Ken Follett’s magnificent historical epic begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House. . . . A … . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.
From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .
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The ‘Giants’ are the kings and emperor of Europe and their demise during and in the aftermath of WWI. A well told historical fiction.
Great flow and interesting characters. Many different views due to the nationality of the characters. Hard times during the war. Looking forward to the sequels.
Part of one of the best historical fiction series ever published.
Ken Follett’s books all read like silk.
There is probably a Ken Follett book out there I do not like; I just haven’t read it yet. He’s one of the few authors whose 1000 – page books I’ll willingly sign up to churn through. His characters are always so well flushed out. I love the way he embeds cultural commentaries that seem well researched. I found the first half and the ending to be the most interesting portions of the book. I enjoy nonfiction and biographies, and Follett makes it more fun getting some of that history through an intriguing, fictional story. It wasn’t the Man from St. Petersburg or Pillars of the Earth, but it was pretty darn good.
Great Author
Historical fiction doesn’t get much more ambitious than the Century Trilogy, Ken Follett’s attempt at telling the story of the 20th century. He does so by following five families—one American, one English, one Welsh, one German, and one Russian—over the course of several generations. Fall of Giants, the first book, focuses on World War I; Winter of the World, the sequel, covers World War II; and Edge of Eternity, the finale, spans the ‘60s to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
It’s an approach that puts history front and center; Follett’s fiction is generally a servant of the facts, rather than the other way around. And his facts are good—many of the characters are government insiders, positioned to be aware of and even involved in major events. (For example, the English patriarch is instrumental in cracking Germany’s infamous Zimmermann telegram to Mexico, which proposed an alliance between the two countries if the United States entered World War I against Germany.)
But too often, the characters are obviously playing second fiddle, their dialogue stuffed with exposition and politics inserted to explain what’s happening on the world stage. I also wish Follett had exchanged one of the British families for a non-white, non-Western perspective. (From China? India? South Africa? Decolonization, a fundamental paradigm shift in the global order, gets short shrift for a series whose title purports to chronicle landmarks of the 20th century.)
Even so, the amount of ground Follett covers is impressive, and he takes pains to create sympathetic characters for each of his chosen nationalities; some of the most admirable protagonists are Germans and Russians who resist their totalitarian governments despite horrible consequences. I also appreciated the balance in the third book, in which Follett contrasts the shortcomings of Soviet Russia against the hypocritically slow advance of civil rights in the United States.
And there’s a certain appeal to a writing style that prefers economy over eloquence. For instance, most authors would distinguish speakers by preceding their dialogue with (often irrelevant) stage directions:
Daisy shook her head. “That’s not going to work.”
Lloyd shrugged and looked at the ceiling. “So what would you suggest?”
Follett often opts for just name, verb, and colon:
Daisy said: “That’s not going to work.”
Lloyd asked: “So what would you suggest?”
No style points, but no nonsense either. The same could be said for the Century Series as a whole, which ultimately stands as a worthwhile read for anyone who likes their historical fiction heavy on the “historical.”
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
This is a very long book, so it is not for everyone. It uses fictional characters that are quite engaging, which keeps you turning the pages. You are looking at World War l through the eyes of a Brit, a German and a Russian. It really helped me understand the different points of view and what the issues are. It also helped me understand how this led to World War ll. WWl was a stupid war, accomplishing nothing, killing millions and destroying land and then blaming Germany for EVERYTHING! And punishing Germany. No wonder Hitler was able to sway these people.
I. Enjoyed this book, it gave you a flavor of what life was in the Middle Ages. Well written and I couldn’t stop reading it.
So full of information about the period with such interesting characters to bring it to life!
I loved all 3 books in this series. Learned so much about how each country was involved in the wars.
Second time reading it! Love historical fiction…
Loved the book! Excellent read.
I loved this book. It took a little while to get fully engaged, but I had wanted to learn more about the WWI period and that was accomplished, while being pulled into the lives of the many characters.
I enjoy Ken Follett’s books, because I always learn a lot!
Learned a few things I didn’t know about the First World War.
I have read this one twice. Follett recounts the story of World War I through family stories in America, Britain, Germany and Russia. It’s an entertaining and massive work of historical fiction.
I read this book in the hard cover version which I have since donated to the veterans hospital. I picked up this one because I enjoyed the book and wanted the kindle copy.
This is the first book in the trilogy and if you like historical fiction you will love this book.
Historical Fiction at its best! Fantastically intertwined characters with actual world events. Thanks for a great story.
Initially it was hard to follow the various families playing the most important roles in the book. Once that was figured out, seeing how their lives intertwined before, during, and right after World War I kept interest high. Watching women begin to find their way in a “new” world scene was intriguing and encouraging, even in today’s world. As the first book of a trilogy, it will be interesting to see how these families continue to cross paths and the roles they take on as the world approaches World War II.