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)

Great series

This series captivates your attention. I find it hard to put the books down, so I also ordered the series in audible format so I can listen to it while I am at work.

an exceptional story

This novel has a fatastic understanding of the tenor of the times, and does a great job of showcasing the history. The characters really make you feel like you understand what they went through. This was a tremendous followup to Fall of Giants andnis the pinnacle of the historical fiction genre. A must read for fans of history

Follett Gets it

Would you consider the audio edition of Winter of the World to be better than the print version?

He knows how to write a historical novel that is full of action yet also enought pathos. The characters are real rather than fantasy. All stories do not have happy endings. They are flawed and human. Where he is writing historical dramas such as this series or historical spy thrillers he is one of the best modern authors. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Great Book - can wait for the Third book

Where does Winter of the World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was my first audio book and I truly enjoyed it.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I listened to John Lee and his performance was very good. I liked the different voices especially the russians.

more Follet historical storytelling

In this second book, Mr. Follet continues the stories of the families from the first book in a compelling and sympathetic way. You already know about the Nazis' rise to power, but the example of the brownshirts breaking up a political meeting gives you a feeling of what it might have been like to live through such a thing. This Winter of the World is well worth listening to.

I loved it !!

John Lee made the story even better with his narration. He is one of the best with all his accents, but he does need to work on the American accent. I had to laugh when he tried the female New York accent. Yikes.
The story is so well written and I am not much of a WWII buff, but the way Ken Follet tells the story with these characters, it makes you want to read more.
He brings to life this horrible time of our history.
I give this 5 stars in every way. The Fall of The Giants is a must listen first which I loved also. Cant' wait for the next one to follow.

The saga continues . . .

In this second book of the trilogy, Follett continues the story of the century through the years of Hitler and the second war. Even though you have read many books on these subjects, Follett manages to make the story fresh and interesting, contributing a human face to the facts and telling the story in a way newly compelling.

Fantastic series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to everybody with the slightest interest in history.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are lots of good characters.
Gregory represents a story about WWII that we do not often hear about.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is extremely good at adding good accents to the different nationalities. It makes a great difference with the exceding number of characters.

Any additional comments?

This book is so extremely well written that I have no words to describe it.
I love most books about history and historical events. This one just gets around to everything relevant for that period.

Absolutely phenomenal- 5 HUGE STARS!

Where to begin....
John Lee gave an amazing performance and yes I mean performance. He intuitively knew which voice to use for each character. It felt perfect and right. I never doubted the authenticity of the characters. I believe you can receive a Grammy for audio books. I believe Jim Dale received a few for the Harry Potter series. If this is the case, then I believe John Lee deserves one.
Now the book. The characters felt real and fleshed out. Follett is a Master of dialogue and I felt like I was interacting with the characters. I felt like I was standing in the room with them, a bystander watching the scene unfold. Never once did I question their thoughts and feelings. They were authentic and true to their alignment. A forewarning- this book can be brutal and graphic, but so were the times. The brutality was never done for sensationalism. It was actually like watching the characters crawl through glass just to stay alive. It was hair-raising and remarkable.
Time. Time was also a character in this book. It felt real and tangible, like a tinted stereotype. One felt like they could look at this stereotype and it ALMOST felt like you were there observing things in a World that you could feel, a person walking and existing side-by-side with the characters and a member of THEIR World.
I learned a great deal. These books are informative and entertaining. I will remember it always. Thank you Ken Follett and John Lee for this incredible experience. I actually cried a few times listening to this book. I believe it is incredibly difficult to reach a person intellectually and emotionally, but you succeeded in this endeavor and I will NEVER forget it.

I love Ken Follett historical fiction.

John Lee gives another fantastic performance! His use of accents and tones is absolutely superb!