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1.9k reviews for:
La Caída de Los Gigantes (the Century 1) / Fall of Giants (the Century, Book 1)
Ken Follett
4.19 AVERAGE
1.9k reviews for:
La Caída de Los Gigantes (the Century 1) / Fall of Giants (the Century, Book 1)
Ken Follett
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very disappointing. Too much politics and war for my taste. Scanned a good majority of this one.
Re-read. Same, too much politics but I loved the characters.
Re-read. Same, too much politics but I loved the characters.
My, what a beast of a book. I was a little apprehensive when I started to read this: it's huge, and I hadn't been able to get into any books for the past couple of days. I was out with my Mum, and I remembered seeing this book in the library, and so rushed there to get it out. Really, it's no wonder I loved it. A huge book about World War One with differing POV's of people around the world? Sign me up!
There's a large scope of characters, from all walks of life, and lots of different nationalities. I found that Follett managed switching POV very well, in comparison to George R R Martin (who I thought of a lot whilst reading this book), his chapters tend to be short, and full of action. In fact, I kind of wish this series would be adapted for telly, like A Song of Ice and Fire. It would be a mix between Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey, and to be honest, I can imagine it hitting off in England.
All I can really say is that I can't wait to start the next book!
There's a large scope of characters, from all walks of life, and lots of different nationalities. I found that Follett managed switching POV very well, in comparison to George R R Martin (who I thought of a lot whilst reading this book), his chapters tend to be short, and full of action. In fact, I kind of wish this series would be adapted for telly, like A Song of Ice and Fire. It would be a mix between Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey, and to be honest, I can imagine it hitting off in England.
All I can really say is that I can't wait to start the next book!
It's an interesting way to tell the history of a complicated event. I just couldn't get into it for some reason and it felt like it was missing something. But, I might try another because it seems worth it for some of the history alone and it's light reading.
Feels like it would be attractive to the Downtown Abbey crowd.
Feels like it would be attractive to the Downtown Abbey crowd.
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, there were parts of this that I really enjoyed. The human scale of an epic historical period was really interesting. I enjoyed how Follett wove together the different storylines and showed how interlaced we can become. However -- I found this very hard to read and struggled to get through it. A few reasons:
1. I found the writing itself to just be subpar. The dialogue was clunky, many of the characterizations were very shallow, and this is probably the best example I've ever encountered of telling, rather than showing, what is going on. I also didn't think he wrote female characters with any nuance. I felt on many occasions that Follett was hitting me over the head (and not very subtly) with his point. Which leads to...
2. I found most of the actions to be incredibly predictable. Now, some of this is supported by the fact that we know this history; we know the battles, the characters, the general flow of the era. But, that said, the storylines seemed too pat and predictable. And Follett definitely doesn't suffer from GRRM syndrome -- even when his characters were partaking in risky actions on the front lines of war, I never really doubted their safety or survival.
I found myself skimming the final few hundred pages, not willing to quit completely due to enjoying the refresher of the historical content, but not really engaged with the details. Definitely a book I'm glad that I got from the library, and I can't see myself in any hurry to pick up the sequel given the other "books to read" on my list.
I recall liking The Pillars of the Earth more, so I'm not certain whether my tastes of changed, or Follett's writing has. Either way, I'm bummed not to have enjoyed this one more than I did.
1. I found the writing itself to just be subpar. The dialogue was clunky, many of the characterizations were very shallow, and this is probably the best example I've ever encountered of telling, rather than showing, what is going on. I also didn't think he wrote female characters with any nuance. I felt on many occasions that Follett was hitting me over the head (and not very subtly) with his point. Which leads to...
2. I found most of the actions to be incredibly predictable. Now, some of this is supported by the fact that we know this history; we know the battles, the characters, the general flow of the era. But, that said, the storylines seemed too pat and predictable. And Follett definitely doesn't suffer from GRRM syndrome -- even when his characters were partaking in risky actions on the front lines of war, I never really doubted their safety or survival.
I found myself skimming the final few hundred pages, not willing to quit completely due to enjoying the refresher of the historical content, but not really engaged with the details. Definitely a book I'm glad that I got from the library, and I can't see myself in any hurry to pick up the sequel given the other "books to read" on my list.
I recall liking The Pillars of the Earth more, so I'm not certain whether my tastes of changed, or Follett's writing has. Either way, I'm bummed not to have enjoyed this one more than I did.
I received this book as a giveaway from Goodreads. Thanks, goodreads! The book is an epic telling of the period during World War I through characters from different families from different countries. the characters are intertwined incredibly well. Their lives are affected by each other and the war. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to reading the next one.
It got better as I read it. It started very Downton Abby, but that is also roughly the time frame. Still a wonderful read.