Reviews tagging 'War'

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

6 reviews

sunsetsam723's review against another edition

adventurous informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For a heavy book spanning nearly a century over hundreds of pages, Follett’s concise, matter-of-fact writing helps you fly through. I was taken aback at times but his explanatory style - providing historical context for us readers at every little turn - which at times disrupted immersion into the book, but I ultimately found it to be engaging and informative, providing a clearer picture.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Rape, Stalking, Religious bigotry, and Slavery

goldenlake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, and War

Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Vomit, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Racism, Genocide, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Torture, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Infertility, Cursing, Colonisation, and Incest

brighteyed's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i love the authors attention to historical detail and the way he creates a set of characters to demonstrate what life was like. the new element of spying was an interesting addition to the series

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, and War

siniandi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Solid work by Follett, it is always a pleasure to return to the Kingsbridge Saga. The plot is more scattered over several countries and locations and it was at times difficult to keep track of all the different story lines and characters, switching and travelling between England, France, Spain, Netherlands and Overseas. Since the plot already covers quite a large timespan, it was slightly difficult to follow, especially in the beginning. Nonetheless, Follett again embeds the plot skilfully into the historical events of the time. One thing that definitely improved from the last few books was the description of the women and their plot points which is far less "male gaze-y" than in Follett's previous works.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

joey1914's review

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Animal death, Gore, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Antisemitism, Violence, War, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Classism, Murder, Misogyny, Rape, and Slavery

beanjoles's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really enjoyed this entry in the Kingsbridge series. WwE was fairly similar to PotE in that it followed builders, the monastery, and the development of Kingsbridge itself. ACoF turns its focus outward and propels the reader into the world of Tudor England, the French Wars of Religion, and the seemingly endless conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The book is incredibly satisfying to read as a story of political and religious intrigue. I loved seeing real historical figures portrayed just as vividly and realistically as the main ensemble of characters. And of course, the classic Follett tropes remain:

star-crossed lovers; Good or Evil characters; sexual violence against women (Follett just can't let that go, but at least he didn't it as a plot device nearly as much as in the other books)

. But there were some satisfying new additions, too: a sweeping cast of characters (I think his biggest yet for this series); historical scenes set in at least four different countries; much more visible and prominent historical figures; much more religion (which he handled tactfully). I also really liked the character of

Ebrima (may be spelling that incorrectly)

 

As always, John Lee is an incredible narrator for the story. Highly recommend the audio production! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, War, and Torture

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Racism

Minor: Colonisation