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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
It's a good reminder that humane suffrage is mostly caused by people's pride, greed and ignorance.
The book was long but was smoothly written it did not matter. So many plots were very predictable other were not so much. I think the book lingered between a zone of not being one hundred percent historical narrative and being a story about not very deep fictional characters that are affected by WWI or how they participated in the political changes in their countries.
The way I felt about most characters was neutral, other with a little bit of dislike. I didn't relate to any of them, I didn't root for any of them. I don't feel like I want to immediately grab the second book to know what happened to them.
The ending annoyed me because it was conveniently written. I think it needed a little bit of a shock value.
The book was long but was smoothly written it did not matter. So many plots were very predictable other were not so much. I think the book lingered between a zone of not being one hundred percent historical narrative and being a story about not very deep fictional characters that are affected by WWI or how they participated in the political changes in their countries.
The way I felt about most characters was neutral, other with a little bit of dislike. I didn't relate to any of them, I didn't root for any of them. I don't feel like I want to immediately grab the second book to know what happened to them.
The ending annoyed me because it was conveniently written. I think it needed a little bit of a shock value.
emotional
informative
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
Epic story telling. The transitions between stories and narrator was seamless and easy to follow. Also I enjoyed the fact that such a long book didn't seem to labor just to fill pages. all of This made for a pleasant read
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Pues es una maravilla de libro para conocer todo el contexto de la Primera Guerra Mundial, que muchas veces dejamos en detrimento de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. De una forma novelada a través de diferentes familias en distintas partes del mundo podemos ver todo lo acontecido en estos años.
Es la segunda vez lo que leo, solo le puedo dar 5 estrellas.
Lo único que me chirría un poco y me molesta es la forma de tratar el sexo ( una vez que te pones las gafas violetas es difícil quitártelas).
Es la segunda vez lo que leo, solo le puedo dar 5 estrellas.
Lo único que me chirría un poco y me molesta es la forma de tratar el sexo ( una vez que te pones las gafas violetas es difícil quitártelas).
I am ready to read the second book in the trilogy. The characters held my attention and moved the story forward. I enjoy historical fiction.
I heard good things about Folletts "Pillars of the Earth" and early 20th century British and Russian history is my favorite era so this book was a natural fit. As I read I was only about 3/4 engaged, but as I finished tr book I didn't want it to end, so I think it was better than I gave it credit for.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
Another epic Follett in the books. This was an interesting read, as I've been watching Downton Abbey while reading and I enjoyed the parallels between book and show. Besides that, I have to say this is not Follet's best work. The trouble is, it really could have been. Having read Pillars of the Earth and World Without End (which I believe are better), I thought I was prepared for another 800+ page epic. I found myself feeling disappointed in this book more often than the old thrill that Follett usually delivers.
I would divide the book into thirds. The middle third was classic Follett epic. I found myself reading during odd times, like waiting for the water to boil on the stove. It was exciting, moving, and I couldn't read quick enough. The first and last third are what knock this from 5 down to 4 and then to 3 stars. The first third is spent introducing the myriad of characters. As stated, I expected this from a Follett tome such as this. Unlike PoE and WWE, however, I didn't get the old feeling of knowing any of the characters. Those books focused on Tom the Builder and Follett built (no pun intended) the rest of the story's world (and millions of characters) around him. I think Follett attempted that with this book around characters such as Billy, Maud, Gus, Ethel, or Fitz, but I did not feel the same draw towards them as I did with Tom the Builder. No one stood out. Whatever the reason, the character development and subsequent attachment to them was missing in this book.
Then came the middle third, which got me hooked and feeling a bit different. World War I was in full swing, the Bolshevik Revolution was exciting...and then came the last third of the book. I feel this book could have been at *least* 200 pages shorter. That's a huge chunk, I know, but I was so deflated during this section of the book. I kept wanting it to end already! The story dragged...and dragged...and dragged. I understand most of it was essential to the *history* (no spoilers here, you all know WWI history: Russian civil war, failure of League of Nations, etc.). But I do not believe it was essential to this *story*. There were a few great pages and chilling moments of foreboding near the end about World War II that gave me goosebumps. I will give Follett props for writing a pretty good (overall) historical fiction book about WWI, when there aren't that many out there. That all being said, however, I will read Winter of the World and hope that the characters are a little better focused this time.
I would divide the book into thirds. The middle third was classic Follett epic. I found myself reading during odd times, like waiting for the water to boil on the stove. It was exciting, moving, and I couldn't read quick enough. The first and last third are what knock this from 5 down to 4 and then to 3 stars. The first third is spent introducing the myriad of characters. As stated, I expected this from a Follett tome such as this. Unlike PoE and WWE, however, I didn't get the old feeling of knowing any of the characters. Those books focused on Tom the Builder and Follett built (no pun intended) the rest of the story's world (and millions of characters) around him. I think Follett attempted that with this book around characters such as Billy, Maud, Gus, Ethel, or Fitz, but I did not feel the same draw towards them as I did with Tom the Builder. No one stood out. Whatever the reason, the character development and subsequent attachment to them was missing in this book.
Then came the middle third, which got me hooked and feeling a bit different. World War I was in full swing, the Bolshevik Revolution was exciting...and then came the last third of the book. I feel this book could have been at *least* 200 pages shorter. That's a huge chunk, I know, but I was so deflated during this section of the book. I kept wanting it to end already! The story dragged...and dragged...and dragged. I understand most of it was essential to the *history* (no spoilers here, you all know WWI history: Russian civil war, failure of League of Nations, etc.). But I do not believe it was essential to this *story*. There were a few great pages and chilling moments of foreboding near the end about World War II that gave me goosebumps. I will give Follett props for writing a pretty good (overall) historical fiction book about WWI, when there aren't that many out there. That all being said, however, I will read Winter of the World and hope that the characters are a little better focused this time.
Es un libro de lectura sencilla, pero muy interesante, la historia te lleva desde inicios de la primera guerra al final, como lectores vamos acompañando las historias de 5 familias que en momentos varios se entrecruzan de forma inesperada. Es un libro fabuloso