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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.
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What listeners say about Hell
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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- 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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- 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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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 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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- 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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- 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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- Richard Morris
- 14-12-21
Recommended
very well written by the man himself. and narrated by one of my favourite narrators Jonathan Kemble. Full of ups and downs, laughter and sorrow . can't wait to start book 2
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Norma Miles
- 04-01-22
"I never are puddings before I went to prison."
When sentenced to prison for four years for perjury, millionaire author, M.P. and Lord Jeffery Archer kept a diary throughout his stay which he later turned into three books. Hell is the first of these, covering his three week stay in the category 1 high security prison, Belmarsh, relating his own personal thoughts and experiences an conversations with other inmates.
I have previously only read Not a Penny More by Jeffery Archer and, although totally different, He'll is As compelling a read as his first fictional work. Some of the accounts given to him by other prisoners would themselves provide the basis for novels in their own right, too.
Narration is by Jonathan Keeble, his most pleasant voice perfectly paced, intonation excellent and even individual voices sound appropriate. An excellent performance. This is a compelling read, especially for anyone who has never been a prison inmate and, if Mr.Archer seem to complain about the meals he receives a little too frequently, the rest of his time in HRP Belmarsh is fascinating. Very much recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Leighton R.
- 28-04-22
Revealing
Enjoyed this audio book and will definitely be tuning into Purgatory and Heaven soon.
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