First Among Equals

I found this a completely absorbing read from the beginning. I'm not sure what a British reader would make of it, but as an American and admitted anglophile, I found it fascinating to get a look inside Britain's parliamentary system and politics by following four characters who aspire to be the "first among equals"--the Prime Minister. Archer himself was a member of parliament, so there's an authority and sympathy to his depiction of the wheeling and dealing and temptations of the office. The prologue gives us the background of the four men we'll be following. Blue blood Charles Seymour is the son of an Earl and a Tory, as is self-made man Simon Kerslake. The Scottish Andrew Fraser was born to politics--into a conservative family, but show more he winds up in the Labour Party. Raymond Gould from Yorkshire, another Labour Party MP, comes from a humble background--but has brilliance and ambition to burn. I definitely had my favorites from the beginning--I certainly found both Simon Kerslake on the Tory side and Andrew Fraser on the Labour side more likable than their rivals. Fraser's story at one point even came close to moving me to tears. Although Gould had his moments and gradually grew on me. And even Seymour turns out to have a redeeming quality and Kerslake and Fraser their flaws and temptations. Several lines in the book were really witty and striking, and I was amused by the political cartoons included in the edition I read. I found watching the four men's tightrope act at the heights of power as suspenseful as any action-laden thriller.

I didn't much like Archer's Kane and Abel, but this book I enjoyed a lot. One thing some readers may find jarring. Though the book follows events until 1991, it was published in 1984, which makes for some goofs when Archer's crystal ball showed cracks. (For one, American President Gary Hart.) I have to admit though--I'm not just an anglophile but a political junkie--one who worked as a campaign staffer and political science was my college major. So I can imagine those less interested in politics might be less entranced. show less

A very light read, enjoyable in that you re-visit characters from the earlier books in the series, meet new ones, have villains & heroes, and throw in just a smidge of mystery. Fun but not too deep.

It's a very interesting insight into the British politic and parliament, especially for a non British citizen like me. It describes the political career of four men which are from different parts of Great Britain and also from different political parties. They are more or less equal in age but not in their social background. Everyone of them is following other ambitions to become one day Prime Minister or to be called for an important job within its party. There are few friendships and it looks like cheating is very common.
I enjoyed the reading very much and Jeffrey Archer's spelling style is as always fabulous.

This novel covers the lives of four quite different men who begin their parliamentary careers together, up until the point at which one of them becomes Prime-minister. As Jeffrey Archer is intimately acquainted with the seedier side of politics, this novel does have some authenticity about it. It is difficult to believe that UK politics are described without some minor embellishment here, but it is not so overdone that it is not all quite believable. Of the four men, two start off as good, and two bad, one of each for Labour and the Conservatives, but there is some change to this throughout the novel, which covers around 30 years. Though the main characters are fictional, the other events are roughly based on what actually happened over show more this time in British politics. Archer is a long way from being a literary novelist, but this is not the sort of book that needs to be that well written to work, it has excitement and suspense, and I presume it will please fans of the genre. It also shows us what goes on in a world that few of us directly experience, and the goings on in the government that do affect us, however slightly, in the course of our lives. I enjoyed the book as I'm going through a phase of being interested in politics, but if I wasn't interested in this I would probably not have enjoyed it very much. show less

First Among Equals is a novel about english politics - it follows four men of roughly equal ages from varying backgrounds and varying parts of the United Kingdom as they pursue careers in politics, ultimately aiming for the top job in their respective parties.

Initially I found the first 50 pages were a bit lacklustre however once the story got going and the political machinations commenced I found it was quite an interesting tale. The scheming, conniving and affairs that took place within the men's rise in power were well structured in the novel and I liked how the events unfolded towards the end of the story and the structure of the ending itself was a nice touch.

If one enjoys novels about politics then First Among Equals is very much show more worth a look. show less

I rather liked this slightly soapy tale of political life. Because Archer has been there and done it, the story has a certain authenticity, though I'm sure it has been greatly simplified. I thought the characters were well drawn, avoiding too much stereotyping. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the ending, and the convenient personality transplant of one of the main characters

I can't get enough of this crap. A page turner, details the rise and rise of 4 contemporary politicians, until one is finally crowned Prime Minister. Gripping, utter rubbish.