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)

Incredibl well researched and thoroughly engaging

I was born in 1944 and my sister in 1941 reading this and re-learning the history my young parents lived and in “Giants“, the times of my grandparents. My great grandparents immigrate from ireland around the time in which “Giants” was written and from what I know, they were neither aristocrats nor quite as destitute as many of the families we learned to love, but definitely hard working people who saved and suffered to get to America. I’m so excited to read the third book in the trilogy.
The reader is likely the best I’ve ever listened to. Not only engaging, but his pronunciation is FLAWLESS. So very appreciated..
I.’ve become a great fan of Ken Follett’s writing since reading “Pillars of the Earth” when it can out and then again recently. Few can make characters come alive, live and breathe and show us pieces of ourselves as Fen Follett does. When I’m finished with the final offering in the trilogy I will likely check out his earlier works of the detective genre. Bravo! Bravo! Ken Follett!
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Interesting story

Weaves real history with a captivating story. All threads are tight! Characters are believable. Tells of a time past.

Epic Story

Very entertaining and I’ve learned a little about world history along the way. Highly recommend.

Fantastic writing and narration.

Fantastic writing and narration. Follett is the master of historical fiction and Lee is such a good narrator.

love follett

love this style of writing. he obviously does his homework and brings his characters to life.

Great listen

Great book. I love John Lee’s narrations. And this was another great one. Thank you

Brilliant Sequel

This is a strong, interesting, well written and superbly performed historic pot boiler which may on occasion play a little fast and loose with the facts but makes up for that with a compelling narrative drive. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good book. It’s a long and at times harrowing read which deals with the rise of Fascism and World War Two through to the start of the Cold War. What is a little irksome is the structure which relies on coincidences which draw the main actors to just the right place at the right time. It’s a device he used to great effect in Fall Of Giants but it’s wearing a tiny bit thin in this second episode. In his much under rated movie Zelig Woody Allen has his character show up in pretty much every major news event of the 20th century to great comic effect. The frequency with which his protagonists pop up at just the right place and time to witness firsthand the salient event of WWII does stretch credibility just a little here and there. Having said that, it’s still a terrific read.
I was a little troubled by a couple of historic inaccuracies which I noticed….for example one plot line features the Nazi T4 euthanasia program which actually happened in a Berlin suburb but Follett sets in a remote small town well outside Berlin. Follett dwells in gruesome detail on the mass rape carried out by the invading Red Army but almost completely ignores the entire Holocaust. Working through the events covered in this book it’s almost inevitable that the political bias of the author will show through from place to place. It’s pretty clear that he has a soft spot for the working class heroes of the British Labor movement with a healthy contempt for aristocracy of any kind. These books are also fairly racy, certainly not for the under 16 set. If you enjoyed Fall of Giants you will likely love this book. If you haven’t read FOG yet, start there and you will likely follow straight on to this second book with your eye on the release date of the third in the series.

Absolutely Fascinating

What did you love best about Winter of the World?

What I love the most about Winter of the World is how Follett weaves this fantastic web of characters and how their lives are from all different walks of life, and how they interact in almost a serendipitous way.

What other book might you compare Winter of the World to and why?

That's difficult to say because there isn't really any other book that I have read like it. Perhaps "Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingslover. This is the best example that I can't think of because the story is narrated from several different character points of view, and both historical fictions take place during very turbulent times.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

John Lee does a great job of establishing the different characters by using different accents and slight variations in his voice, but not making it feel forced.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moments that moved me often pertained to Maude and her love for her older son.

Follett...consistently good writer.

Yes, I have read or listened to all of his recent books, and have found them entertaining and informative. At the age of 72, I can relate to most of the history covered, and in several situations...with some first hand knowledge. His characters are well developed and help bring the history to life. Admittedly, my academic experiences were mostly focused on high tech and finance. So, for me, these historical forays are new explorations which appeal to thirsty minds. No question, I look forward to the next one.

Mixed feelings

Follett is clearly a talented writer but tends to let his political beliefs mar the story. I made the mistake of doing so brief research on Ken only to find out(unsurprisingly) that he's very left of center. I don't care what your politics are but when you are constantly bashing conservatives in your story it's a big turn off.