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  • A Prisoner of Birth

  • By: Jeffrey Archer
  • Narrated by: Roger Allam
  • Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (256 ratings)

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A Prisoner of Birth

By: Jeffrey Archer
Narrated by: Roger Allam
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Publisher's Summary

Nominated for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2008.

You heard it here first: The unabridged edition of A Prisoner of Birth is only available as a download.

This download also includes an interview with Jeffrey Archer about A Prisoner of Birth.

Danny Cartwright and Spencer Craig were born on different sides of the track.

Danny, an East End Cockney, leaves Clement Attlee Comprehensive School at the age of 15 to take up a job at a local garage. He falls in love with Beth, the boss's daughter, and asks her to marry him.

Spencer Craig resides in the West End. A graduate of an English public school and Cambridge University, he becomes a criminal barrister and is soon tipped to be the youngest Queen's Counsel of his generation.

Danny and Beth travel up to the West End to celebrate their engagement. They end the evening in a wine bar where Spencer Craig is also celebrating - his 30th birthday, along with a select group of university chums.

Their lives will never be the same again. For, an hour later, one of them is arrested for murder, while the other ends up as the prosecution's chief witness in an Old Bailey trial.

©2008 Jeffrey Archer (P)2008 Macmillan Digital Audio

Critic Reviews

"Bestseller Archer...pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about A Prisoner of Birth

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    5 out of 5 stars

As good as always - love Jeff Archer

Great book - great story & great narrator - would recommend to all & great on a long road trip.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable 😉 Read

enjoyable experience and I would recommend to anyone. Ending was great and written fabulous as always

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love it

I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t wait to consume it all. As usual there were some far fetched plot lines, but I was riveted all the way!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping yarn

Loved this book, the narration and story kept me enthralled. The characters were very believable.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Les
  • 19-01-2022

Great story great characters. Well told

Excellent piece of fiction which was very well narrated. Could not stop listening once I started playing

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best story leave read and listened to

This is a story well worth listening to. I have listened to it many times over as well as having read the book. It starts a bit slow with the court case then never looks back. Definitely deserves to be nominated in top 100.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling reading, couldn't stop listening.

What made the experience of listening to A Prisoner of Birth the most enjoyable?

I had to know that justice was served and the plot was more intriguing than I expected

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Prisoner of Birth?

When the lead loses the appeal, normally it is all over then

Which character – as performed by Roger Allam – was your favourite?

The main character.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Your a diamond

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  • Overall
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Brilliant

Jeffrey Archer is a fantastic story teller and this book is wonderfully read. A A

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    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

This is a great story and a very clever, modern reflection of The Count of Monte Cristo. Roger Allan brings it to life wonderfully. I wish Archer had made it as epic as Dumas paced unfolding of plotting and revenge. it seemed to be over so easily and quickly as it raced toward the ending. I would like to have had more feeling and detail given to the characters experiences rather than it being left to my imagination. Who am I to criticise a great writer though!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The story was outstanding story telling

Outstanding character development. Brilliant narration, I thought 7 people were in within the book. Especially enjoyed the Glasweigen. Thank you Mr Archer for yet another brilliant book. I now have the whole set on Audible, please transfer more.

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