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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
I loved the start of this book, especially the emotionally moving parts about working down the coal mines. After that it just got a little tedious for me.
Maybe if this was shorter and faster paced, I might have found it easier to digest.
Maybe if this was shorter and faster paced, I might have found it easier to digest.
Un peu long mais super cool j'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages et leurs différentes histoires
Hâte de lire la suite :)
Hâte de lire la suite :)
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-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
Enjoyable, but in no way compares with Pillars of the Earth or World Without End
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
One of the best books I've read in a long time. The audiobook is amazing as well. The narrator is top teir.
Its a sprawling story featuring characters from England, Germany, Russia, and the USA, and what they do before, during, and after World War 1. It made me much more interested in the true history of WW1 and the complex political environment that caused it.
If history interests you, this is a good book to read. If you like stories with many fleshed out characters weaving in and out of each other's stories, this is a good book to read. If you're looking for one of the best audiobook presentations available, this is a good book to read. Its the semi-true story of political intrigue that teaches you about the world at that time and keeps you wondering what will happen, even though you know the outcome.
I came into this hesitant because WW1 didn't particularly interest me. Now, I can't stop learning about it.
Its a sprawling story featuring characters from England, Germany, Russia, and the USA, and what they do before, during, and after World War 1. It made me much more interested in the true history of WW1 and the complex political environment that caused it.
If history interests you, this is a good book to read. If you like stories with many fleshed out characters weaving in and out of each other's stories, this is a good book to read. If you're looking for one of the best audiobook presentations available, this is a good book to read. Its the semi-true story of political intrigue that teaches you about the world at that time and keeps you wondering what will happen, even though you know the outcome.
I came into this hesitant because WW1 didn't particularly interest me. Now, I can't stop learning about it.
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
First, let me start with saying Ken Follett is the author of my one very favorite books - [b:The Pillars of the Earth|5043|The Pillars of the Earth (The Pillars of the Earth, #1)|Ken Follett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388193707s/5043.jpg|3359698] - and I've read most of his books and enjoyed them. However if you've never read Follett do not start here.
I started out liking this book a lot - the characters were interesting, I was interested in their lives and what was happening to them - up until the war started. Then the book became about history minutia and not at all about the characters. The more this 1000 page book went on the more I disliked it. I would have given it a 2 star rating, except that I did learn some things about WWI that I didn't know about before.
This book is not a story about great characters struggling through a terrible war. It's a history book about a terrible war with characters who could have been great (but weren't) thrown in to make it "fiction". The characters are in the book just to provide the framework to hang all the history on. They're there just to show up at all the important events, get married and have babies so he can write the next book.
It's really ridiculous that nearly 40 million people died in WWI but. Also ridiculous that all the characters knew each other before the war, constantly met up with each other during the war (across the trenches, randomly running into each other in Paris, ending up in the same units together etc), and they all magically happened to be confidants of all the important players of the war and they were present for all of the important meetings and battles. It's beyond belief.
The level of historical detail in this book is maddening. I'm not exaggerating by saying 300 pages could have easily been cut out of this - unless you're super interested in the gritty details of who said what at a parliament meeting and which minister supported what political stance. Same goes for the Russian revolution parts. It went on way too long, was way too detailed and it became extremely tiresome.
I prefer my books to be character driven - this book is just an info dump of all the details Follett knows about the era. I don't think I'm going to read the next book. I'm really disappointed with Follett on this one.
I started out liking this book a lot - the characters were interesting, I was interested in their lives and what was happening to them - up until the war started. Then the book became about history minutia and not at all about the characters. The more this 1000 page book went on the more I disliked it. I would have given it a 2 star rating, except that I did learn some things about WWI that I didn't know about before.
This book is not a story about great characters struggling through a terrible war. It's a history book about a terrible war with characters who could have been great (but weren't) thrown in to make it "fiction". The characters are in the book just to provide the framework to hang all the history on. They're there just to show up at all the important events, get married and have babies so he can write the next book.
It's really ridiculous that nearly 40 million people died in WWI but
Spoiler
none of the main characters died, despite being on the front linesThe level of historical detail in this book is maddening. I'm not exaggerating by saying 300 pages could have easily been cut out of this - unless you're super interested in the gritty details of who said what at a parliament meeting and which minister supported what political stance. Same goes for the Russian revolution parts. It went on way too long, was way too detailed and it became extremely tiresome.
I prefer my books to be character driven - this book is just an info dump of all the details Follett knows about the era. I don't think I'm going to read the next book. I'm really disappointed with Follett on this one.