Fall of Giants
Written by Ken Follett
Narrated by John Lee
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Ken Follett's magnificent new historical epic begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man's world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.
From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families-and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .
Ken Follett
Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. Barred from watching films and television by his parents, he developed an early interest in reading thanks to a local library. After studying philosophy at University College London, he became involved in centre-left politics, entering into journalism soon after. His first thriller, the wartime spy drama Eye of the Needle, became an international bestseller and has sold over 10 million copies. He then astonished everyone with his first historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a medieval cathedral, which went on to become one of the most beloved books of the twentieth century. One of the most popular authors in the world, his many books including the Kingsbridge series and the Century trilogy - a body of work which together chronicles over a thousand years of history - and his latest novel Never - which envisages how World War III could happen - have sold more than 188 million copies. A father and husband, Ken lives with his wife in England and enjoys travelling the world when he can.
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Reviews for Fall of Giants
2,109 ratings171 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Full of unlikable characters, but highly addictive.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyed the storyline and characterisation in this book and it added to my knowledge of the build up to the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Loved the way he interweaves the various storylines together in England, Russia, and America. The battle scenes whilst important detracted a bit from the feel of the book for me. Would recommend. 4.5 Stars.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Being a sucker for big tomes and family saga stories as summer reading material, I am using this summer to finally dip into my copies of Follett’s Century trilogy. Having previously tackled Follett’s Kingsbridge trilogy – loved the first book, thought the second book was just okay and never got around to reading the third book – I was curious to see how Follett would fictionalize more recent history, the 20th century. Of course, Follett doesn’t hold back when he decides to “go big” with a story. With a story focused on not one but five families, from five different parts of the world (Wales, England, Russia, America and Germany) and from different social backgrounds, I was left with the impression that Follett was trying to compete with the character count of Tolstoy’s [War and Peace], a novel I finally managed to finish two years ago. There are an awful lot of characters in this book to keep straight! The good news is that Follett’s writing is very accessible. One reviewer has commented on it being “workmanlike”, more mainstream practicable than exalted or refined, which works just fine for me. The story spans a time period from June 22, 1911 to January 1924 with the focus on the Great War – World War I. Follett does do a good job including a fair bit of factual information while still keeping this reader’s attention with his interweaving story-line of romance, politics, military strategy and family dynamics. As with his Kingsbridge books, Follett strikes a balance of strong male and female characters, delving into the English suffragette movement of the early 1900’s, which made for interesting reading for me. While I wasn’t swept away by the story, or itching to get back to it whenever I had to put it down, I did end off [Fall of Giants] with enough interest in the characters and the events to immediately pick up the next book, Winter of the World, which thankfully picks up a mere 10 years after [Fall of Giants] closes off.Overall, if you like family war-time sagas, like Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War, this may appeal to you. For me, it hits the right notes for a good summer time beach read: Intriguing historical fiction that is not overly taxing for the mind.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Follett did it again. Another engrossing, thought provoking tome that you won't be able to put down.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Top 5 Fave list!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A favorite author, he does such a good job with the research.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not my usual fare, but I really liked it. This is a sweeping story of five families spanning a decade. Not as much character development as I usually crave, but such a good story that was so evocative of the era. In fact, I've bought the second book of the trilogy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I listened to this book which was narrated by John Lee. As with all of Follett's books, or at least the ones I have read, this book is epic in scope. It spans about 15 years from before World War I until some time after that tragic war. But it also tells the stories of people caught up in the events of that time and so it makes the time very personal.We are introduced to the Williams family in Wale as thirteen-year-old Billy starts work in the coal mine. His sister, Ethel, works for the local gentry, the Fitzherberts, as a maid but is raised to housekeeper when the incumbent fell ill just before a royal visit. Earl Fitzherbert invited a number of bright young men to meet the king including Germans Walter and Robert von Ulrich and the American lawyer Gus Dewar. The earl is married to a Russian princess whom he met when he was a diplomat in St. Petersburg. The earl's sister, Lady Maude Fitzherbert who is a suffragette much to her brother's dismay, is also in attendance. The earl's wife's family in Russia hung the father of Grigori and Lev Peshkov because he was trying to organize the local peasants. Grigori and Lev moved to St. Petersburg with their mother who was soon killed by the Tsar's militia. Grigori looked after the younger Lev but dreamed of moving to the USA. Gus Dewar, who had a tour of the factory where Grigori and Lev worked when he was in Russia, was able to answer some questions Grigori had. All these people interact to some degree even through the war. It's a bit of a job to keep all the threads separate but it is a compelling tale. I particularly liked the last scene of the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lots of history and detail.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely stunning!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I am writing this while listening to the third book in the trilogy. This book lays such a rich foundation for the second and the third, it will remain as the best of the three. The characters in each setting are the force where they set into play the influence that they will have on the next generations. In each, there is of course the element of serendipity, yet that's why it is an enjoyable and enduring trilogy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great book, lots of history but I really had to force myself through it at times. I hope book 2 has a better flow.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You could read a few history books to learn how the assassination of an Austro-Hungarian archduke led to the start of the Great War, how that war killed so many combatants, how the eventual peace treaty sowed the seeds for a Second World War, how the Russian Revolution resulted in worse oppression than that which the revolution was supposed to correct or how Prohibition in the United States fueled organized crime. Or you could read Ken Follett's massive, yet always interesting, novel "Fall of Giants," the first volume of his Century Trilogy.Follett explains these historical events through the lives of fictional characters in Great Britain, Getmany, Russia and the United States. Through their lives, we experience something of the lives of millions of people actually living during the years from 1911 to 1924, the span of time covered by Follett's novel. Real historical figures, such as Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill, also play roles in this drama.Coincidences happen in real life, but not to the extent they happen in "Fall of Giants," where main characters seem to be running into each other everywhere, even on the battlefield. As unrealistic as this may be, it does make the story easier to follow and eliminates the need for scores of additional characters. The scores we already have are plenty.A more serious problem with the novel is that Follett attempts to turn it into a 920-page political tract. All of the characters portrayed positively share the same political ideas, as do all those portrayed negatively. In real life, there are intelligent and noble individuals at both ends of the political spectrum.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What does it mean having to fight for freedom? It's not so obvious to those who were born in freedom and not even suffered lack of it much less experienced tyranny.
To fight for freedom is to fight evil. To imagine better the consequences of not fighting it one can read Ken Follett's Century trilogy. It vividly and interestingly describes most of the 20th century with two of the worst historical evils (Nazism and Communism) and the echoes of even greater evil: slavery. All high school kids should read Follett's trilogy! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I didn't think this book would be my cup of tea; I thought it would be too dry and dense with historical facts that sucked the life out of a story, but I really enjoyed this romp across Europe up to and including the first World War. Follett keeps the story ticking along and moving and I had the added side benefit of reading this while my son was devouring everything he could read on World War I, and so we were able to compare notes. Looking forward to grabbing the next in the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall of Giants is an epic novel which illuminates how war changes people's lives and futures, using compelling storytelling. Five families are used to characterize the gripping tales of the ordinary as well as the affluent. Real historical events are magnificently weaved into this historical fiction, and the reader is drawn in to watch the event alongside the character. Follett dramatizes the changes people go through using juicy plots, heineous spies, sordid affairs and more. An excellent last scene, Maude and Walter, in bed reading the paper, and famous last words,"Thank God that's over." Yes this is a long novel but worth the time spent. You will wish there to be more. . .
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book. It had the same narrator as the other books. If you are a WWI history buff, you will enjoy it more than I. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the culture of the times surrounding the different levels of society. The characters are vivid! Very easy to imagine. Where I lost interest was the details surrounding the war itself. there was sufficient information to write a term paper on the subject. Some of the characters needed to be included for history sake but only lent to overkill for me. Too many names that were not important to the plot.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Excellent character development; you truly feel drawn and rooting for certain characters and against others; some of the plot lines were fairly predictable but if you like history then you won't mind too much.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Historically correct and interesting. Would have liked more follow up.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book and great production. Definitely don’t miss it !
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's a great historical fiction. It makes me feel grateful seeing how hard lives was on war era. Hopefully there would be no more war. Life is hard enough without war.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This type of book is not my usual genre. But this one intrigued me a lot. So I dove into via audible during my commute. I found it rich and complex but very accessible. The writing style was not too complex or difficult. I will be starting the next one tomorrow.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The book was good, but I think it dragged on a little too long. I was skimming a lot by the time I got three-quarters finished. I was planning to read the whole trilogy, but now I'm not sure that I will.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely loved this! Great mix of personal stories with political history in so many countries involved in WW1. Can't wait to read the next one.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gives overview of WWI.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great book, a bit too much information about politics and what really happened. Sometimes it felt like a day at school, listening to my history teacher, again.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Too boring and obvious.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From the dirt of the coal mine to the glittering chandelier of the palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, this is an inextricably entangled fate of five families.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I slogged through the 13 hour ABRIDGED version; can't imagine how droll might be the 30 hour book. I had a hard time staying with this one. There are several plot lines, representing people and families....makes it hard to follow. The details of their lives are excruciating. Since it's a historical novel, we all knew the background and the characters react to the situation appropriately. I did finish it; but, I won't bother reading #2 and #3--there's more to life than a long, boring trilogy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved it and have started the second book.