Rating: 
Summary: ok
Review: I liked Kane and Abel and As the Crow Flies much better. His characters are similar in many books, this one especially.
Rating: 
Summary: Sit down and enjoy the ride
Review: Raw ambitions, male chutzpah and naked rivalry are the themes of Archer's ambitious publishing tale. Who will win? Who will take over the newspaper industry ? You should figure it out by half way through, but that doesn't matter. I ahven't read 700 pages so fast in my life, and I read fast. This story whips by, and will never cease to please or entertain. Pick it up, and let it take you along.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Prospect but fails somewhere
Review: Jeffrey Archer is a master of the short story with a twist. This novel seems to be a number of short stories connected together in the guise of a full-length novel. And thus it loses the elements that could have made it a classic. In addition, it seems that most people who have negative comments on this book, are comparing it to "Kane and Able." I confess to not having read that book (although I plan to soon) but have read many other Archer stories/novels. This entry is a good read but Mr. Archer misses the mark when he fails to keep the reader rooting for the main characters. As the novel begins, we are introduced to the two main characters and come to understand that they each have fatal flaws. We know from the beginning that they won't grow up to be likable characters and yet we hope to understand their view points. Instead I ended up hoping they would both drop off the end of the earth. I would refer uninitiated readers to Archer's, "As the Crow Flies," for the ultimate "good read."
Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: Archer is one of my favorite authors but Fourth Estate can not be considered as one of his best. Still compelling, entertaining and a page turner. On the other hand it lacks the originality of Kane & Able, As The Crow Flies, First Among Equals and A Matter Of Honor. But Still A Must Read.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining But Let Down By Disappointing Ending
Review: It seems that general opinion of this novel points to disappointment in the similarity between Kane And Abel and this book. Though I must say I read this novel before Kane And Abel, I nevertheless enjoyed both books. It was brillance on Lord Archer's part and I think credit cannot be simply taken away from him. However, one drawback of this particular novel is its disappointing ending, at least that's what I think. And that was also why I did not rate this novel a five-star.
Rating:
Summary: Archer's still entertaining, but lacking originality
Review: As eager as I was to see which media magnate would come out on top, I was disappointed by the similarities between this novel and Kane and Abel and, like the reader from Wisconsin (below), I was also dismayed by the poorly developed storylines. (I also noticed the many typographical errors in the papaerback copy.) In short, after reading several of his other novels, I expected more of Archer. I hadven't read his latest yet, but I hope it is not such a half-hearted effort.
Rating:
Summary: AN IMPECCABLY-WRITTEN BOOK!
Review: Having read all of Archer's books to date I find this book no different from all his others- it is simply SUPERB. Almost as good as his all-time classic, Kane & Abel, what this book lacks is an excellent ending.
Rating: 
Summary: a mediocre novel, full of errors
Review: I have enjoyed many of Mr. Archer's novels, but this one did not seem to be up to his usual standard. Like "Kane and Abel" and "First Among Equals," it tells the life stories of ambitious men who become bitter rivals. However, the characters were not likable, which made it difficult for me to identify with their struggles. More damagingly, one of the characters was from a Jewish background, but the novel is full of the most elementary errors about Jewish culture. The author obviously did no research in this area. I can't help wondering whether the book also contains errors about Australian culture (the background of the second character) which I was unable to spot.
Rating:
Summary: Is Archer getting stale?
Review: The format was vintage Archer--two "heroes" from completely different backgrounds climb to the top of their field and become archrivals. Sound familiar? While the alternating storyline style is entertaining, perhaps it is becoming a little stale. As usual, Archer develops the main characters exceptionally well and introduces a number of stunning women (how is it that his characters always find these women?). But the myriad of minor characters could have gone farther. Archer continues to make the occasional mistake of having an American use phrases that only a British person would use, but generally he gets it right. I was disappointed to find a couple of spelling mistakes (not the British vs American spelling variety, but genuine mistakes) in a bestselling book. There were also a few underdeveloped storylines (such as the KGB's role in Armstrong's life) or hurried and confusing lines (such as Armstrong's dealings in Berlin that began his rise to power). But the one thing that bothered me to the end was that the Armstrong character, who had been so attached to his mother as a boy, never once even THOUGHT of his family much less tried to find them after he was forced to flee from the Nazis. How could he spend his entire life without knowing what happened to them (or providing a better life for them)? In the end, it was a good story, but shallow in many ways. I have read all of Jeffrey Archer's novels since I was first captivated by "Shall We Tell the President" but either I'm getting older and more critical or he's failing to live up to his past successes.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling yet slightly hollow
Review: Again, I am also an avid Archer fan and yet did enjoy this book. I was dissapointed however with the parallels found between this and Kane & Abel and As the Crow Flies. I enjoy that kind of storyline, but perhaps a little more diversity than two men rising above all else.... Otherwise still a good read. It kept me turning pages yet I feel there were to many leaps without explanations. One thing though, Is that I would now like to read biographies on the two real life characters and compare 'notes'. Perhaps if anyone could recommend where I might find out more about who the two characters EXACTLY were and their lives.
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