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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
It was good, but nothing special for me. I’ll probably follow the series. I do appreciate the weaving of the family stories.
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
No
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book started us off really strong with Billy and his family, but his role grew extremely insignificant during the middle of the book. Despite that, he was an important character and pieced bits of the story together. As well as the other chatacters - they all had their own roles. Unfortunately, there were some characters that didn't change at all since the very beginning which was quite frustrating.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Although this book started out very strong with great character set ups and vivid descriptions of surroundings and interactions, it suffered from the same flaw that I find in many of Ken Follett's works: the lack of character development over time. Apart from Billy the miner & trade unionist's son, all other characters' personalities start to feel a little flat after a while as they do not meaningfully change despite the momentous events happening to/around them. Particularly in this book, I also found some of the chance interactions too unlikely and unbelievable to the point that it forces you out of the story (e.g. the instances where Fitz and Walter meet during the Christmas Truce, and later that Gus could see Walter getting shot). Finally, I was also disappointed to see the only gay character ending up joining Hitler's party. This character - apart from his being gay - was never fleshed out or given his own voice. Throughout the story, he is cast as being 'in the way' and making wrong choices, which feels stereotypical in all the wrong ways.
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my second time reading this book and the story was just as intriguing the second time around. If I could go back in time and give this book to my 14-15 year old self, I would have scored much better marks in my History exams because reading Fall of Giants is like getting a comprehensive lesson on the First World War. And if you think that's boring, you are so so wrong.
Fall of Giants follows several characters from England, Germany, Russia and America from the years leading upto, what was then called, the Great War through the war itself. It tells the story of how every person was affected- either directly or indirectly- by the violence and upheaval of the war. At the same time, it gives a deeper understanding into the politics involved in the decision-making process that lead to a war none of the countries were prepared for.
While giving the intricate details of each step that led to entry of the countries into the World War and the strategic decisions made by them in the quest to win, Follett also explores the impact of the war on the society. In the discussion of the suffragette movement, he brilliantly encapsulates changes in the society as women started taking up a bigger role in all the industries which were previously male dominated. There's so much to unpack about this book that I can go on and on. Now, on to the second book in the trilogy that tells the story of World War II from the perspective of the five families.
Fall of Giants follows several characters from England, Germany, Russia and America from the years leading upto, what was then called, the Great War through the war itself. It tells the story of how every person was affected- either directly or indirectly- by the violence and upheaval of the war. At the same time, it gives a deeper understanding into the politics involved in the decision-making process that lead to a war none of the countries were prepared for.
While giving the intricate details of each step that led to entry of the countries into the World War and the strategic decisions made by them in the quest to win, Follett also explores the impact of the war on the society. In the discussion of the suffragette movement, he brilliantly encapsulates changes in the society as women started taking up a bigger role in all the industries which were previously male dominated. There's so much to unpack about this book that I can go on and on. Now, on to the second book in the trilogy that tells the story of World War II from the perspective of the five families.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
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