Just finished reading this and started typing because later I might forget what I wanted to say.
This is a story about Nat Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport, twin brothers who get separated at birth. They both are brought up by different families, attend different schools and go on to pursue different careers. One becomes a successful banker and the other a senator. At one point it so happens that one brother has to defend the other in a murder trial. Later on, they both contend for Governor. Yes it sounds so cliché but wait till you read the book, it gets more cliché.
If you want to know the story just read the back cover of the book. It is the narrative that keeps you reading. Calling it ‘narrative’ makes it sound a bit boring, because there are also twists and suspense and courtroom drama (only twice but still!) and the success stories of the two brothers. The story weave is just perfect. It is not always you find a book that makes the most normal, mundane things interesting.
‘Leaders are born not made’ – the classical leadership theory says so. Both Nat and Fletcher were ‘born’ leaders not ‘made’. I really enjoyed reading their speeches. They’re all too political, yes, but they make good sense.
There is this villain Ralph Elliot. He seems to bother both Nat and Fletcher for no apparent reason, just for the fun of it. Ok that might not be true but there is no more to this character in the book so I’ll assume anything want. He does villainous things because that’s what villains do!
Also, except for this villain, there are no other hurdles to both the heroes. Their lives are so easy – bed of roses. Then again, I cannot complain about this because, this IS the reason why I watch movies or read books. I want to read stories that restore your faith. If I wanted to know a story that is close to REALITY, I might as well ask the person sitting next to me in a bus or somewhere, about his/her life. I wouldn’t bother sitting up late at night and read this 500 page book.
Nat and Fletcher will come to know in a not-so-unusual way that they’re brothers. But the dialogue between them after that is too cheesy. For me anyway. Gets tiresome towards the end. I felt the suspense was too long – ‘the counting of the ballots’ was the suspense here! I had to skip through those pages not because I couldn’t wait to know the end; I just wanted to finish it!
If you have read Kane and Abel, you might have the feeling that the author wanted so badly to write another book with a similar plot. But it is a good read on the whole.
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