As the crow flies by Jeffrey Archer

Basic plot

Charlie Trumper was born and raised, a barrow boy from the East End. Wanting nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, he soon finds that life is more than about selling fruit and vegetables on the corner. When the world finds itself at war, Charlie is compelled to be at the front-line where he meets Guy Trentham who would later become the bane of his existence. Charlie returns to the East End to fulfill his grandfather's dream of owning a shop that sells everything. With the help of Becky Salmon, the annoying baker's daughter who grew up to be the love of his life, Charlie proves that determination and honest hard-work makes any dream achievable. 

What I liked about this story

Jeffrey Archer has an incredible ability to write stories that span decades and yet allows the reader to walk with his characters every step of the way. Character development was superb in both the solid main characters and the colourful supporting cast. The storyline flowed smoothly even with the multi-person self narratives thrown in at the beginning of each section, which so often in other books leads to confusion and interruptions to the story. A very good read indeed.

What I disliked about the story

As with most books that I enjoy, I would have liked to add my own tweaks to the plot. Perhaps a happier ending, or a more satisfactorily gory fate for the villain. This is in no way a critique since, for me to feel like I want to change the story shows the extent of my investment in these fictional characters. Thus said, I still think the ending could have been  little different.

A quote I like from the book

It seems to begin with no one was willing to admit I belonged to anyone.

Rating: 4.5/5