To Cut a Long Story Short

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but Archer could have done better
Review: I have read just about all of Jeffery Archer's books. And subsequently, he has become one of my favorite authors. However, in this title, I don't think that Archer has lived up to his abilities. His trademark twists are almost as predictable as a Disney movie. The short stories are well written, but not as entertaining as his last book of short stories "Twelve Red Herrings". If you are not an avid Jeffery Archer reader, you will enjoy this book; If you are, then you may be disappointed

Rating:
Summary: Worst Archer book to date
Review: I have to admit I was much more enthusiastic about this book before I started than after. It does have just two or three excellent stories (the shorter ones) that get you thinking. But alas there is not enough for me to wholeheartedly recommend spending time on this book. I would take a look at some of his previous (excellent) novels and short story collections. For a good read you might even want to try his biography, Stranger Than Fiction, written by Crick.

Rating:
Summary: A "Short" Disappointment
Review: I have to say I'm a bit disappointed by this book. I have never read any of Mr. Archer's short stories, so I was quite excited to get my hands on this book.

The book is comprised of 14 short stories of different lengths and subjects. Of the stories, I have to say that "The Engame," a story of a man trying to find out who are his true friends, "Crime Pays," a man using the law to his advantaged, "Chalk and Cheese" two brothers and how they choose to work through life, and the "Grass Is Always Greener. . ." showing that success and happiness depends on how you view it, were the best of the lot. The rest of the book was just filler.

Still, I love Mr. Archer's writing, however, I would only recommend this if you needed something to read while waiting at the airport.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not Archer's best
Review: I love Jeffrey Archer's work and have read all his book... and enjoyed each one of them, so when I learned about a new book of short stories, which he specializes in, I was thrilled.
The back cover suggested "The grass is always greener" was his best story ever and I knew it would be the last one on the book, so I read on hoping and waiting... honestly, though entertaining, none of the stories impressed me. "Love at first sight" and the funny story about the pool construction were the best of all, and the message in "The grass..." is very true and beautiful, still I have not read in any of his short story books any story as beautifully written as "Christina Rosenthal" (not in this one).

Rating:
Summary: the best ones are excellent
Review: I've only read Archer's novels, not his short stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by the cleverness of these stories. The reviewer who called them "O Henry-esque" is on target. All these stories contain stunning reversals or trick endings that will keep you guessing. I loved The Endgame especially. Most of the stories are short, well-conceived and well-executed. The tale of two pub friends who trade off roles in their lawyer/expert witness routine is hilarious. In fact, Archer's droll wit is apparent on just about every page. I thought 3-4 of the stories were terrific, but even the "sub-par" ones I found enjoyable. I read the whole book in one sitting. Most readers of this kind of surprise short story should find these diabolically clever and suspenseful. Sure, you may guess one or two of the endings, but overall Archer will remain a step ahead.

Rating:
Summary: highly entertaining
Review: Jeffrey Archer is at his best when he writes short stories. I am not usually a lover of this format but I love the way almost all his stories have a sting in the tail. My only complaint is that I finished the book too quickly. The style is so easy and each story just pulls you on the next. Did not like all the stories, but most, especially "Crime Pays" and "The grass is always greener" were brilliant. His use of language is exciting. Hope he puts out another book of short stories soon.

Rating:
Summary: highly entertaining
Review: Jeffrey Archer is at his best when he writes short stories. I am not usually a lover of this format but I love the way almost all his stories have a sting in the tail. My only complaint is that I finished the book too quickly. The style is so easy and each story just pulls you on the next. Did not like all the stories, but most, especially "Crime Pays" and "The grass is always greener" were brilliant. His use of language is exciting. Hope he puts out another book of short stories soon.

Rating:
Summary: One Smashing Collection
Review: Jeffrey Archer is by far the most versatile and fluid author of contemporary fiction. He has written novels ranging from politics (First Among Equals) to revenge (Not A Penny More, Not A Penney Less) to corporate rivalry (The Fourth Estate), all of which have elements of his trademark 'twist' at some point.

I awaited To Cut A Long Story Short with much anticipation, as I strongly believe that writing short stories is what he does best.

I found this book highly enjoyable though certain stories were a little disappointing.

'The Endgame', 'The Grass Is Always Greener' and 'Chalk And Cheese', were especially entertaining. 'The Grass Is Always Greener', in particular, I thought was a really superb read, both in terms of content and language. One aspect of Archer that makes his books so zestful and fun to read is his balanced usage of simple and complex language.

Then again, I found 'A Weekend To Remember' rather dull and mundane. Perhaps the plot was rather limited as it was based on a true incident.

Archer has written two very short stories, 'The Letter' and 'Love At First Sight'. These were not exceptionally good, but then, how many of us can produce really good short stories?

Contrary to the five stars displayed, I award this book 4.5 stars. It loses the 0.5 star as I still think A Quiver Full Of Arrows outperforms it in terms of plot twists. Certain stories, however, such as 'The Grass Is Always Greener' show Archer to be capable of outperforming himself. All in all, this is one terrific book.

Rating:
Summary: Another great collection!
Review: Jeffrey Archer's most recent anthology of short stories is every bit as good as the three previous volumes! Sometimes when I read story collections I will put a mark next to the ones that were particularly good. There is no need to do that here since each one was excellent.

Somehow Arhcer manages to put great detail and life into each vignette! There is always outstanding characterization, twists, and plot. I have always felt the Jeffrey Arhcer is one of the most talented uathors of recent times!

Of the ones that stand out as true works of art are "The Grass is Alwys Greener" a poignant look at perception and envy. "Love at First sight" is only a few pages long, but is so simply beautiful. Each story is so good and memorable.

This is a great book with which to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: just another book from Archer - he must be rich
Review: Long time back when I started reading Archer and read his short story compilations like "Quiver Full of Arrows" I thought this guy has the caliber to reach the standards of Graham Greene but alas 15 years from that time here we are with a very very mediocre writer like so many hundreds of other writers.

There are 15 stories and only 2 are really worth my time. These 2 stories are "Death Speaks" and "Chalk and Cheese". Many of these stories are images of real incidents - my question to Archer is then why does he try to create a twist in the end? Real life incidents most of the time do not have a twist in the end. As a result what we get is extremely mundane and prosaic stories of no significance.

Death Speaks is a gem of a story - it is short (brevity is the soul of this story) and you will keep on thinking about this for ever. Chalk and Cheese is also a quite interesting story about 2 brothers going through the realms of success and failure.

The question will be why did I give it 3 stars and not 2 or 1 well it is better than many other books I read and if you take the twist out of the stories then its readable. I will recommend try Roald Dahl and then try reading this book.