Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Winter of the World; Ken Follett



Author:  Ken Follett
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: Dutton
Edition: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Date Completed: October/2012
Rating: 4.5/5 
Recommend: yes

Winter of the World, by Ken Follett is Book #2 of the Century Trilogy. It follows The Fall of Giants which was published in 2010 , and it covers the period of history from 1911 through 1924 with World War front and center.  Book #2, Winter of the World, is another hefty tome at nearly 1,000 pages covering the years 1933 through 1949, and follows the rise in power of Hitler and Stalin as well as World War II and Pearl Harbor.

I was happy to see the (5) somewhat inter-related families return in this installment. The families run the gamut when it comes to nationalities - significant players include Americans, Russians, Germans, Welsh and Englishmen.  It's refreshing to see that once again, although a work of fiction, the story seems so very real because Follet has a way of expertly weaving "real characters" like FDR, and Harry Truman into the story.

Expertly researched, the novel covers so many facets of life and global events from a major, worldwide economic Depression, unemployment, hunger, Hitler's rise, the atomic bomb and the bombing of Pearl Harbor -- I'm sure I left something out.  It's not all about history either, it's the dynamics between individuals and families that make this novel work so well. There is romance, touching scenes involving families, all of which result in an obviously page-turning story about a world in major turmoil.

It's one of those series where once you begin reading, you'll be in for the long haul.

17 comments:

  1. Great book review Diane, this sounds like a wonderful read!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have this on audio but haven't read the first book. Do you think I'll be able to follow this one?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really want to read this but I haven't read the first book. I have this one on audio but I'm afraid I'd be seriously lost if I started here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If only I had fewer books on my nightstand!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really want to read this trilogy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hmmmm. Do I need another series to read? I'm very torn on this one although you definitely make it sound appealing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I need to read Fall of Giants!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm half tempted to make 2013 the year of Ken Follett - he seems to be so universally loved so I really want to read his stuff but it's all sooo long!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I still haven't read the follow-up to the other long one he wrote about the cathedral!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My uncle read and loved this book, and passed it to me awhile ago. I need to make some time for it. I loved The Pillars of the Earth.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am glad that I have this book on my Kindle. I plan to read it soon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've only ever read Follett's Pillars of the Earth and I loved it! I really need to check out more of his work.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Every time I see a review of a book in this trilogy, I tell myself I have to read it and yet . . . . . Maybe after New Year's day. Wonderful review, Diane!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have this and the first one on audio. I'm thinking I will make 2013 the year of the chunkster..then I'll sprinkle in a few cozy mysteries to lighten things up. I really want to read the first one, particularly since I've been concentrating on World War I reading (fiction and Non-fic) this year. Then I think I'll take a year to read the "tween the wars" year and this one would be the kick-off for that! Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love epic books and this trilogy sounds worthwhile!! Adding it to my list!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've wanted to read Follett's Pillars of the Earth forever. It's just so big and daunting! I want to read these too!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thanks again for visiting.