Winter of the World: The Century Trilogy, Book 2

This is a great book and great narration. However, the Audible version skips about halfway through. I contacted Audible and was told it will take two weeks or even longer to fix (a/o 10/10/12). Either wait or buy somewhere else - unless you don't mind that a section of the audiobook is missing.

I got an e-mail from audible saying they had fixed it, but need to know which section got fixed, since I have already listened to it and just assumed that was how the story went.

It would have been so much better if the piece that is missing (about 40 pages of the actual book) were there

I called Audible about this problem on October 10th and then again on the 15th, as I had received no answer. On the 15th they promised me I would get an answer within one business day. Three business days later I am still in the dark. I did get a credit as a "we are sorry" note, though. However, I would really like to be able to finish the book with the missing part reinstated.

The wonder of this book is that most of us intimately understand the subject matter, and Follet does a wonderful job of creating the emotion and devastation associated with this tumultuous era in World History.

He seamlessly weaves the characters together in a believable and dignified way. The comparisons of cultures and the representative actors is achieved in a subtle and believable manner. I could not be more impressed with his point of view on what it would have been like to witness some of the 20th Century's most notable events.

I highly recommend this book, as it is exactly what an audio book should be: entertaining, representative of a unique point of view, and enjoyable!

in all three catagories!

More than a great story. I love a novel that educates.

Reader is perfect.

Lost a whole weekend because I couldn't turn it off...

I am sure historical fiction is tough, especially such a large book filled with details. I thought this book was a little too much history and not enough fiction to emphasize the characters. The narrator is good (not great). Would recommend. Hoping for a great finale.

Winter of the World is just as engrossing and just interesting as Fall of Giants. We meet characters we love, and a few we despise. Follett expertly puts his characters into all the major events of the 1930's and 1940's, and he does so without straining the readers/listeners credulity. Hitler's rise to power, the burning of the Reichstag, Pearl Harbor, Midway, the development of the atomic bomb, the struggle of Russia against Germany, it's all here. Follett never has been one to avoid tragedy and in Winter of the World people you don't think will come to harm are killed off. This is realistic and adds to the believability of the novel.

When a great story is narrated by someone as fantastic as John Lee it next to impossible to stop listening. There were many days where I was engrossed for 5 or 6 hours at a time. Get this gem and enjoy.

I enjoyed this book a lot its very typical of all of Ken Follett books he is an epic story teller. I think I enjoyed Fall of Giants more though. Having been 2 years since that book came out it would have been nice just to have a clearer understanding of the characters genealogy. However IF you have not read Fall of Giants this book is still one you can pick up and enjoy without having read the previous book. I don't think the book focused enough on the holocaust but I think that is a point not many Germans from my understanding knew what was going on at that time.

First of all this review is some what tainted by my enthusiasm for the first novel in the series. I felt in Fall of Giants that that author was able to weave together the separate plot lines, give a wonderful story and a broad history lesson. I fell Winter of the World fell short. Now this short coming is easily explained, the second world war is difficult to paint in such broad strokes, I felt that the holocaust was given very light coverage.

Furthermore as the genealogy expands from the first book the complexity of the plot lines became a bit muddled.

Finally, the first book in many instances gave us a front row seat, we were at dinner with the king, or in the office of the President etc etc, there was less of that in this book and I feel that it is the poorer for it.


Saying all that i still enjoyed the book.

If readers want to be fully immersed in the second world war in a similar style, Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance is your best bet

Just finished the book yesterday. I don't want to re-read the whole book. Please someone, which part was missing???