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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
slow-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:
No
yikes this one took me forever. I got hooked early with the human interest stories, but quickly realized most of the book was detailed political fiction, which I have never loved politics. Ken’s writing is good, as usual, and I learned a lot! but I really had to slog through this one. I switched to audiobook just over halfway through and that helped a lot.
Thought this was an interesting story; appreciate how Follet used characters from diverse backgrounds to give a fuller picture of what WWI meant to a different people by nationality. Looking forward to book 2 of this trilogy.
Ken Follett is no poet. His prose aren't amazing and he doesn't create life-changing characters. But bloody hell can he spin a good yarn.
His World War I epic, Fall of Giants pails into insignificance when compared to the first of his I ever read - Pillars of the Earth, which I think would make it into my top 20 favourite reads, just because of the sheer scale of his story (I was finishing that book when, aged 19, I had just received the A Level results that meant I was going to my first choice university, and by all the rules of social conduct I should have been getting VERY drunk... which I did, but only after I'd read the final few chapters of Pillars).
The first instalment of the Century trilogy is not without its faults. The characters are a little two-dimensional, though having said that, I did care enough about them to be hooked into the story, so maybe like, two and a half dimensions? He does that CLASSIC white privileged male thing of writing "strong" female characters who are kind of down-trodden but go on to achieve great things in the face of adversity, all the while causing scandal by talking about feminism and women's suffrage, but then has them all just obsessed with men and relationships for the entire book. SMH. At least you tried, Ken...
I also could have done without the overly lengthy descriptions of the various military manoeuvres of different countries during WW1 - honestly could have cut out about 200 pages here and just stuck with a gory chapter on the Somme and then moved on to the Treaty of Versailles and it still would have gotten the point across. Same can be said about the again, overly lengthy narrative about the Russian Revolution. I mean I did learn a lot though. For someone who has always struggled to keep historical facts in my head, it was nice to read about them in this format, and from what I can tell from my periodical fact-checking it was all fairly accurate. So even though it was kinda tedious, I now know who the Bolsheviks were and that's nice for me.
In general though... I'm in lockdown right now with very little to do and I wanted an epic novel which held my interest and made me want to read. Which is exactly what I got from wor Ken. Will I be reading the second two books of the trilogy? You fucking bet I will.
His World War I epic, Fall of Giants pails into insignificance when compared to the first of his I ever read - Pillars of the Earth, which I think would make it into my top 20 favourite reads, just because of the sheer scale of his story (I was finishing that book when, aged 19, I had just received the A Level results that meant I was going to my first choice university, and by all the rules of social conduct I should have been getting VERY drunk... which I did, but only after I'd read the final few chapters of Pillars).
The first instalment of the Century trilogy is not without its faults. The characters are a little two-dimensional, though having said that, I did care enough about them to be hooked into the story, so maybe like, two and a half dimensions? He does that CLASSIC white privileged male thing of writing "strong" female characters who are kind of down-trodden but go on to achieve great things in the face of adversity, all the while causing scandal by talking about feminism and women's suffrage, but then has them all just obsessed with men and relationships for the entire book. SMH. At least you tried, Ken...
I also could have done without the overly lengthy descriptions of the various military manoeuvres of different countries during WW1 - honestly could have cut out about 200 pages here and just stuck with a gory chapter on the Somme and then moved on to the Treaty of Versailles and it still would have gotten the point across. Same can be said about the again, overly lengthy narrative about the Russian Revolution. I mean I did learn a lot though. For someone who has always struggled to keep historical facts in my head, it was nice to read about them in this format, and from what I can tell from my periodical fact-checking it was all fairly accurate. So even though it was kinda tedious, I now know who the Bolsheviks were and that's nice for me.
In general though... I'm in lockdown right now with very little to do and I wanted an epic novel which held my interest and made me want to read. Which is exactly what I got from wor Ken. Will I be reading the second two books of the trilogy? You fucking bet I will.
In my opinion, religion and patriotism are two of the most dangerous (and idiotic) forces out there. How people keep falling for them is beyond me.
informative
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
I learn history much more readily from historical fiction than from textbooks. This was a book I listened to via Audible; I loved John Lee's narration. He did a whole bunch of accents, from Welsh to Russian! Although it was many hours of listening, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra perspective I got from having the story told to me, rather than reading it myself (especially since I could knit while "reading"). I have already downloaded Winter of the World and look forward to Edge of Eternity coming out this fall (although I think I'm more interested in WWI and WWII time periods, personally).
At 900 pages, this book covers a lot in the WWI era. The British, the German, the Russian, and the French perspectives are effectively portrayed using the characters in the story. The story is lucid, and you don't get lost in the storyline. The personal stories of the characters weave a tapestry that hangs well over the realties of the war.
Finally finished it! I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to read the next one. Even though it took me a while to read it, I was never bored or felt like I was slogging through. The writing was absorbing and the whole book just flowed. I can't wait to read the next one!
I borrowed the audio from the library but didn't finish it before it had to be returned and then had to put it on hold !!! It was the longest wait evvveeerr!
I loved every plot line and connected with the players in each one. I appreciated that their story lines intersected tangentially - anything else would have felt contrived. I also liked the careful integration of historical figures in a way that was completely believable.
I hesitated starting this book because it's soooo long (and I have a hard time setting an unfinished book aside) but I'm really glad I did. This was my first Follett "read" but it won't be my last.
I loved every plot line and connected with the players in each one. I appreciated that their story lines intersected tangentially - anything else would have felt contrived. I also liked the careful integration of historical figures in a way that was completely believable.
I hesitated starting this book because it's soooo long (and I have a hard time setting an unfinished book aside) but I'm really glad I did. This was my first Follett "read" but it won't be my last.