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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I went in resistant, I’ll confess. But Follett knows what he’s doing. Good historical fiction. It seems very likely that I will finish the trilogy.
I relived a lot of history I'd learned a long time ago. It's written in a way that is factual, yet tells a story of the, mostly, fictional characters. It's a big one, and took me some time to get through, but I was never bored and, even knowing the history, looked forward to finding out what was in store for each character.
Historical fiction is not really my go-to; however, this epic was well-written and had very well-developed characters. It was great to get a glance at what life could have been like for people of different backgrounds and nationalities during this time in history.
Not as good as Pillars of the Earth, but definitely an engaging mixture of fact and fiction. Looking forward to #2 in the trilogy.
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Second time reading the trilogy! So glad I picked this up again. Ken Follett manages to mix up fiction with facts and I am absolutely hooked. The level of details we learn is tremendous.
What an awesome book. Very humane characters, a gruesome war, conflicts of value. Can't wait to get to the next two.
On the whole, an enjoyable historical fiction, though undeniably a soap opera (think Downton Abbey, in book form). I don't especially love Follett's writing, and the dialogue is often a bit flat, but the story is well paced and moves through time very well. I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book, and seeing the war and life from the perspective of many different types of people in varying social stations. I definitely prefer The Pillars of the Earth.
Side note: I'd steer clear if you don't like sexual scenes in books :).
Side note: I'd steer clear if you don't like sexual scenes in books :).
This is exactly the great writing and plot development that I have grown to love from Ken Follett. It reminded me so much of World Without End and Pillars of the Earth in the intricate way he weaves his characters together and makes me want to keep reading. It is a long book, but it covers so many important years of world history through the character's lives. I learned more about the events before during and after World War I than I ever knew before. Can't wait for the next installment of the trilogy to come out next year.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No