You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great book about WW1, highly recommend. It's dense, but very worthwhile read.
Ken Follett siempre ha sido un gran contador de historias, y esta no es menos. Las historias cruzadas de las familias de distintas nacionalidades son una auténtica delicia y son lo que realmente te engancha y te da ganas de seguir leyendo. La ambientación histórica es impecable, con algunos personajes que realmente existieron y otros de ficción que hábilmente se entremezclan en la historia. A una obra de ficción no se le puede exigir rigor histórico al 100%, pero aun así la ambientación de "La caída de los gigantes" es buenísima. La única pega que le pondría es la excesiva duración de la guerra, que se me ha hecho pesada. Pero eso son apreciaciones personales, porque yo no soy muy de historias bélicas.
Ugh. Harlequin Romance meets WW1. The characters are entirely predictable. The writing in places is awful; if you want to read a good Ken Follett, read Pillars of the Earth. There are only two memorable sections to this book: the description of Billy at the Battle of the Somme; and, Telegram Wednesday. I think for this book, Follett confused quantity for quality.
I think this is the last Ken Follet book I will read. His formulas are constantly the same and while the historical content is interesting the unreasonable assumption that whole families interconnected survive unscathed makes his narrative even more disingenuous.
I can’t believe I finished this behemoth. It’s not typically the kind of book I like; the characters are one dimensional, although the history is interesting. Also, most characters are from a male perspective, but there are two strong females which kind of make up for that.
Loved, loved, loved this book. If you have any interest in the WWI era, this is a must read.
I'm a bit ambivalent about this one, because it certainly was a damn good read (or listen as was the case). There was no way that I was going to put it down, as the fictional plot is as compelling as the narrative about WW1 that's driving it. Follett is an excellent researcher and seems to have most of his facts in place. The way he weaves the families together across countries and continents is really quite brilliant.
So what's my problem? My problem is lack of depth and linguistic brilliance (although I realise that Follett does not strive after this). It's a bit like slightly overeating chocolate. It's so rewarding, so sweet, so compelling, but afterwards there's this slightly bloated feeling - and emptiness.
This said, I may well read the two next volumes also (about WWII and the Cold War) at some point. As I said, it's both easy and interesting reading and I do love a good historical novel.
The audiobook was quite well narrated, although not excellent.
So what's my problem? My problem is lack of depth and linguistic brilliance (although I realise that Follett does not strive after this). It's a bit like slightly overeating chocolate. It's so rewarding, so sweet, so compelling, but afterwards there's this slightly bloated feeling - and emptiness.
This said, I may well read the two next volumes also (about WWII and the Cold War) at some point. As I said, it's both easy and interesting reading and I do love a good historical novel.
The audiobook was quite well narrated, although not excellent.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced