Dear All ,
I am back again, with a review of another masterpiece written by Lord Archer. However I must confess although I have read all the novels written by him, but this was the last one I read reluctently as I had nothing else to read. I wasnt very eager to read it. I dont care much about politics and I find boring reading about it in newspaper, let alone in book. But when I started it I fought its something for me anyway. Politics are just the background for a story itself, which is a masterpiece of storytelling. Dont miss it!
To give you a brief justification of my aforesaid statement I would like to divulge some of my thoughts on this book.
The novel is very accurate and true to form in the mechanics and atmosphere of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Having been a Member of Parliament, Archer knew the environment from the inside, and drew realistic scenarios and created realistic characters of such degree that I have required this novel as a text when Ive taught British politics.
The major cast of characters -- Seymour, Kerslake, Fraser and Gould -- fit composites of many back-benchers( remember the college SEnate days ;-) . Unlike the majority of back-benchers, these are men of ambition and ability (alas, somewhat rare combinations in politics in any nation). Each has an eye on the brass ring of No. 10 Downing Street, and each has, at the outset of political careers, an equal chance at success.
A week can be a long time in politics, it has been said, so the span of several decades might as well be an eternity. We see the personal and professional ups and downs of these individuals against a backdrop of real political history from the 1960s forward; this book written in 1984, the future was speculative, but not beyond reason, and still makes for a good read. The careers of the foursome are not linearly upward; true to form of many political careers (including Archers own), there are near misses and great falls, from which some recover, and others do not.
The ending is an interesting one, again part of Archers speculative history, hinging upon one event that perhaps he knew well would never in fact happen. However, it is still a believable political event, and given that actual politics is often unbelievable, this novel makes a generous alternative history.
Archers gift of storytelling is strong, and perhaps best when he is dealing with situations he himself has survived. First Among Equals is one such story.