that the story switched perspective from one character to another, filling in the blanks as it did so. That made for some interesting transitions, but also meant a certain amount of repetition.
I found that this rather fat novel thin on substance. Too much of the book seemed to centre around just how Charlie managed to buy each shop, how much he paid for them and how quickly he was able to make them profitable again that it left little room for character development. They all seemed paper-thin and one dimensional. As always I found Archer's writing enjoyable but ultimately I simply couldn't shake off the feeling that I'd read it all before in 'Kane and Abel'.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991
ISBN
1593974094 / 9781593974091