A Prison Diary
 Jeffrey Archer
 (Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
 2003 St. Martin's Press
 ISBN: 0312321864

Volume I of the prison biography of a lord among storytellers.

Sr. Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Britain hates him, BBC makes a satirical movie on him titled “Jeffrey Archer: The Truth” -- with a sub-title, “the truth as it is, only the facts have been changed”. Yet Jeffrey Archer remains one of the most popular authors in his genre in England. Save for a Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth or John Le Carre, I don't believe any other English author of popular fiction has enjoyed such worldwide popularity.

Convicted of perjury in late 2000, Archer was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. It seemed that a glowing political career had been shattered & it looked like everything had come to a full stop so far as Archer was concerned. But...

A couple of years back while reviewing Archer's drama, The Accused for this site, I had said that “Archer's greatest skill was his ability to turn misfortune to his own advantage”, & now I feel vindicated. A Prison Diary, the first of three volumes planned on Archer's life in prison. (The sequels: A Prison Diary Volume II, Wayland: Purgatory & A Prison Diary Volume III: Heaven, will be published soon by St. Martin's)

A Prison Diary, with a sub-heading “Belmarsh: Hell”, is a day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of the first 21 days of his 4 year sentence.

Without mincing words, but with his trademark style, Jeffrey Archer narrates his experiences in prison. It makes interesting reading, & thought-provoking -- the importance of prison reforms, & how a first time offender, rather a first time prisoner, struggles to face life behind bars.

A Prison Dairy also bought to mind a hitherto unanswered question -- what should be the appropriate punishment for white collar criminals? Should they be equated with hardened criminals of the like of murderers, rapists, smugglers etc., etc.-- or do they deserve less or...more? Any thoughts, friends?

No way can A Prison Dairy be compared to that of Anne Frank's Diary or the fictional account of Henri Charrierre's Papillon -- but on its own it provides a thought-provoking read.

Now, Archer has been released from jail, two years of his sentence dispensed with, & I am sure of one thing, Archer will bounce back with a novel, or a play, or a collection of short stories, in the next few months or so. Watch this space.

More from Jeffrey Archer:
Sons of Fortune
Kane & Abel & many more!
(09/07/03)

Narayan
2003©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org