Edge of Eternity

Century Trilogy, Book 3

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 36 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Edge of Eternity is the epic, final novel in Ken Follett's captivating and hugely ambitious Century trilogy. On its own or in sequence with Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, this is an irresistible and spellbinding epic about the fight for personal freedom set during the Cold War.

A Fight Against Injustice

1961, and in the United States George Jakes, a bright young lawyer in the Kennedy administration and fierce supporter of the civil rights movement, boards a Greyhound bus in Washington with Verena, an employee of Martin Luther King whom he is in love with, to protest against segregation.

A Rising Tide of Danger

In East Germany, teacher Rebecca Hoffmann finds her entire life has been a lie as she is targeted by the secret police, even as her younger brother, Walli, dreams of escape across the Berlin Wall to Britain. In Russia, activist Tania Dvorkin narrowly evades capture for producing an illegal news-sheet, her actions all the more perilous because her brother, Dimka, is an emerging star of the Communist Party.

A Cold War That Could Eliminate the World Forever

In a sweeping tale that began in 1911, the descendants of five families will now find their true destiny as they fight for their individual freedom in a world facing the mightiest clash of superpowers it has ever seen.

©2014 Ken Follett (P)2014 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

"The true historical events are probably the most exciting bits to read, because Follett always gives his puppet eye-witnesses an excellent vantage point from which to recount them." (Private Eye)

Mesmerizing

This is a fabulous tale of three generations of families throughout the major crisis of the western world, a story that had me gripped throughout and so well told and spoken.

Good story but far too long.

Good story but far too long as I found it was rambling at times. Looking forward to the next book though.

really good

I thoroughly enjoyed this one a very fitting end. I would do it all over again.

Painless history

If you could sum up Edge of Eternity in three words, what would they be?

A painless history lesson filtered through (mostly) appealing characters.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No - but Follett, as in all his novels, never fails to keep one intrigued and attentive. The very large range of characters and settings, and constant cross-cutting, could be confusing but actually it's easy to follow. It's not even necessary to know the 2 previous tomes in the trilogy.

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't have a particular favourite, but though I know 20th century history well the book is a constant reminder of how eventful the post-war part of the century was. The missile crisis, the assassinations, the Vietnam war, pop music ... Follett deals with it all and manages to put a character at the centre of the action - it's a bit forced, but effective

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

Not really - but I was impressed by Follett's ability to offer an even-handed treatment of, for example, the Soviet Union's motives during the Cuban crisis.

Any additional comments?

Follett's style and character development are never more than workmanlike, but the bluff tones of the narrator (who is very adept) makes up for it.

Great historical research.

I have been growing up in West Germany in the time of the war. Our family also was split due to the wall. This fictional story brought back a lot of memories.

A Historical Journey

What did you love best about Edge of Eternity?

The historical information in this book is amazing. Folet has weaved realistic characters into the historical events in a believable way. It covers the cold war, civil rights movement in the US, Vietnam war, and the creation and eventual downfall of the Berlin wall. The characters in the story experiencing these passages in time, were interwoven nicely.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The story was a journey in time, rather than an 'edge of your seat' type story. For me the interest was in the historical events themselves. I had some knowledge of them, so had an overall appreciation of what was going to happen, but I didn't know all the details so found that fascinating.

Which scene was your favorite?

too hard to choose - it covers so many events, they were all unique.

Any additional comments?

There were a lot of sex scenes in the later half of the book. Seemed like everyone was finding a new partner - some of them didn't overly contribute to the story and could've been left out (in my opinion).

Very well done but preferred the first two!

This is really heavy going on the civil rights movement, otherwise extremely interesting!I Enjoyed it and would recommend it!

Brilliant, and great value for one credit

This whole series has been terrific. Well written and well read. Had me involved with the characters all the way through and helped fill the in gaps in my knowledge of many events that took place in my lifetime.

Excellent

This was excellent, "lighter" than the previous books! This book close the circle, and although there was still loose ends, the story worked for me.

Brilliant

It was as if we were reliving history- a master storyteller and so sad the story ended