I was first introduced to Jeffrey Archer and his Clifton Chronicles series way back in 2013. That’s when I first read Only Time Will Tell as an audio book. One of the exciting things about keeping this blog of all the books that I read for my own pleasure is that I can always return to previous reviews to see what I thought of a book from my past. I remembered enjoying the audio book and knew that I hoped to read the entire series, but so many things always seemed to get in the way.
As 2019 was coming to an end, I began to look for something to gift myself for the Christmas holidays. As luck would have it, I found the complete Clifton Chronicles in paperback edition bundled as a set. I had found my gift! Once they arrived, I decided not to tear the set open right away since I wanted to have plenty of uninterrupted time to make my way through the saga of Harry Clifton and his family. I planned to work my way through the books this summer.
Plans changed for everyone in so many ways when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US. Suddenly, I found myself spending more time at home with lots of time to read. I finished the novel I was reading at the moment and then tore open the wrapping of the Archer series and began on the first page. That was six days ago and I finished the novel this afternoon. Truthfully, I finished last night….but made myself wait for the last few chapters until this afternoon. I knew I just needed to get some sleep.
Only Time Will Tell completely lived up to my expectations. It is the story of Harry Clifton, a young English boy who is being raised by his single mother. There is a question about his paternity that propels the plot of this entire novel. Was the man who died in a freak boating accident his biological father or is Harry the bastard son of the wealthy man who is the father of his best friend?
Harry escapes his humble home and the limited possibilities of living in that community by pursuing an education. The only way that he is able to fund his education is by scholarships that are awarded to him because of his musical abilities. (Hmmm…..I wonder why that resonates with me so much!) While at school, Harry meets his friends Giles and Deakins who will remain close companions throughout the years of his schooling. During his earliest training, Harry also meets the mysterious Old Jack who takes a profound interest in the lad and consistently acts in the boy’s best interest without seeking any credit for the child’s successes.
Historically, the novel covers the years just after the end of World War I through the earliest fighting of World War II. In the novel’s closing scenes, the reader learns that Britain has declared war on Germany because of the Nazi invasion of Poland. The act of war that follows on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean forever changes the course of young Harry’s life. While readers may not find the concluding section of the novel as fulfilling as most of what has preceded it, Archer does manage to leave the audience with a tremendous cliffhanger that will make certain that the reader returns for book 2 of the series!
As I reflect upon Only Time Will Tell, I notice a similarity in style between it and John Jakes’ The Bastard that opens the author’s Kent Family Chronicles. (For reasons that I still cannot comprehend, John Jakes’ novel was assigned to me as a 7th grader as part of an independent history assignment. Inappropriate teaching? Yeah, I was not emotionally ready to handle the material that was presented there. But I do want to go back and read that series of the American experience as well someday.) Archer’s novel focuses on the war experience from the British perspective. I’m anxious to see if Harry will remain an American now that he has found his way to New York Harbor or if he will return to Britain as he longs to do at the end of Only Time Will Tell. I suppose I’ll just have to crack open the next volume to find out what new adventures await in the Clifton saga.
