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"Be Careful What You Wish For opens with Harry Clifton and his wife Emma rushing to learn the fate of their son Sebastian, who has been in a fatal car accident. But who died, Sebastian or his best friend? When Ross Buchanan is forced to resign as chairman of the Barrington Shipping Company, Emma Clifton wants to replace him. But Don Pedro Martinez intends to install his puppet, Alex Fisher, in order to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to build its new luxury liner. In London, Harry and Emma's daughter wins a scholarship to the Slade Academy of Art where she falls in love with Clive Bingham, who asks her to marry him. Both families are delighted until Jessica's future mother-in-law has a visit from a friend who drops her particular brand of poison into the wedding chalice. Then Cedric Hardcastle, a Yorkshireman who no one has come across before, takes his place on the board of Barringtons. This causes upheaval and will change the lives of every member of the Clifton and Barrington families. Hardcastle's first decision is who to support to become the chairman of the board: Emma Clifton or Alex Fisher? And with that the story takes yet another twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Be Careful What You Wish For showcases the master storyteller's talent as never before--when the Clifton and Barrington families march forward into the sixties in this epic tale of love, revenge, ambition and betrayal"--… (more)
User reviews
The story starts exactly where the last left us and continues the story of all the characters we have come to love in the Clifton Chronicles. As the novels progress the author focuses more on the next generation of Clifton's and how there life progresses. The author has also introduced some new characters who are just as engaging as previous characters.
The story is full of the traditional intrigue and excitement. I have always loved Jeffrey Archer books and this series is one of my favourites. Can't wait to read the last in the series even if I have to wait until 2015.
Archer used to be one of my favorite authors. Used to be. He has now fallen into niche writing... sort of like Stephen King. All his characters are essentially the same, as are his
My biggest problems with the book and this review is that I don’t know how much of the story is new and how much is a continuation of the story line. Since I don’t know, I can’t say much about the actual story since I’m not sure what is already known by its loyal followers (and, given how good this book is, I suspect they’re legion) and what would be spoiler so I will say very little about that. Except… The book opens with a bang – a car carrying two young men is forced off the road and one is killed and the other survives although severely injured. This hooked me right away. However, it became clear pretty fast that the murder was no mystery to anyone except maybe me. I realized I was missing a whole lot of background that would have clarified much. However, by this time I was thoroughly hooked on the tale which was surprising because, in many ways, it’s kind of like a soap opera about rich Britishers and I have never been a fan of soap opera except maybe Dark Shadows when I was a kid. I mean, this is one heck of a pageturner and that’s high praise considering half the time I had no clue what was going on and I was still sucked into the story.
My one complaint: it ends on one gigantic cliffhanger and, apparently, the next installment won’t be out until 2015. Ah well, that gives me plenty of time to read the first three books so I can find out what the hell was really going on.
A cliffhanger can be an effective writing tool in crafting a novel, but only if the writer can come up with a
I did enjoy the high stakes trading scene and the end offers a surprising twist which is a nice departure from the genre. However, I found that 500 pages was a long read to be rewarded for my patience.
I good book for a mindless vacation, but not one I would recommend.
This book is the reason why I prefer a less
Archer is never afraid of making his good guys thoroughly - and unrealistically, good. His villains may be vile but they are never ferocious, sadistic, impulsive, or stupid. I began this book with low expectations and I'm now in no doubt as to how rare is this book's quality and how sharp is Archer's mind. This is the type of work that has a humble aim, that of entertaining. If you don't ask entertainment of a book that's not apologetic of its design, then this book is not for you. If you want to enjoy a story that remains about the same with your brain turned on or off, then may I suggest Be Careful What You Wish For. Can't wait to see what happens in the fifth book.
~Sebastian tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the little MG. The lorry behind him touched his rear bumper and jolted the car forward, sending its number plate flying high into the air~
Some other reviews have good things to say about Jeffrey Archer – Booklist, "One of the top
I agree with all of the above. This guys’ imagination is so much fun! Only a few days ago I discovered the term “deus ex machina” and guess what? These books are full of them. I love it. This is fiction after all and so what if someone from out in left field comes in to save the day. More power to the author. If you are creating a story with complex story lines and characters with full lives, why not have fantastic things happen to them. As a writer, you control the world, anything can happen. But this is not magical realism, but rather, fiction that stretches reality.
Wonderful things happen, but tragedy strikes also and one particular tragedy struck me with quite a shock. I actually said out loud, “no, no, no”. I am still sad. Not everything has a happy ending in this world.
4 stars
I didn’t find Martinez to be a remotely credible villain. He often came off as a clown, and I don’t think he could have been a successful gangster if he was so consumed with revenge even if it would end in his financial ruin. In the real world, gangsters, at least the ones with notoriety and longevity, don’t act that way. I also didn’t at all care for the fact that Martinez was so hell bent on destroying the Clifton/Barrington families, yet they were so passive about defending themselves. In fact, it took outsiders of the family with less invested than them to actually take on Martinez. As a result, none of the main protagonists impressed me in any way, which was probably why I didn’t care what ultimately happened to them. For a novel to succeed, you must care about the characters, and I did not care for them. I think I will pass on any further novels in this series, and would recommend readers to do likewise.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
Be Careful What You Wish For is the fourth novel in the Clifton Chronicles, set primarily in England and spanning the years 1957 to 1964. It continues to follow the Clifton and Barrington families as they try to outmaneuver Don Pedro
I don't recommend reading this book as a standalone novel because you would miss out on some of the history of the drama that is always in high gear in this epic family drama. The series chronicles the life and times of Harry Clifton, his wife, Emma Barrington, and Emma's brother and Harry's best friend, Giles Barrington. There are some incredibly memorable characters throughout the series. I have to admit some of my favorites are the evil ones, especially Lady Virginia and Major Alex Fisher, who try their best to seek revenge on the Cliftons and the Barringtons.
Potential readers should be warned that each and every one of these novels ends with a cliffhanger. The good news is that all seven of the Clifton Chronicles are now published so you won't have to wait for a year to discover how the cliffhanger is resolved. I'm totally hooked on the series and have been listening to it in audio, narrated by Alex Jennings, who is phenomenal. The writing is smooth and the narrative effortlessly takes the reader on an engaging journey through the lives of the characters. Be Careful What You Wish For is everything you would want or expect from a Jeffrey Archer novel. I can't wait to read Book 5 – Mightier Than the Sword.
Jessica has fallen in love and leave it to Lady Virginia to ruin it... Don Pedro is still full of hate for the Barrington and Clifton families.... He sends his son to destroy Jessica's
Cedric Hardcastle finds a way to play Don Pedro at his own game, but will the mission be successful, and will they all make it out alive and well...