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)

loved it

I didn't think it could beat the 1st book but I was amazed at this one, masterful story writing

A great listen

As usual, the performance was magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists, and especially the adherence to historical fact in the overall tale.

Now I must express my profound disappointment in the next tome of this series. Historical fact is blatantly disregarded in favor of political and societal fiction. I was appalled at the writer's brazen deviation from his usual adherence to fact. I will never again pick up another of his books "based" on modern history.

Worth every one of those 32 hours, but...

It's hard to imagine that Ken Follett, your true and undoubted king of epic historical dramas, might overreach in terms of scope. I think at the heart of Follett's success is, well, his heart. He zeroes in on a few characters and lets us really understand who they are and what's important to them. Then all of the big history happening around them is more seasoning than substance. For as good as this story is - and it IS really good - the scale of it is daunting. The multiple story lines established in 'Fall of Giants' become extremely complex in the political/social upheaval of WWII, making the characters and their motivations harder to hold on to. At one point I considered busting out my old 3x5 note cards to keep track of everyone. By Pearl Harbor, I had given up on staying connected and simply tried to stay afloat. With so many working stories to resolve, it was a less-than-satisfying end. A huge diorama was finished sort of GoT-style: with popsicle sticks and a glue gun. In all of that, it's still good storytelling and worth the investment. I will say that John Lee (your true and undoubted king of Ken Follett narration) is a little rough on his American accent. Especially the American south. But I still adore him.

Another voice victory for John Lee!

Who doesn’t love them some Ken Follett? A fantastic midway for this trilogy- I stoically admire Follett’s ability to create so many complex characters and tie them in to history so succinctly! And, making this even better, John Lee’s skill at narration. The accents are mostly spot on (as an Englishman, I’m sure the idea of Brooklyn v Buffalo may be lost to him, but in truth the accents are a much longer way away than presented). Overall, though, I could listen to Lee narrate Follett stories all day long- and, as a matter of fact, have. Highly recommend this series with this narrator. Enjoy!

Consuming story

I've listened to this book twice now. Its long but I wish it was longer. Follett does such a great job writing realistic sympathic characters. Lee is also a fantastic narrator. I'm so sad every time I finish the book.

Timeless, informative and fantastic

Great audio version of the second book in the series by Ken Follet. Really enjoyed reliving the emotion and character development through WW2

Great continuation of Book 1.

This series is a wonderful way to learn about history and be able to remember it. As always, characters are well- developed and present their particular point of view. Interesting to see how all the players thought during the war. John Lee's performance, as the narrator , is really invaluable. To portray so many different accents, weaving in and out, is amazing and extremely helpful in keeping so many characters distinctive. Warning- this book is not appropriate for teens and younger due to graphic sex.

Ken Follet does it again

I love the way Ken Follet tells a story it’s so engaging this sequel I might have to say is better than the first. And John Lee’s performance deserves an applause as well he handles the accents and switches back and forth with ease it surprises me sometimes that it’s just one man doing all these voices. When he has to go back and forth between Ethel (Welsh) Bernie (East Londoner) Lloyd (East Londoner) and Daisy (American), how he doesn’t slip up I don’t know!

Book 1 and Book 2 outstanding

The author tells an amazing story of five separate European families loosely interlaced through an epic tale which takes place during the most dramatic 40 year period in modern history.

Anyone who enjoys European history during the two great wars will enjoy this book.

The narrator is absolutely fantastic. One might argue he is as talented at his craft as the author his own (….well close).

Such a fabulous, weaving of history and fiction!

I love this series, as well as his medieval series, by Ken Follett. The characters are beautifully drawn and woven into real history. The narration by John Lee is superb although some of his female voices can be a bit milquetoast. I’m looking forward to starting the third book in the series.