Rating: 
Summary: Who wrote this nonsense?
Review: Being a fan of Mr. Archer's from way back, I was delighted to see that he was back on track and making good use of his confinement. Boy, was I wrong! This novel reads like Danielle Steel wrote it- full of trite phrases and hokey dialogue that only shows that Mr. Archer must not be conversing a great deal lately. Also, the time frames do not match up with the characters: if they are twins, Nat goes to Vietnam when he is in his first year of college, (18) stays 2 years and comes back when he is 19? Simultaneously, his "twin" is now at Yale Law? Huh?
The worst part of the book is the ending- (stop here if you don't want to know...)a rival reveals secrets that lead Nat's talented and sensitive son to suicide (even though it had NOTHING to do with him..) and the two brothers find themselves at last- only to agree never to acknowledge each other. Neither of these incidents stop them from campaigning for governor...
Rating: 
Summary: A good start but a wimpering end
Review: The author was able to weave two stories pretty well for the first half of the book but then he went into an overdrive to finish up the rest of the book. The end is rushed, he did not take time to flesh some of the characters out and then rushes to end the book. It is like starting a good dinner with a great appetizer and then a okay entre and a bad or poor desert. He normally finishes well in most of his books. It was a let down at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling story. Mindboggling effort...
Review: But it coulda' been a better read. I like Jeffery Archer's work, but it seems like he bit off more than he could chew in this one. There was so much stuff happening to so many people that most of it got much shorter shrift than it deserved. Maybe the 400 pages he crammed it on to just weren't enough. It made for a sad lack of depth, given the story's potential, and for a rough and choppy flow, which wounds even the most engaging of stories.I am an identical twin who lost her twin (in an automobile accident) and have worked in twin loss at a national level in the past, and found that Archer's representation of the twins-separated-at-birth part of this saga doesn't ring quite true for me. Twins bond in utero. I know a true story of a toddler whose twin died at birth, who didn't even know she was a twin yet, who always asked her mother for two of everything: apples, crackers, ice-cream, teacups. I also know that parents of one twin dead-at-birth and one twin survivor bend over backwards to make the dead twin part of their lives, with birthday celebrations which include him, and visits to the cemetery when it's age appropriate. Nat would have been longing and yearning for his twin all of his life. Even if a 1940s repressed and restrained life had allowed him to know nothing more than he simply was a surviving twin, his heart would have often ached for his twin. And Fletcher would have been tormented with mysterious longings of his own. He would have sometimes felt empty, oddly alone and lonely, strangely incomplete and not whole, and would not have been able to name it. Actually, given the range that Archer attempted in this story, I'm amazed he did as well as he did... which was about a C. Maybe.
Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: The problem with an author like Archer is that he will always be measured up against Kane and Abel and he will always fall short. He desperately tried to make The Fourth Estate another Kane and Abel and failed - it is the same case for Sons of Fortune. Perhaps he is no longer concerned about exploring new literary avenues - perhaps he wishes to stick to his tried and tested formula to guarantee good sales. The book is above-average, which can be expected of Archer. He writes well within his own limitations here - he knows he is no Salman Rushdie. In the end, I would say that the book is worth a read - but don't raise your expectations sky high.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved Sons of Fortune
Review: Great Read! Marvelous storytelling - a totally enjoyable book.
Rating:
Summary: not worth a read
Review: i've always liked Archer's books-----but this one was a big let down. i can't believe that the same author wrote books like NOT A PENNY LESS NOT A PENNY MORE & SHALL WE TELL THE PRESIDENT. the auhtor borrows heavily from his previous books--be it Nat reffering to paintings as mistresses(short story),or his son hanging himself on finding out that his grandmotherwas a prostitute(similar to daniels death in AS THE CROW FLIES) or even the love story of the twins parents-which is very similar to the short story AN OLD LOVE. this book is a waste of time and money-both which may be used to buy and read better stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Archer
Review: This book is written in a typical archer style, following the lives of two separate boys and the different paths they take. A very entertaining read that keeps the reader attached wanting to see how each boy's life unfolds. With many of Archer's books the story is let down by the ending tends to unroll in a very predictable fashion. Overall a good, easy and enjoyable read. - 4 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Standard Archer, but ruined by errors
Review: (This is based on the British edition of this book, which I expect is almost identical to the American edition.) I think Jeffrey Archer's best book was his first (Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less) but his other books have been entertaining. Sons of Fortune is much like Kane & Abel, but the two men whose fates are entwined are actually twins, unknown to each other because they were separated at birth without knowledge of the parents. Not plausible, but suspend disbelief for the sake of the story. The two men's lives are followed from birth, and they run in parallel without ever quite meeting through most of the book. Both go into politics, and eventually compete directly against each other. The problem that I couldn't get past is the book's completely wrong description of how American elections work (especially the Connecticut gubernatorial primary and general elections). I suppose that Parliamentary elections may work as shown here, but ours don't (and Archer should certainly know it). Most major plot elements in the last third of the book rely on impossible electoral events. The errors aren't small, and can't be overlooked by anyone who's ever seen election results. Even without the errors, this would be Archer's weakest novel. With the errors, it's almost impossible to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story of Twins Separated at Birth
Review: Jeffrey Archer remains one of the most riveting story-tellers in contemporary fiction. Although SONS OF FORTUNE may not be another KANE AND ABEL, I was thoroughly enchanted and caught up in this story of Nat Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport. A meddling nurse decides to play God and let one woman who gives birth to twins think one of them has died. She gives the other twin to her employer who has difficulty carrying a baby to full-term. So begins the story of two young boys whose lives parallel each other in remarkable ways through triumphs and tragedies. Nat grows up in his natural parents middle-class lifestyle while Fletcher becomes the heir to a wealthy family's largesse. Their days at boarding school and college are told in such a way that only enhances Archer's reputation as a master storyteller, albeit not so perfect on all factual information. Nat becomes a VietNam hero, Fletcher becomes a community savior. Both have lucrative careers in New York, but are brought back to their hometown in Connecticut. They are propelled into political careers that have them both running for Governor of the state. Meanwhile, an old nemesis of both is murdered and one stands trial while the other defends him. All the while, the reader is breathlessly waiting for the BIG NEWS to be revealed. Will anyone notice the similarities as they stand side by side? Will their innate connection tip anyone off to the true story? Will their lives change dramatically if the truth is ever revealed? Unfortunately, an otherwise great book falters terribly in the final section. Senseless tragedy in each man's family only compounded this reader's frustration. After being dumbstruck at the ending, I can only offer this to those of you who share my feelings at the ending: go back and read the beginning of Chapter 31 and then reread the last paragraph when the mayor TURNS AROUND to face the two candidates. Not perfect, but I still found it well worth reading and totally enjoyable if not a bit let-down by what could have been the most tear-jerking reunion ever, but wasn't.
Rating:
Summary: His worst
Review: This improbable (more like impossible) story is so filled with gaps and poor research it would be laughable even from a first time author. Mr. Archer seems to have no knowledge of how the draft lottery worked (selected by birthdate) as one twin recieves a notice yet the other doesn't, nor how deferements worked. He never bothered to find out the difference between a Warrant Officer and a Commissioned Officer in the US military. He mish mash of time has a college junior starting law school. Then, of course, is his complete ignorance of how either primary elections or a general elaction for Governor works. Perhaps Mr. Archer should invest some of his royalties in a researcher to get at least some of the details right. Other then that the charaters are cardboard and the dialogue mostly childish. This book is a severe disappointment even by Mr. Archer's standards.
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