A Book Review
“A Prisoner of Birth” by Jeffrey Archer
If you are a lover of courtroom scenes, this book is a must.
First, this book is an adaptation of Dumas’s 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The tale is about a man imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, escapes from jail, gains a fortune, and sets about exacting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment.
Plot
“…we all suffer in our different ways from being prisoners of birth.”
The story begins with Danny proposing marriage to Elizabeth; they had known each other from childhood. To celebrate their engagement, both of them, along with Elizabeth’s brother Bernie, who is also a friend of Danny, meet in a bar. They pick a fight with Spencer Craig and his three other friends, which leaves Bernie stabbed to death. Danny was convicted and sentenced to prison for 22 years. How does Danny prove his innocence? How does he get his revenge against his enemies?
Insights
The narrative and language are easy to comprehend. The courtroom scenes are intriguing and mind-blowing. The arguments are shrewd in bringing the witness out of their comfort zone, which leaves readers on the edge of their seats. This novel restores the faith in humanity that a pure soul will never be dodged down by bad ones. Regardless of whatever problems arise, a good man will always get his help.
This book is a perfect example of how to construct a story from a single line. Once the initial excitement settles down, the story’s pace slows down for a brief period, without relenting the tension, by explaining the prison life of Danny (which is the personal experience of the author). The author plays the try-fail cycle for the protagonist, by giving him hope for life at regular intervals, but later sabotages it and makes the future even worse for him. The narrative holds this tension throughout the novel. At the halfway mark, the story moves off the track and multi-folds. This book never allows readers to get bored with its frequent twists, racy narration, highs and lows of the protagonist ultimately making the audience feel the same emotions. Revenge is delightful when it is served cold.
On the downside, it is hard to believe Danny’s sudden character development from an innocent man to a master in scheming plans against his enemies, which lays dormant in the first half of the novel. The narrative is slow-burning, but manages to hold readers to the story with glue. It gives the readers the agony, the thrill, the anxiety–but what will happen next?
The author unravels every knot to pave way for the perfect showdown. The climax court scenes test the reader’s nerves by building the anticipation. Matthew steals the show. An ideal ending for the novel without a cliché.
A slow-burning revenge drama, and a feel-good thriller with an edge-of-the-seat climax.
Pros: Simple language, intriguing courtroom scenes, slow-burning thriller.
Cons: Off-track story in the middle.
My Rating: 3.5 stars.
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