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Hell
- A Prison Diary 1
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
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Hell
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Summary
Prisoner FF8282 gazes out from confinement on what he deems must be a glorious summer's day, rays of sunlight bursting through the barred windows of his cell.
Within the thick prison walls separating society from its dangerous criminals, a multitude of harrowing fates unfold, seldomly explored by the public. First-time offenders thrown in cells with hardened criminals, several inmates becoming heroin addicts and a system riddled with flaws. However, even in prison the sunlight cannot be kept out.
Thursday 19 July 2001, following a seven-week perjury trial, international, bestselling author Jeffrey Archer was sentenced to four years in prison; the first twenty-two days and fourteen hours of which were spent in the notorious HMP Belmarsh facility in south London. This experience led to Archer’s best-selling volumes, The Prison Diaries, a detailed, hour-by-hour recollection of his time spent amongst criminals in the high-security prison, housing murderers, terrorists and some of Britain’s most violent criminals. Still under these harsh circumstances, Archer manages to show that like the rays of sunlight pushing through heavy bars, humanity can be found even in the inferno of hell.
Hell is the first volume in the series, offering the author’s firsthand depiction of prison life, while simultaneously highlighting a system failing society as a whole and as individuals, where inmates leave worse off and more dangerous than when they first entered.
Jeffrey Archer is a bestselling British author and former politician. He was educated at Oxford and went on to become a Member of Parliament, the deputy chair of the Conservative Party as well as sitting in the House of Lords. His political career ended in scandal and he turned to writing and he has been published in over 275 million copies worldwide.
He is perhaps most famous for the Clifton Chronicles and his blockbuster "Kane and Abel" which was number one on the New York Time’s Bestseller list and inspired a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill.
After he was imprisoned for perjury in 2001, he wrote his highly acclaimed non-fiction series, Prison Diaries - Hell, Purgatory and Heaven - which were inspired by his experiences and loosely structured around Dante's Divine Comedy.
What listeners say about Hell
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Charlene Leith
- 10-01-22
Interesting
Love his books so have this a go and I wasn’t disappointed. Easy listening but asp fascinating at times. Great insight into the stories of his fellow inmates.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Donny M
- 02-01-22
Worth a listen for sure.
Good story and told well. Not too different from other prison diaries. Only thing that annoyed me was when his Toffness came out such as acting like he had never heard of Coco Pops.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John Davenport
- 12-05-23
No punches pulled
I always knew the prison service was under pressure but this opened my eyes. And that was 21 years ago !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan V.
- 26-01-22
An Enjoyable Listen
Not being a Jeffrey Archer fan I am so pleased that I didn't let the author put me off when I saw it included in the Audible Plus Catalogue as I would have missed out on a bloody good read. Not only is it a good listen but I found myself laughing out loud during some of it and have now started the second book in the series. I'm not going to write paragraph after paragraph about this book and it's good and bad points, It's free, give it a go and if you don't like it all you've wasted is a little time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adaline
- 05-12-21
Compelling
I’ve really enjoyed this book and can’t praise it highly enough. It had my complete attention from the very beginning.
I’ve always loved Jeffrey Archer but this is his best yet.
Well narrated by Jonathan Keeble, although his Irish accent is a bit off. We all do not speak with the Northern Irish lilt.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Vicuña
- 01-01-22
Excellent narration and heartfelt account
Archer is an author I avoided for two or three decades. But I realised he’s an excellent storyteller and I’ve joined his prison years a little late.
It appears to be an honest and at times heartbreaking account. Following a guilty verdict for a non violent crime he’s sent to Belmarsh prison. His discipline in setting down a narrative of daily routine is remarkable. He captures the isolation and desperation to perfection, without self indulgence. I found the narrative honest, moving and polished it off in a couple of sessions. I’m about to start the second book of his prison years. A compelling account of the judicial system and how many are failed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Brett Hinsley
- 21-02-23
Didn’t think I’d like this book, but I really enjoyed it
Well read a great book. I was on the hook from start to finish. I’m just in the process of downloading books 2 and 3 in the series. I really recommend this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Johnny
- 26-12-21
Surprisingly Good
Didn’t know what to expect here but it essentially this! A very honest account of a toff ( no insult intended ) herring about peoples lives with an open minded ear.. recognising that circumstances people live with or are brought up with.. allows or denies privileges in life simple things like reading writing and a chance at improvement.. terrifying story’s about abuse done to people that inevitably will send them outside of social behaviour..
He doesn’t try and not be who he is and seems to get the respect of some hardened prisoners..
Well done
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ross pygall
- 15-12-21
Good Insight into prison in Bellmarsh
this book was enjoyable, a little flat in places but it is a good insight into the kind of characters you find in prison.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Laura seddon
- 12-12-21
Very good!!
The only reason I even considered this book is the fact it’s an actual prison diary. I am politically challenged shall we say and was totally put off by the fact he was a politician, fearing it would all go over my head. The fact it was a prison diary encouraged me to try, in the thinking that I’m no stranger to criminal happenings, growing up where I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very eye opening. It’s real and informative, interesting and funny at times. I’ve even downloaded the rest of the prison books and a few of his novels. Well worth a listen for anyone interested in crime and punishment.
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2 people found this helpful