Only Time Will Tell is the first novel in the Clifton Chronicles. Penned by best-selling English author Jeffrey Archer, the book follows young Harry Clifton as he grows from boy to man. Set in pre-World War II England, Time frequently switches narrators, allowing each character to reveal a little more about the mystery surrounding Harry’s father.
Archer is a good storyteller and his writing is fast-paced and entertaining. Harry is a likeable and morally upright protagonist and I couldn’t help rooting for his success. Unfortunately I felt most of the other characters were formulaic, unrealistic, and lacking in dimension. Though the book has quite the cliffhanger so readers will want more, my journey with Harry Clifton ends here.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 5 religious exclamations; 17 mild obscenities; 5 derogatory names; 1 anatomical term.
Violence/Gore: Several reports of violence involving war and brawls. A character is beaten and a male character punches and kicks a woman. There are several non-detailed scenes of violent death involving death by suffocation and death by torpedo.
Sex/Nudity: A few scenes of kissing and romance; several sexual references are made; several incidents of implied or reported sexual activity; sexual activity without explicit detail occurs three times between adults and twice between minors.
Mature Subject Matter:
Bullying, incest, adultery, child born out of wedlock, prostitution, war, death
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Characters frequently drink and smoke.
