KANE AND ABELBy Jeffrey Archer

About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was born in 1974 in London

Best-selling English author and former politician

Writes fiction novels, short stories and plays

First Book: Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

Many novels have been made into television mini-series

Writing style

Master story teller His novels are full of twists and turns

that keep the readers hooked Spends considerable time writing and re-

writing each book; Writes up to seventeen drafts for a single book

About the book

Written by Jeffrey archer in 1979 Sold in staggering numbers: a million

copies in its first week, two million within a month and more than 34 million to date

Currently in its 83rd edition The publisher estimates that 100 million

people may have read it Considered the best work of Jeffrey

Archer

Synopsis

This book tells you the story of two men, Kane and Abel, born on the same day – 19th April and how their destinies intertwine

The name “Kane and Abel” is taken from Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam

Contains references to major events such as the World War I, World War II and the Great Depression of 1930

Focal point – mutual hate between the protagonists which finally blossoms into solidarity

Summary

On the same day, on opposite sides of the globe, two boys are born

William Kane is the son of a wealthy Boston banking conglomerate

Abel Rosnovski is the orphaned child of a Polish peasant William's life is shaped by wealth, political connections,

and an Ivy League education. Abel's will is honed as he escapes Russian imprisonment and fights his way to the United States for a better life

When a banking deal goes awry between William's company and Abel's hotelier employer, Abel is left at the helm of one of the largest hotel chains in the country and face-to-face with his new arch-enemy, William Kane

Protagonists: William Kane

Born with a silver spoon and into a family of bankers, he proves to be good with numbers and blessed with business acumen

Kane Sr. dies in the Titanic accident, leaving Kane Jr. in charge of the Kane & Cabot Bank

He graduates from Harvard, keeps tabs on his mother’s husband, Henry Osbourne, a money swindler

When Kane’s mother suffers from a miscarriage and dies; he throws Osbourne out of his house and presumably, his life

But there is another twist in this twisted story

Protagonists: Abel Rosnovski Was initially called Wladek Koskiewicz Born in a forest and raised by a trapper family After his many adventures and close encounters

with death in Poland (his birthplace), Siberia and Turkey, makes it to the Land of Dreams – America and rechristens himself as Abel

Starts his life as a waiter in a hotel while taking classes at Columbia University

Abel manages to impress Davis Leroy, the head of Richmond Hotels and is appointed manager of the flagship hotels

Plot

It’s Great Depression, 1930 and Davis is unable to find a backer. Davis commits suicide, leaving everything to Abel

Abel renders Kane responsible for Davis’s suicide (since Kane & Cabot denied them any money whatsoever) and that’s when this Mahabharata of American proportions starts

Richmond Hotels is however bailed out, by an anonymous benefactor

Abel changes the name of hotel to Baron and builds a successful hotel chain

Abel collaborates with Henry Osborne and plans to ruin Kane and his bank

The TWIST

Who is this anonymous benefactor? What happens when Kane and Abel cross

their path during World War II? What happens when Richard Kane and

Floryentina Rosnovski falls in love? Will it pacify the enmity between two or

will it intensify it?

My opinion

I think it is a great novel; you can’t put it down till you have turned the last page

Full of twists and turns; and near-misses Emotional saga; Good for mature

readers, readers who are into suspense, drama, intrigue and romance

Especially liked the attention and detail paid to each character as we are taken into their lives

My opinion

Some things I was not happy about: The war episode was a little irrelevant. The

author wanted to make a point but it was feeble.

Richard and Floryentina’s story is a stereotype

Final Verdict: 8.5/10; Must Read

Social Relevance

The highlights of the novel were: How ruthless and cutthroat the business

world is The impact of friendship and family The fruitlessness of rivalry

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