Reviews with content warning for War - Fall of Giants

Good work of historical fiction as one has come to expect from Follett. The storyline Is entertaining enough to get through the 1000+ pages and the story works well with the historical background. The storylines set in the three different countries are woven together skilfully. I was especially intrigued by the suffragette plot and the empowerment of Ethel.

The reversal of the power dynamic with Ethel coming out on top was a high note to end the book.

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proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Vi får följa fem olika familjer, från USA, Ryssland, Tyskland och Storbritannien, under början av 1900-talet. Vi får uppleva första världskriget från skyttegravarna, den ryska revolutionen från insidan och kampen för kvinnlig rösträtt från första parkett. Miljöerna skiftar från kolgruvor till palats och vi får se hur dessa familjers livsöden sammanlänkas.

Det var inte helt enkelt att hålla reda på alla karaktärer i början - särskilt när man lyssnar - men när man börjar lära känna dem så klarnar det. I den fysiska boken finns tydligen ett persongalleri och det är något jag kan sakna när jag lyssnar. Annars vill jag verkligen berömma Ludvig Josephson som gjort en mycket bra inläsning!

Med tanke på tidsepoken och allt som händer under den tiden så blir det ofrånkomligt mycket politik. Jag gillar att läsa om kvinnorättsrörelsen som engagerar både hög och låg. Första världskriget och den ryska revolutionen har jag skamligt nog mindre vetskap om, så jag uppskattar att få mina kunskapsluckor ifyllda. Samtidigt så blir det lite väl mycket politik, vilket gör att jag tröttnar emellanåt. Det är intressant att vi får följa både förmögna familjer och arbetarklassen, såväl i kriget som i vardagslivet. En "spännande" konflikt uppstår när brittiska Lady Maud och tyske diplomaten Valter förälskar sig i varandra strax före krigets utbrott...

Det är kanske inte så överraskande att de karaktärer jag fastnar mest för tillhör arbetarklassen. Billy börjar jobba i gruvan som ung pojke och hans syster Ethel jobbar som hushållerska åt en överklassfamilj. Gregori är en rysk arbetare som drömmer om att åka till Amerika, men tvingas istället ta hand om sin bror Lev som ständigt hamnar i trubbel. Jag vet dock inte om jag är tillräckligt intresserad av att få veta hur det går för dem och alla andra fortsättningsvis, med tanke på att de andra böckerna i trilogin är lika omfångsrika. Så många böcker, så lite tid!

(Osäker på stavning av namnen eftersom jag lyssnat.)

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camoo3032's review against another edition

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adventurous informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Really immersive and a great way to learn about the events of 1911

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asourceoffiction's review

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challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is utterly epic in scale, and it could have been incredibly difficult to follow all the different strands of story that weaved through the grand backdrop of the First World War. But it's a testament to the strength of the characters Follett created that I was never bored. The book begins in 1911 and ends in 1924, following a number of families in different circumstances. From Russian workers to British and German aristocrats, Welsh miners and American diplomats, the history of The Great War is unfolded through their stories and it is absolutely fascinating.

So much of the political nuance (which has been carefully researched) I had no idea about, and it was really interesting to read something that encompassed so many facets of society that had an effect on the outcome of the war. There have been so many stories centred on trench warfare (and those chapters are brilliantly written here), but I knew so little about the political battles to end (and in some cases prolong) the war, the rise of the suffragettes in London and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

When separated from the huge story, the characters themselves were also really engaging. Grigori Peshkov is so idealistic and noble after a tragic childhood, while his irresponsible brother Lev fritters away his opportunities. Maud Fitzherbert and Ethel Williams are a lady and a maid respectively, and form an unlikely and wonderful alliance while fighting for women's rights. There are characters to love, and some I loved to hate. There are love stories between classes and warring nationalities, and there is still so much more of the 20th century to encounter. I can't wait to read the second installment.

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motivationsloch's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ibeforem's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

No one writes a historical saga quite like Ken Follett. Is it entirely historically accurate? Probably not. Is it fine literature? No. Did it keep me entertained for 30 hours? It did! For the most part. There was a fair amount of political stuff at the end that I found myself tuning out on, but I'm always interested in the stories of the people. I particularly appreciated the depiction of the Bolshevik Revolution, because that is a piece of history that I'm not very familiar with. I'm sure I'll be reading the final 2 books in the trilogy.

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machenn's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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