Scan barcode
andreea27's review against another edition
5.0
"It was high summer and sweltering hot in Bucharest on 7 July. Dimka and Natalya were there with
Gorbachev for a Warsaw Pact summit. Their host was Nicolae Ceauşescu, the mad dictator of
Romania."
It was hard not to giggle upon reading this.
Gorbachev for a Warsaw Pact summit. Their host was Nicolae Ceauşescu, the mad dictator of
Romania."
It was hard not to giggle upon reading this.
outoftheblue14's review
3.0
1200 e passa pagine.
Sono contenta di aver finito questo libro. Molti capitoli li ho letti abbastanza velocemente.
Mi sembra che questo terzo volume non sia all'altezza dei precedenti. Pochi i personaggi memorabili, poco interessanti le loro vicende. Mi sono commossa alla caduta del Muro, ma quello mi succede sempre.
Non credo leggerò più niente di Ken Follett.
Sono contenta di aver finito questo libro. Molti capitoli li ho letti abbastanza velocemente.
Mi sembra che questo terzo volume non sia all'altezza dei precedenti. Pochi i personaggi memorabili, poco interessanti le loro vicende. Mi sono commossa alla caduta del Muro, ma quello mi succede sempre.
Non credo leggerò più niente di Ken Follett.
onejazzycat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
seagul's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book from Follett and a great ending to his century trilogy. A great trilogy that involves many of the defining moments of the Century, from WW1 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Edge of Eternity wraps up the story and brings closure to beloved characters. Great read
karen59_nz's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ingread27's review against another edition
5.0
This series is excellent. The characters throughout are so thoroughly developed that i found it very easy to pick the book up any time and dive right in. No need to flip back a few pages to see where I was, even after a short break. And really, the breaks only occurred because of real life obligations. Each book in the series is over 1000 pages after all. I've learned (or re-learned) so much about the history of WW 1, WW2 and now the Cold War thanks to the Century Trilogy. Highly recommended!
saska894's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mllejoyeuxnoel's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t for the life of me remember who, but someone in my life recommended a whole bunch of Follett’s books to me. And now that I’ve finished this series (because I’m a completionist), I have absolutely no idea why.
The books are fine. They’re fine. The story and characters are fine. The writing is fine. But honestly… I’ve got a whole bunch of unread Follett books in my library that are probably just gonna continue to sit there unread in perpetuity.
The books are fine. They’re fine. The story and characters are fine. The writing is fine. But honestly… I’ve got a whole bunch of unread Follett books in my library that are probably just gonna continue to sit there unread in perpetuity.
morgob's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness. I am in such a book hole after this. I never want to read anything again unless it is this series over again. Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic, but this series was amazing! And I got so attached to the characters. Seriously, I just followed a family throughout a century, and I just can't believe it. I started the first book over a year ago, and now I just plowed through the last two books in a few months. When I first started the series, I thought it would be awful to try to remember who was who, because there were so many characters, but that was actually done really well. And I loved Ken Follett's writing. I wish there were more books, but I know that it is a good thing they ended where they did. It completed the story.
I do think his writing changed a little bit with this last book. It did seem rushed. It seemed like at the beginning he had all the time in the world, and then towards the end it was a lot less in the moment and a lot more of just flying by history. However, I suppose he did have a lot of history he wanted to include (but then why not just make the book really really long?).
This book made me want to cry. The thing that got to me the most was when some of the original characters started dying. Those parts were the saddest. I was just like, I watched you grow up! I saw you at your highest and lowest points. And now you're dying on me. So much time passed. Heck, even some of the main characters from the last book were dying. A few scenes that got to me the most were when Ethel and Fitz talk in the middle, when she is dying. Oh my goodness, that part wrecked me. Just as equally devastating was when Lev finally went back to Russia to see Grigori on his deathbed... and met Volodya!!! THAT PART MADE ME CRY!!! Also, the entire chapter on Jack Kennedy's death was so great. It was such a great moment, and so well-written.
And the politics in this book were so different! It was almost reminiscent of the first book, with the pre-World War I tension, but it seemed so much more dangerous. People went in to work every day thinking the world was going to end. It was so interesting to read, mostly because every single little move by each country mattered. One wrong move could start nuclear war. My favorite part of the book was the Kennedy era, mostly because we got to see so much of the inside of politics, with George and Maria working in the White House. We got a direct view of the room where it happens, and it was really diverting, especially with that dynamic between Bobby and George. I just loved George's relationship with them. I could relate to him quite a bit. That is also why Bobby's death scene was so devastating. At any rate, the politics for me kind of lost their luster once George was done in the White House. The only other interesting part was Russia's political situation with Dimka, and even that was a little stale at points.
Throughout this whole series, my favorite character has switched, but I think my favorite family will always be Grigori's. He and Volodya were my favorite characters. And Maud and Walter, but they were from a different time almost. So sad. After all of this, I think I can say that the first book was my favorite, but that's mostly because of the time period. As the characters aged and history was brought forth on them, and progress along with it, I got sadder, just because the times were changing, and I felt that those characters should stay in that special time period, the golden age, when everything was familiar to them. Books that cover historical periods where lots of technological advancements occur make me so sad for the characters witnessing those changes. I'm not really sure why. Now I'm rambling.
Anyway, I loved this book so so so much. I would read it again in a heartbeat. Part of the reason this series is so special to me is because the love of my life recommended it to me, and we went through the story together. He started reading it before me and gave me the books once he was done with them. This series has been the source of many hours of phone conversations between us, and for that I am indescribably grateful. I now have to find a good enough book to read next, after this monument of literature. I loved every page.
I do think his writing changed a little bit with this last book. It did seem rushed. It seemed like at the beginning he had all the time in the world, and then towards the end it was a lot less in the moment and a lot more of just flying by history. However, I suppose he did have a lot of history he wanted to include (but then why not just make the book really really long?).
This book made me want to cry. The thing that got to me the most was when some of the original characters started dying. Those parts were the saddest. I was just like, I watched you grow up! I saw you at your highest and lowest points. And now you're dying on me. So much time passed. Heck, even some of the main characters from the last book were dying. A few scenes that got to me the most were when Ethel and Fitz talk in the middle, when she is dying. Oh my goodness, that part wrecked me. Just as equally devastating was when Lev finally went back to Russia to see Grigori on his deathbed... and met Volodya!!! THAT PART MADE ME CRY!!! Also, the entire chapter on Jack Kennedy's death was so great. It was such a great moment, and so well-written.
And the politics in this book were so different! It was almost reminiscent of the first book, with the pre-World War I tension, but it seemed so much more dangerous. People went in to work every day thinking the world was going to end. It was so interesting to read, mostly because every single little move by each country mattered. One wrong move could start nuclear war. My favorite part of the book was the Kennedy era, mostly because we got to see so much of the inside of politics, with George and Maria working in the White House. We got a direct view of the room where it happens, and it was really diverting, especially with that dynamic between Bobby and George. I just loved George's relationship with them. I could relate to him quite a bit. That is also why Bobby's death scene was so devastating. At any rate, the politics for me kind of lost their luster once George was done in the White House. The only other interesting part was Russia's political situation with Dimka, and even that was a little stale at points.
Throughout this whole series, my favorite character has switched, but I think my favorite family will always be Grigori's. He and Volodya were my favorite characters. And Maud and Walter, but they were from a different time almost. So sad. After all of this, I think I can say that the first book was my favorite, but that's mostly because of the time period. As the characters aged and history was brought forth on them, and progress along with it, I got sadder, just because the times were changing, and I felt that those characters should stay in that special time period, the golden age, when everything was familiar to them. Books that cover historical periods where lots of technological advancements occur make me so sad for the characters witnessing those changes. I'm not really sure why. Now I'm rambling.
Anyway, I loved this book so so so much. I would read it again in a heartbeat. Part of the reason this series is so special to me is because the love of my life recommended it to me, and we went through the story together. He started reading it before me and gave me the books once he was done with them. This series has been the source of many hours of phone conversations between us, and for that I am indescribably grateful. I now have to find a good enough book to read next, after this monument of literature. I loved every page.