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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Loved this book! Lots of action!
Fantastic read….I could not put it down
Great trilogy! Must read all three.
Beautifully researched – I was constantly amazed how early details morphed into the later events.
Great way to learn about some history.
As always, Ken Follet comes thru with wonderfully developed characters and a great story line
Great background in European/Russian/American WWi, WWII history. Follett’s action and characters are easy to read, keep you turning the page. Not particularly intellectual, but a good entertaining read.
Ken Follett is my favorite author and uses words beautifully in this and everything he writes.
Another great book from Ken Follett. Makes it hard to stop reading before finishing the book.
What a breadth of knowledge it took to write this very easy to read book. I was disappointed when I finished it.
Another great read from Follet!
If you can get past this authors very VERY liberal world view, in which he re-writes history to suit that viewpoint, his stories are really engrossing and a great read. The characters are well developed, you completely understand where each is getting their motivations and behaviors. I really like the way this author writes and how well reseaeched his time periods are. It`s just incredibly disturbing to me how he “spins” history to make Catholics and all Christians into horrible people. Yes, all of us know that there were some really bad releigoius leaders all throughout history and will continue to be, but that doesn’t make all of us evil. Black people do bad things, doesn’t make all black people bad …. and on and on. Just saying, Ken should stick to facts and not perform as a social jusice worrior. After reading about a dozen of his books, I’ve decided that he’s off of my list of authors to read.
If you remember the history of World War One as taught in school, this book (although a fictional genre) comes alive for the reader. The impact of history on the lives of the people who suffer the ills of war teaches more than the dates and major events taught in the classroom. Introducing individuals into the historical facts is quite an art and requires much research. Follett is a master in this genre as he brings in characters that are colorful and with whom a reader can empathize. His characters are a mix of actual historical figures and fictional characters from a broad spectrum of life, from coal miners to European nobility; from tender, loving people to the criminal element. A lengthy read but worth every minute spent with it.
Good story, great read and super character development.
Wonderful historical novel albeit very long.
Great first book of a wonderful trilogy. Accurate historical fiction, a Follet tradition. Loved it!
Last book got very liberal
If only I could get the rest of the series on sale. Loved this one
I loved this book.
This is the first of a series of three books and probably the best. Very well written by a well known author, gives a lot of information about Whales, England and World War I. Develops very interesting characters.