As the Crow Flies (1991)

Again I read one more great story from JA. My favorite story teller. I wonder how can the author make so many twists in one story and finally brought to a good end. ( )

An amazing journey from rags to riches showing that working hard and having a focused dream pays off. Archer carefully crafts each character and each event in a way that keeps his readers attention.

I really enjoy reading a generational novel depicting the success of a family related to hard work, following in the footsteps of others who have worked hard all their lives. Charlie Trumper's vision rests on the morals of his grandfather who began selling vegetables on a corner lot. An excellent read! ( )

The Honest Trader... When Charlie Trumper inherits his grandfather's fruit and vegetable barrow, he inherits as well his enterprising spirit, which gives Charlie the drive to lift himself out of the poverty of Whitechapel, in London's East End. Success, however, does not come easily or quickly, particularly when World War I sends Charlie into combat and into an ongoing struggle with a vengeful enemy who will not rest until Charlie is destroyed.

As the crow flies, it is only a few short miles from Whitechapel to ChelseaTterrace where Trumper's, the world's largest department store, will have its beginnings. But for Charlie Trumper, following threads of love, ambition, and revenge, it will be an epic journey that carries him across three continents and through the triumphs and disasters of the twentieth century, all leading toward the fulfillment of his greatest dream. ( )

This is a rags-to-riches tale of East End barrow-boys, supermarkets, boardroom politics, war and vegetables. If anyone had told me in advance I would really like it I would have laughed, but looking back I know I was gripped by it. It is full of twists and turns, cliffhangers and things that seem to mean one thing and actually mean another. ( )