Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy

Ken Follett

Sep 2012 · The Century Trilogy Book 2 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

"This book is truly epic. . . . The reader will probably wish there was a thousand more pages." —The Huffington Post

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.

Ratings and reviews

Ah, Follett . . . . . . you fiend! Where I had lamented that the first book of the man's Century Trilogy did not leave me as saddened by cruel fate as most historical fiction does, 'Winter of the World' delivered in spades. I found myself absolutely cringing as the author wrote towards the most horrible benchmarks of the age of Fascism and World War II. From Germany's turn from it's fledgling democracy to an aquiescence to Hitler's child-like promises to address their post-WWI plight; from Britian's limiting class system to their rejection of authoritarianism brewing on their own shores, a strain of ignorant pursuit that was sweeping Europe in the 30s; from America's head-in-the-sand reluctance to be pulled into another old continent battle for survival to their star-crossed global awakening; from consolidation of the Soviet revolution to a bestial nature they though was their spoil after so much had been asked of and taken from them; Follett did not hide from the realities of competing interests and the way that such nuance consumed the lives of too many. The cog-wheels of history, indeed. How awful for those caught up in such tumult. Characters that we grew to appreciate were unjustly cut down, denied of the gift of life in which to share moments with those they loved the most. That is the tragedy of conflict in a nutshell. The author wrote that harshness and senselessness ever so well. Poor Walter. Poor Chuck. And yet grifters and cheaters and the cruel still found a way to slither away from moral reflection that could have redeemed themselves in the eyes of the reader. Like I said: Oh Follett. You fiend. Different from the way that Fall of Giants protected us from horror, the early concentration camp scene at the beginning of the Nazi consolidation of power in Germany was like a too-soon removal from a warm, safe home. The author raised the stakes ever so quickly with that brutal description of malice and hatred, a discription that even the most disinterested student of history could have uncomfortably anticipated, even if the gore and blunt horror was unexpected. Oh, poor Maud. Although it certainly hurt to see her endure the heartbreak of so many instances of violence, she and the other ladies in her immediate family were the perfect conduit for the story to impart on the reader the legacy of suffering placed upon German peoples before, during and after the war. The discription of her waning youth and premature aging in the face of such distress struck me as I imagined the way that one's 50s can still be a vibrant facsimile of the prime of life. Although I hate the way that her son Kurt fell into the role of mindless follower, again, after the destruction and carnage of the front shook him from his first embrace of a cult of personality, I now trust the author to give the flawed character space in the final edition of the trilogy to come to some kind of moral awakening. All I'm pleading for is the room for Kurt, a man-child from an idealistic family, to reveal himself as more than just a one dimensional foil. Long story short: Winter struck all the cords I was hoping for, if not more so.

Amazing story, cruel and hopeless, yet light seems to shine from within those human acts the protagonists dare to show when nothing makes sense any longer. The prose is precise, fast but not over stylish. Surprising to experienced the changed of times with the change of protagonists, nonetheless it all made sense and the story gets equally captivating.

After reading FALL OF GIANTS, a mildly entertaining story set in early 1900s, progressing through WWI, I thought I would not read another of Follett's books. He depends too much on graphc sexual descriptions which are repulsive. But I am fascinated by anything WWII, so decided to read the second in the trilogy. The historical background, and the political maneuvering makes interesting reading, but there was not enough development in the characters. I became bored with the repetitive references and episodes of sexual encounters, and began skipping whole sections to pick up the thread of the story. It made no difference in the flow, and I finished the book in less time. I am definitely done this time.

About the author

Ken Follett is one of the world’s best-loved authors, selling more than 160 million copies of his thirty books. Follett’s first bestseller was Eye of the Needle, a spy story set in the Second World War. 

In 1989 The Pillars of the Earth was published, and has since become the author’s most successful novel. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an Oprah’s Book Club pick.
 
Its sequels, World Without End and A Column of Fire, proved equally popular, and the Kingsbridge series has sold 38 million copies worldwide.
 
Follett lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife Barbara. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren, and three Labradors.