Rating: 
Summary: Top-class
Review: 'First Among Equals' is quite a different tale. Some of my friends told me that they found the initial part boring. Well, I didn't find that assessment to be true. This novel makes a very interesting reading, and like many other Archer novels, it picks up action as you reach 200-odd pages.This is a tale of four aspiring gentlemen: Fraser, Gould, Kerslake and Seymour who enter the House of Commons in the 1960s, each aspiring to win the highest office - and to reach 10 Downing Street. But only one man can do it. Archer, the master storyteller that he is, narrates in detail the lives of each men - the ups and downs each must face - and winds it up with the final battle. The suspense is gripping and the man who becomes the Prime Minister is revealed only in the very last paragraph of the novel. Overall a great story... hats off.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 tight election races by political insider
Review: (The following refers to the unabridged audiobook version) First Among Equals profiles the lives of four fictional British politicians from their entry into the House of Commons until one becomes Prime Minister. Since Archer was a politician through some of the period that First Among Equals covers, the novel possesses an insider's knowledge. It also contains scheming, shady deals, sex, personal tragedy and terrorism. It is an enjoyable story but a little too orchestrated to be plausible. Archer starts by introducing the reader to four different characters, all of whom have different skills and different reasons for wanting to be the Prime Minister. While the reader is given some background on the characters, the novel really begins in earnest with the 1964 British general election. Two are Conservative Party and two are Labour Party members. For the next 27 years, Archer guides the readers through the ups and downs of the men's careers, their personal challenges, and their conflicts. The reader gets a sense of the hard work and sacrifice that is required for a politician to be a good MP and Cabinet Minister. It is also clear that good luck has a lot to do with progress; supporting the right leadership candidate at the right time and picking the right issues to tackle. Archer tells a story and tells it well. He effectively builds suspense, can lead the reader in one direction and then switch direction quickly. First Among Equals is also not a nasty novel. Even the rogues have their redeeming points and are sometimes portrayed sympathetically. First Among Equals is a good read although I did have some problems. I did find some of the election races just too close. Archer's twists of direction began to get predictable and manipulative. The box cover indicated that only one of the four could get to be Prime Minister and the novel does end with one's appointment. However, the novel doesn't exclude the possibility of another individual achieving the Prime Ministership later. I was also very disappointed by the ultimate resolution of the novel. The last chapter struck me as unrealistic and contrived. I just could not believe that it would actually happen as Archer described it. Archer constructed a Lady and the Tiger ending without any explanation for the ultimate decision. I also had a bit of difficulty believing that politicians are as straightforward as most of the ones portrayed. Still, First Among Equals is enjoyable and educational to some degree. Politics and politicians can be quite boring. First Among Equals definitely is not boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Was it all worth it???
Review: 466 pages with the most predictable ending any decent reader can think of. I had to read it for Uni, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted the money. I would suggest Mr. Archer to spend less time designing his covers and give the stuff inside some place in his head. I'm serious.
Rating:
Summary: Rooting for Characters I Don't Even Like
Review: A first-class effort by Archer. Of the four primary characters, three were compelling men whom the reader pulled for up until the very end. As a man of the right, I found the two Labour men to be the most sympathetic figures in the book. Politicians, even the best of 'em, have their secrets. Archer serves to bring that out in spades. But, in the end, most of them -- at their core (we hope) -- have some spark of idealism. Would that, in real life, both sides were as more or less honorable as Archer would have it . . . we'd all be okay. In any event, a first class effort, even if one knows little or nothing about politics in the UK. Even though it was written in 1984, it's still worth one's time in the 21st Century.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't know why?
Review: After reading all the raves, I bought this book. What a disappointment! First, none of the characters had depth, personality or held my interest with the exception of the storeies surrounding Fraser and Kerslake. The plot was thin, or maybe I am just not interested in the innerworkings of British Parliament. However, I read it all, turning each page, waiting for something to happen. Someone tell me what I am missing here.
Rating:
Summary: Tell me Why?
Review: After reading all the raves, I bought this book. What a disappointment! First, none of the characters had depth, personality or held my interest with the exception of the stories surrounding Fraser and Kerslake. The plot was thin, or maybe I am just not interested in the innerworkings of British Parliament. However, I read it all, turning each page, waiting for something to happen. Someone tell me what I am missing here.
Rating: 
Summary: I would say it was bad, but I can't lie.
Review: An extremely satisfying piece of workand a modern classic to be enjoyedby all and sundry.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfactory to the needs of the bereaved
Review: An ingenios story in which one perseveres and has faith in themselves till the dewpoint
Rating:
Summary: The Greasy Pole
Review: Anyone who says Lord Archer never wrote a good book is being uncharitable. Old Jeffrey, who is presently spending time at Her Majesty's pleasure, wrote one good book, and this, the story of four parliamentarians climbing the "greasy pole" of Westminster politics (to use Disraeli's expression), is it. Archer is writing about what he knows, since he was a British MP (before the Aquablast scandal forced his retirement). Other books about British politics are available but this one conveys the urgency of what it's like to be a "man in a hurry," to use another expression often associated with ambitious members of the House of Commons. Just goes to show that anyone can write a good book if they stick to what they know.
Rating:
Summary: The Greasy Pole
Review: Anyone who says Lord Archer never wrote a good book is being uncharitable. Old Jeffrey, who is presently spending time at Her Majesty's pleasure, wrote one good book, and this, the story of four parliamentarians climbing the "greasy pole" of Westminster politics (to use Disraeli's expression), is it. Archer is writing about what he knows, since he was a British MP (before the Aquablast scandal forced his retirement). Other books about British politics are available but this one conveys the urgency of what it's like to be a "man in a hurry," to use another expression often associated with ambitious members of the House of Commons. Just goes to show that anyone can write a good book if they stick to what they know.
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