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Summary: Author Very Astute About the Business World
Review: Wow! This was one of the most exciting novels I have read in a long time. I kept thinking as I was reading it how many of my friends would enjoy it, too. It's a Kane and Abel-type story, the clash of two titans in the newspaper business. What I loved the most about it was all the twists and turns of one-upmanship that each was able to pull on the other! This author's knowledge of the business world, and of human nature is just astounding.
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Summary: Bravo Jeffrey Archer!
Review: Once again Jeffrey Archer brings us a Kane & Abel type of story, which he writes so well. He builds two very different characters and entangles their lives to present a superb story that can be easily read in one sitting... you just can't put the book down! The only bad part? when you finish the last chapter you'll be left wanting more!
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Summary: A PROFOUNDLY BORING BOOK
Review: I consider every minute I spent trying to get into this book a waste of time.
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Summary: No epic, but still one of Archer's finest
Review: The world of the news media is entered into and explored in this mid-nineties Archer thriller, as the lives of two powerful media moguls are followed from the day of their birth announcement to the moment they land on the obituary page. Keith Townsend, an Australian newspaper magnate, has his eyes set on the big time with hopes of starting a national daily newspaper in his home country and purchasing papers, radio stations and television networks in Britain and the United States. Richard Armstrong, a Jewish holocaust survivor turned British army officer, turns his passion for the news into a successful publishing company, with personal dreams to one day becomes a major player in the world of the press. The lives of these two men come into contact again and again in professional circles, as each vie to control the same or rival publications and companies. In the end, only one man will be left standing. The only weak link in the novel's strong storyline is the decision by Archer to place two of the closing chapters at the start, apparently to keep readers guessing throughout the rest of the book as to how the two central characters arrive at the places we first encounter them. Unfortunately, it also leaves no mistake as to the path both will travel down with one hundred pages to go.
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Summary: MY VIEW OF "THE FOURTH ESTATE"
Review: If you have been through a Jeffrey Archer novel before, you could call this novel "classic Jeffrey Archer". This is a story of a conflict, in the sense, of the two main characters of the story. The emphasis of the narration is on their life and their "love" for success. The author maintains the pace of the story in a clever way. The reader is never allowed to form an opinion about any one of the characters until it is fairly clear whom the author sides with. The characters are sometimes unrealistic and farfetched and you rarely do identify with majority of their feelings, but having said that, this isn't an "intellectual" story about which you ponder after reading it. It is good to read with some coffee on a dull rainy Sunday.About the story. Keith Townsend is born into a well to do family in Australia, while Lubji Hoch is born into a poor Jewish family. Even as children, both know what they want from life eventually, and train themselves in their own but different worlds to realize their ends. At some point in the story they are pitted against each other. From here on they try to outdo each other and in doing so cross every possible limit and boundary. In the gripping climax both are on the verge of bankruptcy, who will hold his nerve, who is the better of the two...
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Summary: Another great effort from Archer
Review: I admit to being a little biased because Jeffrey Archer is my favorite author, but this book is simply fantastic. As with his other books, Archer did a great job with the development of his characters. By the end of the book, I felt like I personally knew each of the characters. I would highly recommend this book to seasoned Archer readers and to anyone looking for an entertaining, fast-paced read.
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Summary: Same characters
Review: While still a good read, and I do recommend this book, the characters are just like Kane and Abel.
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Summary: Where are the Good Guys?
Review: This is my first Jeffery Archer novel, and it accumulated 2 strikes against it after the first two chapters. Why would an author chose to write the final two chapters and place them in front of the book? I felt like I knew the ending before I had been reading 30 minutes. When I read a novel, I need a "good guy", a hero, or an underdog - simply someone to root for. There is very little of this in The Fourth Estate, because the main characters are despicable scoundrels. Read the book to learn how to bargain in open markets. Read the book to learn how a book gets on the "bestseller" list. Read the book to learn how penniless young hustlers survive with a combination of luck, opportunity, and talent. But to read this book for any other legitimate reason, you are likely to be a little disappointed. To be fair, I have to admit that this is a fast-paced read and has enough exciting moments to keep any casual reader entertained through a long, rainy weekend.
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Summary: Excelent
Review: I enjoy this book. Where can I find more about Jeffrey Archer? Where can I find his biografy? Please send it to me. Thanks a lot.
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Summary: page turner!!!!!!!!
Review: I have recently purchased this book, and can't put it down. I also have 'As the Crow Flies', which was excellent as well. I like the way he writes with each chapter dedicated to a different character. It allows the reader to compare and contrast the lives of the characters. I would take Jeffrey Archer over Stephen King any day of the week.
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