[.ca] A Prison Diary (ISBN 0312321864)

An insight into the prison system:
Jeffrey Archer gives a great insight into the UK prison systems which is certainly a punishment. For anybody wishing to learn about prison and have an interest in this subject I highly recommned it. Those fans of Jeffrey Archer or even to those that do not have any interest I recommened this book. It reaffirms that prison are a suitable punishment for crimes however there can be improvements. Read this first book and a I guarantee you will get hooked and read all 3 that will be published.

only good for learning about conditions in a British prison:
I have read several of Jeffrey Archer's books and, in particular, his short stories which are really good. This book is whiny and has no plot at all. However, it does give a lot of insight into the British prison system. In fact, Archer, being a lord, is not really treated badly at all in comparison to the other prisoners. What is good is that we do learn about their stories, experiences and treatments. I gave this book 2 stars for the knowledge I gained from it, but it's hard to say that I enjoyed it.

Very good and true to life...:
...the nick must be better than it was in 1970 ;) Thermos, radio, chocolate biscuits, track suits WOW! Extremely well written and memorized. How was Ronnie Biggs? That saddens me! British Tory in California

Superbly narrated by Martin Jarvis:
Jeffrey Archer was elected to the British House of Commons in 1969 and was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985. He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1992. On July 19, 2001, Jeffrey archer (an internationally known and best selling author as well) was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury. He became Prisoner FF8282 and spent the first 22 days of his sentence in a high-security British prison. Archer was moved to the Lifer's wing for the security it provided and became a trusted confidant for fellow convicts (his cellmate sold a story about him to the British Tabloids). A Prison Diary is Archer's candid account of his life behind bars. Superbly narrated by Martin Jarvis, this highly recommended New Millennium six-cassette audiobook edition is complete and unabridged with a running time of 8 hours.

Light at the end of the tunnel for Archer...:
That's how I would describe this book. Archer, upper middle class, MP, Deputy Chairman of the Tories finally faced the music when he was sentenced for obstruction of justice. Whether he is guilty or not doesn't really matter as there will always be two sides to the coin. What is interesting however is that Archer, who have had a very comfortable life prior to his sentence was placed into the prison. All of a sudden, a free man to a convict. The book simply describes his life in the prison. His daily routines and little things that happen each day. Though it may sound boring, it was actually a plesant read. I often imagined what it was like to be in his shoes and whether I could handle what he was going through. Do not expect the book to be one of his masterpiece with plots. This is a simple book about a man who enjoyed all the best in life and suddenly having all that taken away from him. He was able to bring to the reader a sense of humour, saddness and curiosity to life in prison. Prior to reading the book, I thought criminals deserve their time... after the book, I wonder whether society has done all it can to accomodate these people. Whether he is guilty or not I do not know... what I would love to see is that Archer can use this unique experience in helping others who are in need... Not an Archer fan... but I've just purchased First Among Equals.