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    As the Crow Flies
    As the Crow Flies
    As the Crow Flies
    Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

    As the Crow Flies

    Written by Jeffrey Archer

    Narrated by Martin Jarvis

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Encompassing three continents and spanning over sixty years, bestselling author Jeffrey Archer's As the Crow Flies brings to life a magnificent tale of one man's rise from rags to riches set against the backdrop of a changing century.

    Growing up in the slums of East End London, Charlie Trumper dreams of someday running his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow. That day comes suddenly when his grandfather dies leaving him the floundering business. With the help of Becky Salmon, an enterprising young woman, Charlie sets out to make a name for himself as "The Honest Trader". But the brutal onset of World War I takes Charlie far from home and into the path of a dangerous enemy whose legacy of evil follows Charlie and his family for generations.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJul 1, 2004
    ISBN9781593974664
    Author

    Jeffrey Archer

    Jeffrey Archer, whose novels and short stories include the Clifton Chronicles, Kane and Abel and Cat O’ Nine Tales, is one of the world’s favourite storytellers and has topped the bestseller lists around the world in a career spanning four decades. His work has been sold in 97 countries and in more than 37 languages. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). Jeffrey is also an art collector and amateur auctioneer, and has raised more than £50m for different charities over the years. A member of the House of Lords for over a quarter of a century, the author is married to Dame Mary Archer, and they have two sons, two granddaughters and two grandsons.

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    Reviews for As the Crow Flies

    4/5

    353 ratings22 reviews

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    • 3/5
      no real dialog, Charlie is supposedly a charming master salesman. We know this because upper class women put up with him calling them "love" and he has a long line at his shop or cart. His charm, his personality is in no way revealed by his dialog with other characters. No emotional depth. Characters die, leave, are jilted, but there is no real emotional response. Charlie has no real problems that aren't solved immediately usually by suspicious coincidence. Good story, I generally like rags to riches. Great narrator.
    • 4/5
      Great writing. Smart , funny with well rounded characters- some you'll love and some you'll hate. This is my second Jeffery Archer book but won't be my last
    • 3/5
      Charlie Trumper's earliest memory is of hearing his grandfather's sales patter from behind his fruit and veg barrow. When his grandfather dies suddenly Charlie wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps; his burning ambition is to own 'The Biggest Barrow in the World', a shop that will sell everything. This book is a rags to riches tale taking us from the teeming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace spanning some 70 years (from 1900 to 1971) through the triumphs and disasters of 20th century Britain. My copy was in excess of 700 pages long yet it didn't really feel like it, its a relatively quick read if not a particularly fulfilling one.I did like the way that the story switched perspective from one character to another, filling in the blanks as it did so. That made for some interesting transitions, but also meant a certain amount of repetition. I found that this rather fat novel thin on substance. Too much of the book seemed to centre around just how Charlie managed to buy each shop, how much he paid for them and how quickly he was able to make them profitable again that it left little room for character development. They all seemed paper-thin and one dimensional. As always I found Archer's writing enjoyable but ultimately I simply couldn't shake off the feeling that I'd read it all before in 'Kane and Abel'.
    • 5/5
      At 738 pages this isn't a particularly short novel by any means, but the story within is worth everyone of those pages. It's an epic tale of a young man with a dream and covers the unfolding expansion of a little fruit and vegetable wheelbarrow business into some far larger. We see the first world war come and go, the great depression, the second world war, the post war boom and more through the eyes of a man trying to run his business.Along the way we meet the Trenthams who are possibly the most unlikable and scheming characters (excluding the husband) that I've encountered in a novel. This was just a really good book, which was a pleasant surprise considering I wasn't really that enthused by the blurb but once I started reading I was really drawn into the story, the characters and the unfolding situation. Would really recommend.
    • 4/5
      What a great story! Filled with all emotions. A rag to riches believable story of a Fruit Vendor who makes it rich and the obstacles of a on-going feud by an archenemy and his mother.
    • 5/5
      once in a while a book comes which rekindles your interest in books.
      this is one such book.
      once i started it, it was very hard to part from it.
      the way jeff archr takes the reader through the life journey of its character is unique.
    • 5/5
      I really liked Kane and Abel decades ago and this reminds me of that. Competently written with engaging and real characters and a thoroughly gripping story. Perhaps a bit formulaic but well done. Hardly literature but you are in good hands.
      Story: 5/5 Brilliantly engaging.
      World: 4/5 Interesting period but not sure how much the world was conditioned to fit the story. Convincing though.
      Characters: 5/5 Interesting variety of characters who were a bit unpredictable (that's good). A bit overly polarised between good and bad though. Well developed as story progressed.
      Writing: 4/5 Smooth and competent without pretending to be literature.
    • 4/5
      Hugely enjoiyable and entertaining. My one criticism of J.A's books is that time runs either very slowlly or at an alarming speed, keeping me guessing how old the characters are. Rollicking good read, though, when there is always a twist at the end.
    • 4/5
      I always enjoy Jeffrey Archer books and this was no exception. A rag-to-riches story, the reader follows the life of Charlie Trumpers Beginning in 1900 young Charlie is an eight year-old barrow boy and over the next seventy years, through hard work and perseverance, becomes a self-made millionaire and chairman of his own chain of London department stores. His highs and lows, joys and disappointments, and his on-going feud with the Trentham family makes this an entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      good novel - following the life and empire building of a family
    • 3/5
      Overall, an enjoyable read, even though the plot offered little in the way of a compelling crisis. Would Charlie Trumper succeed in fulfilling his dreams of building a bigger department store? Hardly compelling on the surface. Yet I still enjoyed the rags-to-riches story of the young entrepreneur from London's east end who overcomes early socio-economic disadvantages and survives the Western Front in order to build Trumper's -- a thriving publicly owned shopping centre which rivaled the world's best, despite the attempts of his bitter rival to thwart his aspirations. In Charlie Trumper, author Jeffrey Archer creates a main character who I could root for. A rather long, but easy read, worth the time invested.
    • 4/5
      Brilliant . First novel i've read by Archer but wont be the last. So many twists to keep the story line interesting and an unexpected ending. As much as i don't like Archer you have to say that he is an exceptional author
    • 5/5
      Jeffrey Archer has proven himself many times. As The Crow Flies proves that he hit the ground running and was already a very good storyteller while young. He knows that even if he repeats himself, as long as there are enough new twists to the plot of any of his book, he'll be forgiven, and his works, enjoyed. I was thoroughly entertained reading this book which has a few lulls, but which forced me to have stakes in the story at a time when I felt temporarily indifferent. After all why should I care if a millionaire (even self made) is risking his benefits and at worst, would be a bit poorer. No skin off MY nose! Well the author had other thoughts. He made me care. I no longer think Kane And Abel is this writer's best book. That praise went to Be Careful What You Wish For...now...I'm no longer sure. This book, which I've just read, is one of the strongest 5 star books I've ever rated. The plot points, fleshed out through the way characters behave, present themselves and motivate themselves, generate inexhaustible supply of surprises. Everything is perfectly clear in the book. As The Crow Flies defies any gross accusation that can be thrown at it. It deserved to be read. It's pure entertainment, of the type that can only be offered by books and their makers.
    • 4/5
      Story of Charlie Trumper who opened a large department store in England in the 20's and 30's. The story moves quickly along but so many personal details and emothion were missing, you felt you didn't really know the characters.
    • 5/5
      Again I read one more great story from JA. My favorite story teller. I wonder how can the author make so many twists in one story and finally brought to a good end.
    • 4/5
      This is a rags-to-riches tale of East End barrow-boys, supermarkets, boardroom politics, war and vegetables. If anyone had told me in advance I would really like it I would have laughed, but looking back I know I was gripped by it. It is full of twists and turns, cliffhangers and things that seem to mean one thing and actually mean another.
    • 2/5
      The novel spans a lot of time and a lot of space as well. Its one of those saga type novels but it never feels right. There is no sense of urgency. Will be right up your alley if you like soaps and sob stories though
    • 1/5
      CD book, read by Simon Prebble and Barbara Rosenblat (she does the Mamur Zapt stuff). Charlie Trumper is a fruit and vegetable man who rises to a better neighborhood, huge department store, and becomes a lord. It started out promising, but in the end it was just romantic drivel. I only listened to it because Simon Prebble was one of the readers, and I'll listen to pretty much anything he reads.
    • 5/5
      Jeffrey Archer is on our CP English booklist. I love most of his books...they remind me of Tom Clancy.
    • 5/5
      When Charlie Trumper inherits his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow, he inherits as well his enterprising spirit, which gives Charlie the drive to lift himself out of the proverty of Whitechapel, in London's East End. Success, however, does not come easiy or quickly, particularly when WWI sends Charlie into combat and into an ongoing struggle with a vengeful enemy who will not rest until Charlie is destroyed.
    • 4/5
      Readable. English barrow boy to department store magnet. 900+ pages.
    • 4/5
      An excellent read.