Heads You Win

Product Information

As you well know, Vladimir, only party members live on the first three floors. But I’m sure that once you’ve joined the KGB, you’ll come down in the world.” Because he’s a shifty little bastard, just like his father. Be sure you never trust him with a secret, because it will have been passed on to the KGB before you’ve reached home.” An interesting story. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had made a different choice at some point in your life? This novel explores that idea.

Now, let's be clear, Jeffrey Archer, and his sagas, are pure fun. When I requested this book from Netgalley it was because I knew that I was in for a good time. I'm closing in on my final months in school and the last thing I wanted was to be weighed down with some heavy, philosophical read. I wanted what Archer delivers. He delivers a good, exceptional guy, up against a seemingly endless supply of people trying to take him down. Although he triumphs (usually), it doesn't make the ride any less interesting. Archer proves time and time again with his works that good will always win. It is here that the story gets very interesting because the author decided to write two stories of how their lives play out on both continents. We follow Alex and Elena as their life unfolds in the states. And we follow Sasha and his mother as their life unfolds in Britain. While there are some similarities regarding what happens to each young man, there are also significant differences. But in each case, whether it be Alex or Sasha, they both lead of life of honor, hard work and commitment.See you in the morning,” said Vladimir, ignoring his friend’s jibe as he began to climb the remaining four flights. Part 5 where the characters get confused for each other when they visit each other's country was a nice touch. Gorbachev's USSR is painted pretty badly. From this point on the novel diverges into two different stories. One follows young Alexander and his mother as they embark on a new life in New York City. The other follows their new life in London ... where Alexander has changed his name to Sasha. Initially I found this a little confusing but soon settled in and followed the two different story lines. It was a little amusing when Sasha traveled to New York and encountered people who knew Alex and when Alex traveled to London and encountered people who knew Sasha. Would Alex and Sasha meet? It was at these moments when I started to wonder if I was reading a science fiction novel instead of a historical fiction novel.

Hardly surprising,” said Konstantin. “Otherwise he’d have no chance of joining the KGB, which is the natural habitat for that particular piece of pond life.” So... in conclusion... Jeffrey Archer's Heads You Win is definitely a worthwhile read... and possibly the beginning of something else... Anyway... I enjoyed reading Heads You Win and look forward to whats next from this author (or this series).

As they continued walking, Alexander realized they were both avoiding the one subject that was never far from their minds. Archer has merged real life incidents and politics so well with this fictional character that you begin to wonder if this is fiction at all or a true story! His knowledge and grasp on politics and his master story telling make an immensely satisfying read. The narration makes you want to keep reading and get lost in the plot. This one is another winner by Archer. Highly recommended! The concept is original - for this reader at least - although you could maybe think of the film Sliding Doors. The opening, set in Russia, describes the happy family life of a gifted boy whose father is brutally murdered by the KGB, for planning to set up a trade union contrary to the ideology of communist Russia at the time. This, and the brutal treatment of his mother, by an abusive army officer, result in the need for Alexander and his mother, Elena, to make a hasty exit from the native land which now threatens their lives. Arrangements are hurriedly made for them to be smuggled out, in a crate, on a freight ship and it is a toss of the coin which decides whether they climb into one bound for America or one bound for England. Heads You Win is the incredible and thrilling novel by the master storyteller and bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer.

In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander’s future. During an epic tale of fate and fortune, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow his triumphs and defeats as he struggles as an immigrant to conquer his new world. As this unique story unfolds, Alexander comes to realize where his destiny lies, and accepts that he must face the past he left behind in Russia. There must have a been a great deal of research involved in writing this novel - is this a part of the writing process that you particularly enjoy? No. I believe in damned hard work and the following maxim: if you have energy and talent you’ll be a king; If you have energy and no talent you are still a prince; but if you have talent and no energy, you will be a pauper. Because if Alexander is to win that scholarship and go to Moscow, he will have to be fluent in the language of our enemies.” Alexander and his morher must leave Russia, after their lives are endangered by the perfidy of friend, Vladimir. There are 2 ships they can take, one going to England and the other to the USA. Here Archer follows the life that Alex/Sasha would have followed on each of the different paths.

WE ARE OPEN AGAIN!

Alexander Karpenko HAS TO escape Russia...and he does, with help of a cargo boat and his uncle. Interestingly enough, he and his mother decide where to go and which boat to take...with a flip of the coin! How often have we decided things in this manner? Heads, New York. Tails, London.

The plot centres around a young boy barely in his teens, Alexander Kapenko, and his mother. As a boy Alexander shows high intelligence, good scholarship and leadership abilities. He has a boyhood acquaintance who has no ambition for higher education, but has a goal to become a member of the KGB through duplicity or any means necessary. True artistry, you’ll notice the difference immediately. Color that is squeezed from a tube and applied with a brush. This approach to color pigment art is preferred by better salons across the globe! Let me say first and foremost that I won an ARC of this book for my review from St. Martin’s Press~ THANK YOU!!!! Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy is different. Conventional straighteners or relaxers may break the protein bonds within the hair’s structure, causing each strand to reform into a permanently straight shape. Jeffrey Archer knows his history of politics in Britain and business in America. Which gives this story an appeal like no other. Trials and tribulations, love with wrong then right, unsavory characters and men of honor.In America, Alex and his mother are dependent on the apparent kindness of a Russian named Dimitri, a man Alex suspects to be a spy. But Alex’s biggest problem, apart from pursuing his dream of wealth while attending NYU, is the draft and Vietnam, a war that will haunt him for the rest of his life. This being America, Elena does not open a posh restaurant, but puts together a chain of pizza parlors. So begins a twin storyline, a storyline that follows them to both locations, or what would have been their lives after chosing which destination. That I found this not at all confusing, so interesting in fact, is the genius, in my opinion, of this author. Where their lives take them will eventually intersect but with very different endings. The last line is a zinger, dare I say brilliant, and I did not see it coming.