Winter of the World

The Century Trilogy, Book 2

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 31 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Picking up where Fall of Giants, the first novel in the extraordinary Century Trilogy, left off, Winter of the World follows its five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh - through a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the great dramas of World War II, and into the beginning of the long Cold War.

Carla von Ulrich, born of German and English parents, finds her life engulfed by the Nazi tide until daring to commit a deed of great courage and heartbreak...

American brothers Woody and Chuck Dewar, each with a secret, take separate paths to momentous events, one in Washington, the other in the bloody jungles of the Pacific...

English student Lloyd Williams discovers in the crucible of the Spanish Civil War that he must fight communism just as hard as fascism...

Daisy Peshkov, a driven social climber, cares only for popularity and the fast set until war transforms her life, while her cousin Volodya carves out a position in Soviet intelligence that will affect not only this war but also the war to come.

©2012 Ken Follett (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Gripping....powerful." (The New York Times)

"[Follett] is so good at plotting a story, even one that takes on such a complex topic such as the World War II era. That's what makes Winter of the World so hard to put down. You want to know what happens next." (The Associated Press)

"A consistently compelling portrait of a world in crisis." (The Washington Post)

Fantastic

This is such a great series. I wish I could have learned history in school through an engaging story like this. If only there was a G-rated version for all the poor high schoolers bored to tears with their history text books. I can't wait to listen to the next book! Hats off to you Ken and John for your great work!

A Super way to review familiar history

I have really enjoyed this series by Ken Follett. Yes, many of the historical facts are familiar, but when included in the story of certain key characters and families, it all comes together in a cohesive whole. I love history, but don't remember it easily. This really helped, and added depth to what I knew. Excellent reader as well - one of the best I have ever heard.

Excellent Reader!! Story Pretty Good

John Lee's voices, accents, and characters are impeccable. Each is differentiated and exact. He paints brilliant portraits with his voice and brings each scene to dramatic life. He's a brilliant reader.

The story itself is engaging if you're a history buff. I really enjoy the way he looks at an era of history through the lifetime of the people who made it. Though, often times his language is anachronistic and all the main characters' politics (social, personal, and otherwise) are always in keeping with modern sensibilities. While I appreciate how he writes strong willed, ambitious, sexually confident women and sensitive, modest, forward thinking men, all the characters fit the same mold.

Now, I'm far from a prude, but I felt there was too much sex. I'd guess there are at least twenty references to "young, erect penises" and though I happen to a fan of said members, hearing an old, distinguished English gentleman describe vivid sex scenes between barely legals got creepy.

If you read the first book, get the second.

epic story

fantastic follow up to the first book. the characters are so well developed. it's like you're right there with them.

Ken Follett and John Lee at their best!

a great read. fascinating, sad, scary.. could not stop listening, even when it was very late at night...

Great book

The historical background is brilliant. the characteres rich in nuances and emotion. the author bring us into a world during the great war.

Engrossing! The time flew by.

I could not stop listening. It felt like I was there reliving history. Looking forward to enjoying the 3rd book

Depicts every aspect of this tumultuous time

Helped me understand the World players, political parties, economic and social factors that created the perfect storm that affected SO many people....and makes me realize that the storm can still happen today. The performance was wonderful. The character development and reference to actual events was amazing.

Another excellent offering by Ken Follett

Learned more about history in this book than I did in high school. Amazing story teller!

Ken Follett at his best.

Ken Follett at his best. I loved this audio book. Mr Lee as usual was at his best. A wonderful audio book.