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)

Very stressful story about WWII

What made the experience of listening to Winter of the World the most enjoyable?

This was very informative and interesting but very gory in the torture details and other horrifying acts of WWII

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

Pillars of the Earth

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

Yes, similar

Who was the most memorable character of Winter of the World and why?

Daisy.. she was an American heiress who was outspoken and fluid.

Any additional comments?

I skipped some of the worst excesses of the Gestapo, and then went back and listened bit by bit. Unbelieveable! But I think it actually is more prevelant than we think even now and that is the scariest part!

A Great Read but too much like a soap opera.

Too many sex scenes for my taste, however this is a fun way to feel like you're living through history. This series is broadening my horizons and it is keeping me entertained. Kudos to Ken Follet.

Great Story, One Reservation about Reader

Has the otherwise talented reader never talked with an American girl not raised in the Bronx? Every time poor Daisy, as portrayed, spoke a word my skin crawled. No private school educated girl from Buffalo--and I have known a few well-- would sound like that.

Great follow up to part I

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you enjoyed Part I of this trilogy, Part II will not be a disappointment. The next generation in this trilogy have just as much excitement, drama, and struggle as their parents.

Great listen- the reader is captivating

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

as good as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are so well developed that you feel like you know them. The book does an amazing job of keeping the story moving while still staying true to the historical events of the time.

As usual, I enjoyed this AND learned a lot!

I do find the "cast of characters" on the authors website very helpful. I wish my memories of Fall of Giants were more precise. I plan to relisten to Books 1 and 2 immediately before I tackle Book 3 (which of COURSE I'll buy the day it is released.) I learned so much about how the Brits felt before WWII started. I just watched the start of the new season of Upstairs/Downstairs and this meshed with it very nicely. The description of the attack on Pearl Harbor was as exciting as any of the many I have read/listened to.Thank you Ken Follett......I'm waiting for the next one!

It is full of historical insights.

What made the experience of listening to Winter of the World the most enjoyable?

I learned a lot about the lives of people in Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia. New information about the building of the Atom bomb and the spying surrounding the bomb.

outstanding

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

Yes,Follett does not allow you to get board. John Lee takes words and makes then pictures.

What did you like best about this story?

History made personal with people that are believable.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

He makes each one seam real. No favorite. If you took any character away you would loose a part of another character. You would have gray instead of color

Any additional comments?

Follett get better with every book!

This series should be made into a television mini series.

Although there are many unlikely incidences of crossing paths in this whole series, I figure that if Dickens can do it, so can Follett.
It's also unlikely that all the primary characters could have been involved in such pivotal moments of history. However, the details portrayed in those incidents is solid. So just go ahead and allow yourself to suspend disbelief , and you'll learn a lot about history while being entertained.
I didn't rate the narrator very highly because his American accents were really pretty awful. Probably would have been better to use more than one narrator because there are too many languages for one person to be able to do them all justice.
I would love to see this trilogy made into a television series. Being faithful to the book would provide enough material for 4 or 5 seasons of maybe 8 to 10 episodes each.

An excellent novel on its own

the story is compelling and immersive in its details about the personal and social lives of the characters during this time period. The trilogy is starting to feel Forrest Gump-like with its coincidences and connections to significant historical events happening with only five families, but it is believable nonetheless.