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)

An Epic WWII Novel

I read the first novel in The Century Trilogy, Fall of Giants a couple of years back. I enjoyed it a lot but for some reason I put off reading the second book. After starting a couple of books that I couldn't get into I decided to jump back in. For those that don't know this is a trilogy of novels that takes place from 1900-2000 and follow a number of different families from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia.

Winter of the World takes place right after the events of Fall of Giants. So right right at the end of World War I and the rise of Nazi Germany. What's fascinating about these novels are reading about the daily lives of those who lived through these world wars. Forget the battles but what about the people back at home? What was it like for a young German girl in Berlin for example who opposed to Nazi's? It's an interesting question and one that Follett does a great job with and was by far my favorite part of both Winter of the World and Fall of Giants.

My biggest issue with both books but more so Winter of the World was keeping track of all the moving parts. There were a number of characters in the first book that now have families of their own and trying to keep track of it all is difficult. There were several times where I knew there was significance to an interaction but couldn't place where these characters paths crossed in earlier novels.

Needless to say even though I couldn't place all of the characters I still really enjoyed Winter of the World. It does a great job of having some of the key characters involved with many of the major world events of the time period (WWII, Pearl Harbor, Atom Bombs). I'm now even more excited to finish off the trilogy this fall when Follett releases the final book in the series.

A WONDERFUL READ

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

IF NOT NUMBER ONE, IT'S VERY CLOSE. FOLLETT IS A FANTASTIC STORY TELLER, AND YOU GET A PAINLESS HISTORY LESSON. THE FIRST BOOK WAS JUST AS GOOD. HE MAKES YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU WERE THERE, AND AS IF YOU PERSONALLY KNOW EACH FAMILY.

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

I'VE HEARD HIM BEFORE, BUT NEVER BETTER. HE HAS A VOICE, INFLECTION AND ACCENT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THEY WERE THERE, ON STAGE.

Enjoyable

Would you listen to Winter of the World again? Why?

Yes. I will listen to Fall of Giants and Winter of the World before the final book of the trilogy comes out.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was as good as Fall of Giants. That seems not to be the norm. Was everything accurate? I'm not a scholar, so I don't know, but it was a terrific read. John Lee's narration was splendid.

A good read, but not as good as the first book.

What did you love best about Winter of the World?

I liked that I learned more about the history of WWII and why events unfolded as they did. It's great to see it from different perspectives. Especially from the German perspective.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter of the World?

I realize that this is fiction, but I thought how easily the Russians obtained the plans for "FAT Boy" was memorable.

Would you listen to another book narrated by John Lee?

Yes

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I think the author has a good sense of humor which I enjoyed throughout the book.

Any additional comments?

It was a little too contrived and predictable at times.

Brilliant Narrator

Good, not great, historical fiction. The narrator is terrific. The story works a bit too hard to have the characters run into each other. But Follett ultimately does an excellent job bringing WWII alive for the reader.

I love John Lee's narration!

What did you love best about Winter of the World?

I have listened to three of Ken Follett's books with the same narrator. The stories are always well researched and written. I don't know if I would be able to find the time to read all of the books because of their length, but I listen to them in the car while driving. This story is interesting because I like history and I can relate to the wars from past books on history. The characters are interesting and well develped.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story unfolds in actual history

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

I love the emotion and the accents he uses in telling the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I don't know.

Great story--was sad it had to end!

Would you listen to Winter of the World again? Why?

Probably not--just because I never listen to stories 2x. But I do highly recommend it if you enjoyed Fall of Giants. It is a shame the 3rd is supposed to be overly political/liberal. I can't stomach that based on the reviews I've read. Wish he'd write another trilogy/family saga. Those are the best of his books.

What did you like best about this story?

Characters were a little less flat than they usually are in Follett's books....

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

He's amazing. I'm seeking out other books he performs.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes--but it was too long to do so, but I would not have wanted it abridged, either.

Good story but implausible.

Lots of editorial freedom evident here with events that didn't really happen that way. At times, the story dragged, esp towards the end. Too many odd coincidences. But good historical cover. Makes the times come alive. Worth it overall.

Not as good as Fall of Giants but still worth it

Just like Pillars of the Earth, the sequel to World Without End, I found the second installment to Follet's The Century Trilogy, to be lacking. The first book, Fall of the Giants, was so good!!! This one definitely faltered. BUT I love John Lee as narrator, even if his Russian characters all sound like vampires and his American characters sound vaguely like Al Capone. ANYWAY, I will still get the third book when it comes out.
It's worth it. If you liked the first one I think you should give the second one a try. A lot happens to the families involved.

Excellent!

The story was excellent, as expected. The narration was great. Looking forward to digging into the next one.