A Prison Diary

Rating:
Summary: Very good and true to life...
Review: ...the nick must be better than it was in 1970 ;) Thermos, radio, chocolate biscuits, track suits WOW!

Extremely well written and memorized.

How was Ronnie Biggs? That saddens me!

British Tory in California

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening story of British penal system
Review: I found this diary of the author's first three weeks in prison very interesting. Writing this account kept him sane.

There were many quite awful moments with petty rules to learn about the routine and who to avoid.

Also some funny moments like the prison librarian coming to scold him for signing his books which prisoners had taken from her library never to be seen again.

I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know what prison life is like.

Rating:
Summary: only good for learning about conditions in a British prison
Review: I have read several of Jeffrey Archer's books and, in particular, his short stories which are really good. This book is whiny and has no plot at all. However, it does give a lot of insight into the British prison system. In fact, Archer, being a lord, is not really treated badly at all in comparison to the other prisoners. What is good is that we do learn about their stories, experiences and treatments.

I gave this book 2 stars for the knowledge I gained from it, but it's hard to say that I enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: only good for learning about conditions in a British prison
Review: I have read several of Jeffrey Archer's books and, in particular, his short stories which are really good. This book is whiny and has no plot at all. However, it does give a lot of insight into the British prison system. In fact, Archer, being a lord, is not really treated badly at all in comparison to the other prisoners. What is good is that we do learn about their stories, experiences and treatments.

I gave this book 2 stars for the knowledge I gained from it, but it's hard to say that I enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Some useful insights, but marred by excessive ego
Review: In 2001, Jeffrey Archer was convicted of perjury, arising out of his libel suit against a tabloid newspaper some years earlier, from which he had profited enormously. His conviction occurred as a result of new evidence indicating that there had been a conspiracy, instigated by Archer himself, to 'prove' that he could not possibly have been with a prostitute on the night in question.

Convicted of perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, Archer was initially sent to Belmarsh, a high-security jail in London, pending recategorisation to a lower-security prison based on being assessed as low-risk. He spent a period of just over a month in Belmarsh, and this diary - written while in prison - is the result.

In reading it, one has to learn to ignore the continual hard-done-by attitude of Archer. He consistently pleads his innocence, despite his guilt being indisputable, and complains about the 'bias' of the trial judge. We are treated to a stream of commentary about the judge's summing-up, and as if that's not enough, Archer tells us all about the letters he receives sympathising with him and agreeing that he has been treated unfairly (he doesn't mention any correspondence which says that he got what he deserved!). He also name-drops constantly in relation to 'famous' people who are apparently on his side.

He also has to name-drop in relation to fellow prisoners, so we hear about Ronnie Biggs, the Great Train Robber, who is also in Belmarsh, and also Barry George, on remand at the time awaiting trial for the murder of Jill Dando. In this respect, it is hard to understand how the book got published; it is apparently against Home Office rules to identify serving prisoners in this way.

All that aside, there are some telling insights into prison life which deserve wider reading. For instance, Archer puts forward a vigorous argument against sending those convicted of minor offences and serving short terms to a high-security prison such as Belmarsh. The young man serving six weeks for breaking a red light is a telling example: he is being put under severe pressure to murder the witness in another prisoner's trial, once he is released. Another short-term prisoner was persuaded to try heroin for the first time while in Belmarsh, and within a couple of days is addicted: so when he is released once his six weeks are up, how will he fund his addiction?

There are certainly lessons to be learned about the prison culture and the criminal justice system from Archer's book, and given the author's reputation as a novelist, this book is sure to get a wide circulation. However, it is far from being the best critical account of prison life in recent years; I would recommend that anyone wishing to read a less egotistical and melodramatic account might look for Erwin James' A Life Inside, available from amazon.co.uk

Rating:
Summary: Interesting...and oh-so British
Review: Jeffrey Archer gives a great insight into the UK prison systems which is certainly a punishment.

For anybody wishing to learn about prison and have an interest in this subject I highly recommned it. Those fans of Jeffrey Archer or even to those that do not have any interest I recommened this book. It reaffirms that prison are a suitable punishment for crimes however there can be improvements.

Read this first book and a I guarantee you will get hooked and read all 3 that will be published.

Rating:
Summary: Upper class Chopper Read
Review: Jeffrey Archer is no Dostoevsky or Solzhenytsin or even Charriere. He's more an upper class prat Chopper Read.This is a self indulgent whinging bore of a book. Archer and Pauline Hanson would get on famously.
Archer's strengths are his ingenious plots, the suspense of the situations he portrays and his interesting characters.This book has none of these elements. If, like me, you are a Jeffrey Archer fan stay away from this book

Rating:
Summary: Superbly narrated by Martin Jarvis
Review: Jeffrey Archer was elected to the British House of Commons in 1969 and was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985. He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1992. On July 19, 2001, Jeffrey archer (an internationally known and best selling author as well) was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury. He became Prisoner FF8282 and spent the first 22 days of his sentence in a high-security British prison. Archer was moved to the Lifer's wing for the security it provided and became a trusted confidant for fellow convicts (his cellmate sold a story about him to the British Tabloids). A Prison Diary is Archer's candid account of his life behind bars. Superbly narrated by Martin Jarvis, this highly recommended New Millennium six-cassette audiobook edition is complete and unabridged with a running time of 8 hours.

Rating:
Summary: Light at the end of the tunnel for Archer...
Review: That's how I would describe this book. Archer, upper middle class, MP, Deputy Chairman of the Tories finally faced the music when he was sentenced for obstruction of justice.

Whether he is guilty or not doesn't really matter as there will always be two sides to the coin. What is interesting however is that Archer, who have had a very comfortable life prior to his sentence was placed into the prison. All of a sudden, a free man to a convict.

The book simply describes his life in the prison. His daily routines and little things that happen each day. Though it may sound boring, it was actually a plesant read.

I often imagined what it was like to be in his shoes and whether I could handle what he was going through.

Do not expect the book to be one of his masterpiece with plots. This is a simple book about a man who enjoyed all the best in life and suddenly having all that taken away from him.

He was able to bring to the reader a sense of humour, saddness and curiosity to life in prison. Prior to reading the book, I thought criminals deserve their time... after the book, I wonder whether society has done all it can to accomodate these people.

Whether he is guilty or not I do not know... what I would love to see is that Archer can use this unique experience in helping others who are in need...

Not an Archer fan... but I've just purchased First Among Equals.