It's been a very long time since I've read a book. Not sure why, maybe I was just waiting for a good recommendation or some extra free time. Well the extra free time finally come with my summer vacation to Minnesota. When we planned the trip a couple months ago, I decided it was time to get me a good summer book. I knew I wanted something epic, in the likes of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. I also wanted something fictional yet in a historical setting. It was my cousin, Marc who gave me the perfect suggestion; The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett.
My cousin explained the premise to me. A fictional series set in the past 100 years of history. As a historical junkie this was exactly what I wanted. The first book, The Fall of Giants, covers WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the Womens Suffragette movement. The second book, Winter of the World, covers WWII, and the third book, Edge of Eternity covers the Cold War. I started book one about a month and a half ago, and was glued to the pages. Truth is as a history buff, I've never fully understood the complexities of WWI until now. In this book I got a full dose of the political and historical context of the event, and can gladly say it has been incredibly inspiring. So here without further ado is my book review of Ken Follett's Fall of Giants.
The Premise
The story begins at the prelude to WWI in Europe. There are multiple characters in the story from different cultures and backgrounds. There are five families in total (Welsh, British, German, American, and Russian) who play a part in the story. They are interwoven with one another throughout the historical context, making for an extremely dramatic plot. I've always felt this style of storytelling makes for the best most insightful drama.
The first story revolves around the working class Welsh characters. Billy Williams and his sister Ethel Williams. Both Billy and Ethel are key protagonists in the story as they grow out of their humble working class roots to become political leaders. Billy follows in his fathers footsteps as a coal-miner, who becomes a soldier in the war, and eventually a statesmen of the British Labor party. His sister, Ethel, has an affair with a British lord, which causes her to flee her hometown and move to London. It is there that Ethel establishes a new lifestyle as a journalist and a leading voice in the women suffragette movement. She too herself is able to climb the political ladder into becoming an elected member of the Labor party.
The second story consists of the antagonist to the Williams family is the wealthy conservative British aristocrat, Earl Fitzherbert. He has an affair with one of his servants, Ethel, who later becomes pregnant. Fitz refuses to leave his wife, Bea, and requests that Ethel forever leave his presence After Fitz wrongly treats Ethel, he proudly partakes in WWI as an officer. However once again he serves as a key antagonist to his own soldiers, specifically, Ethel's younger brother Billy. Fitz is wounded in war yet later continues his patriotic pride by opposing labor rights and the Bolshevik movement in Russia.
The third story revolves around Fitz's sister. Maud, a liberal and supporter of the suffragette movement. She later falls for a German diplomat, Walter von Ulrich. They both meet thru upper class association however are well aware that both their nations are headed towards war. They decide to get married before the war and keep it secret. Walter becomes an officer of the German army, while Maud becomes further involved in journalism and the suffragette movement. She even befriends her former servant Ethel in London. After the five years of war she is finally reunited with her German husband.
The fourth story is about a Russian factory worker named Grigori Peshkov, who has saved enough money to leave for America. However before he can board his boat, his younger brother, Lev, is wanted for murder and Grigori has no choice but to give his brother the ticket in order to escape. Grigori goes on to take care of Lev's girlfriend and child that he leaves behind. To make matters worse, Grigori is later conscripted to join the Russian army for WWI. Grigori then becomes a leader in the Bolshevik movement and plays a key role in the February and October Revolutions.
Meanwhile his brother Lev makes it to America and finds work in New York for a wealthy Russian mobster. He impregnates the daughter of his boss, and is forced to marry her. However he continues to live a careless life that leads him to constant trouble. After Lev's father-in-law discovers that he is having an affair he sends him to war, hoping that he will be killed. Instead Lev reunites with his brother Grigori offering him the money he owed him and insisting he come to America. Grigori declines and wishes his brother well. Upon his return to America, Lev kills his father-in-law in a domestic dispute. He rashly decides to take his father-in-law's spot as the boss and plans to illegal sell alcohol during the days of Prohibition.
The fifth story is about an American, Gus Dewar, who happens to be a political adviser to the president Woodrow Wilson. Gus plays a pivotal role among the British, German, and even Russian characters. During the war as Wilson's adviser he is key in seeking peace talks between the nations and keeping the US out of the conflict. However he later becomes key in obtaining the Zimmerman telegram and delivering it to a rebellious American journalist named Rosa. Gus uncharacteristically decides to serve in the army to strengthen his character. He later comes home to declare his love to Rosa and help Wilson with the establishment of the League of Nations.
The Characters
Billy Williams (Welsh): He is the young crusading protagonist of this story. From the small coal-mining town of Aberowen, the Williams are a working class family. Billy's father is a well respected union leader and instills his Catholic moral principles into his children. In the first chapter we realize Billy's strength of character as his faith helps him thru a difficult situation. He later displays that strength thru leadership qualities in a coal-mining crisis and later at the bloody Battle of the Somme. Inspired by his rebellious sister, he becomes his own man, not afraid to challenge the authority. As a young man he becomes a political leader of the working class.
Ethel Williams (Welsh): She is the rebellious elder daughter of the Williams family. She begins the story as an ambitious housekeeper for the wealthy estate of the Fitzherberts. However her story takes a turn when she falls for the lord of the house, Fitz, and becomes pregnant. She is later expelled from her job, disowned by her parents, and has no choice but to relocate to London. It is here that Ethel becomes political as a single working class mother. She becomes a key contributor to Maud's feminist newspaper and a voice in the suffragette movement. She marries a fellow political activist named Bernie and the two are able to rise to the top of their party.
Earl Fitzherbert (British): He is the wealthy lord of an estate, married to a Russian princess named Bea. He is young yet conservative in his principles and serves as a key antagonist in the story. He has a brief affair with his house servant Ethel, of which he makes her pregnant and fires her to keep it silent. He later proudly serves his nation in the war as an officer yet has continuous confrontations with his own soldiers including Ethel's younger brother, Billy. Even after the war he serves as a proponent to the rising voice of the political labor party. He also secretly leads a counterrevolutionary campaign against the Bolsheviks. Fitz's greatest character fault is his patriotic-conservatism and pride.
Maud Fitzherbet (British): She is the brother of Earl, and his political opposite as a liberal feminist. Her story is one of forbidden romance as she falls for the enemy, a German diplomat named Walter. Her and Walter are able to keep their marriage a secret throughout the war. She uses her resources to organize a suffragette newspaper, of which she becomes passionate about. She also becomes friends with her former houseservant, Ethel, and the two work together in leading the suffragette movement. After the war she is able to reunite with her defeated German husband, Walter and must make a decision on whether to stay or to follow she him. She romantically quotes a passage from the book of Ruth stating she "will goest where he goes, lodgest where he lodge, follow his God, follow his people, diest where he die, and be buried with him." She thus goes on to live with him in the fallen state of Germnay. It's a very romantic relationship.
Walter von Ulrich (German): He is a German noble diplomat and old friend to Fitz. His story comes into play however when he declares his love for Maud. Their relationship makes for an extremely difficult conflict as their nationalities are on the brink of war. They get married and hope to reunite again after the war. Unlike his conservative father Otto, Walter is a political centrist. He proudly serves his country during the war, yet hopes for a quick resolution. After the war he reluctantly takes part in the Treaty of Versailles. It is there that he is able to reunite with his long lost love, Maud. They agree to settle together in Germany.
Grigori Peshkov (Russian): He is a Russian metalworker with intentions to leave his country for America. However he has terrible fortune when his younger brother Lev, of whom he takes care of, is wanted for murder. He must then give-up his ticket to his brother so that he can escape. Grigori's luck only gets worse when he must take care of his brother's girlfriend and child, and later becomes conscripted for the war. However it is at the war that Grigori's fortune takes a turn and he is able to join the Bolshevik movement. As a strong character he becomes a leader of the Revolution and eventually an officer of the newly established government. He marries his brother's ex-girlfriend and starts a family of his own with her. His fortune takes a turn for the positive halfway thru the book, however has us wondering at the end if he will prosper in the new Communist government.
Lev Peshkov (Russian): He is the younger brother of Grigori, a horse wrangler, and also quite the troublemaker. He impregnates a peasant named Katerina, yet kills an Imperial officer in a scuffle and must flee his nation. He first spends some time working in Wales then eventually arrives to America, always using his confident swagger to survive. It is in America that he finds work for a mob moss named Josef Vyalov and impregnates her daughter Olga. This works in Lev's favor as he is able to rise from peasant to a middle class business man. He continuously gets into trouble however and is later sent to the war by his father-in-law in hopes that he will be killed. It is here that he reunites with his brother Grigori and offers him the money he promised. After the war Lev returns to America, kills Josef in a domestic fight, and flees to Canada for a while. It is there that he come up with an idea to make a fortune during the Prohibition age.
Gus Dewar (American): He is the privileged son of an American senator and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson. He begins with a minimal role in Europe's war yet his character grows throughout the novel. He at first has a fling with Olga Vyalov yet is devastated when she must marry Lev instead. He then later begins to grow an attraction for an American journalist named Rosa Hellman, who happens to only have one eye. He delivers her the Zimmerman telegram that gets the US involved in war. Gus decides to join the war as an officer in order to strengthen his character. After the war he plays a crucial part in the Treaty of Versailles as well as helping president Wilson promote his League of Nations. He also romantically declares his love for Rosa Hellman.
Rosa Hellman (American): She is an extremely ambitious and rebellious journalist always on top of the developing stories at the White House. She is as pretty as she is intelligent, however her only major flaw is that one of her eyes is sealed. Nonetheless she becomes Gus' love interest and helps expose the Zimmerman telegram that gets the US to enter the war. She cares for Gus, yet feels she is below him and is surprised at the end of the story when Gus declares his love for her.
My cousin explained the premise to me. A fictional series set in the past 100 years of history. As a historical junkie this was exactly what I wanted. The first book, The Fall of Giants, covers WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the Womens Suffragette movement. The second book, Winter of the World, covers WWII, and the third book, Edge of Eternity covers the Cold War. I started book one about a month and a half ago, and was glued to the pages. Truth is as a history buff, I've never fully understood the complexities of WWI until now. In this book I got a full dose of the political and historical context of the event, and can gladly say it has been incredibly inspiring. So here without further ado is my book review of Ken Follett's Fall of Giants.
The Premise
The story begins at the prelude to WWI in Europe. There are multiple characters in the story from different cultures and backgrounds. There are five families in total (Welsh, British, German, American, and Russian) who play a part in the story. They are interwoven with one another throughout the historical context, making for an extremely dramatic plot. I've always felt this style of storytelling makes for the best most insightful drama.The first story revolves around the working class Welsh characters. Billy Williams and his sister Ethel Williams. Both Billy and Ethel are key protagonists in the story as they grow out of their humble working class roots to become political leaders. Billy follows in his fathers footsteps as a coal-miner, who becomes a soldier in the war, and eventually a statesmen of the British Labor party. His sister, Ethel, has an affair with a British lord, which causes her to flee her hometown and move to London. It is there that Ethel establishes a new lifestyle as a journalist and a leading voice in the women suffragette movement. She too herself is able to climb the political ladder into becoming an elected member of the Labor party.
The second story consists of the antagonist to the Williams family is the wealthy conservative British aristocrat, Earl Fitzherbert. He has an affair with one of his servants, Ethel, who later becomes pregnant. Fitz refuses to leave his wife, Bea, and requests that Ethel forever leave his presence After Fitz wrongly treats Ethel, he proudly partakes in WWI as an officer. However once again he serves as a key antagonist to his own soldiers, specifically, Ethel's younger brother Billy. Fitz is wounded in war yet later continues his patriotic pride by opposing labor rights and the Bolshevik movement in Russia.
The third story revolves around Fitz's sister. Maud, a liberal and supporter of the suffragette movement. She later falls for a German diplomat, Walter von Ulrich. They both meet thru upper class association however are well aware that both their nations are headed towards war. They decide to get married before the war and keep it secret. Walter becomes an officer of the German army, while Maud becomes further involved in journalism and the suffragette movement. She even befriends her former servant Ethel in London. After the five years of war she is finally reunited with her German husband.
The fourth story is about a Russian factory worker named Grigori Peshkov, who has saved enough money to leave for America. However before he can board his boat, his younger brother, Lev, is wanted for murder and Grigori has no choice but to give his brother the ticket in order to escape. Grigori goes on to take care of Lev's girlfriend and child that he leaves behind. To make matters worse, Grigori is later conscripted to join the Russian army for WWI. Grigori then becomes a leader in the Bolshevik movement and plays a key role in the February and October Revolutions.
The fifth story is about an American, Gus Dewar, who happens to be a political adviser to the president Woodrow Wilson. Gus plays a pivotal role among the British, German, and even Russian characters. During the war as Wilson's adviser he is key in seeking peace talks between the nations and keeping the US out of the conflict. However he later becomes key in obtaining the Zimmerman telegram and delivering it to a rebellious American journalist named Rosa. Gus uncharacteristically decides to serve in the army to strengthen his character. He later comes home to declare his love to Rosa and help Wilson with the establishment of the League of Nations.
The Characters
Billy Williams (Welsh): He is the young crusading protagonist of this story. From the small coal-mining town of Aberowen, the Williams are a working class family. Billy's father is a well respected union leader and instills his Catholic moral principles into his children. In the first chapter we realize Billy's strength of character as his faith helps him thru a difficult situation. He later displays that strength thru leadership qualities in a coal-mining crisis and later at the bloody Battle of the Somme. Inspired by his rebellious sister, he becomes his own man, not afraid to challenge the authority. As a young man he becomes a political leader of the working class.
Ethel Williams (Welsh): She is the rebellious elder daughter of the Williams family. She begins the story as an ambitious housekeeper for the wealthy estate of the Fitzherberts. However her story takes a turn when she falls for the lord of the house, Fitz, and becomes pregnant. She is later expelled from her job, disowned by her parents, and has no choice but to relocate to London. It is here that Ethel becomes political as a single working class mother. She becomes a key contributor to Maud's feminist newspaper and a voice in the suffragette movement. She marries a fellow political activist named Bernie and the two are able to rise to the top of their party.
Earl Fitzherbert (British): He is the wealthy lord of an estate, married to a Russian princess named Bea. He is young yet conservative in his principles and serves as a key antagonist in the story. He has a brief affair with his house servant Ethel, of which he makes her pregnant and fires her to keep it silent. He later proudly serves his nation in the war as an officer yet has continuous confrontations with his own soldiers including Ethel's younger brother, Billy. Even after the war he serves as a proponent to the rising voice of the political labor party. He also secretly leads a counterrevolutionary campaign against the Bolsheviks. Fitz's greatest character fault is his patriotic-conservatism and pride.
Maud Fitzherbet (British): She is the brother of Earl, and his political opposite as a liberal feminist. Her story is one of forbidden romance as she falls for the enemy, a German diplomat named Walter. Her and Walter are able to keep their marriage a secret throughout the war. She uses her resources to organize a suffragette newspaper, of which she becomes passionate about. She also becomes friends with her former houseservant, Ethel, and the two work together in leading the suffragette movement. After the war she is able to reunite with her defeated German husband, Walter and must make a decision on whether to stay or to follow she him. She romantically quotes a passage from the book of Ruth stating she "will goest where he goes, lodgest where he lodge, follow his God, follow his people, diest where he die, and be buried with him." She thus goes on to live with him in the fallen state of Germnay. It's a very romantic relationship.
Walter von Ulrich (German): He is a German noble diplomat and old friend to Fitz. His story comes into play however when he declares his love for Maud. Their relationship makes for an extremely difficult conflict as their nationalities are on the brink of war. They get married and hope to reunite again after the war. Unlike his conservative father Otto, Walter is a political centrist. He proudly serves his country during the war, yet hopes for a quick resolution. After the war he reluctantly takes part in the Treaty of Versailles. It is there that he is able to reunite with his long lost love, Maud. They agree to settle together in Germany.
Grigori Peshkov (Russian): He is a Russian metalworker with intentions to leave his country for America. However he has terrible fortune when his younger brother Lev, of whom he takes care of, is wanted for murder. He must then give-up his ticket to his brother so that he can escape. Grigori's luck only gets worse when he must take care of his brother's girlfriend and child, and later becomes conscripted for the war. However it is at the war that Grigori's fortune takes a turn and he is able to join the Bolshevik movement. As a strong character he becomes a leader of the Revolution and eventually an officer of the newly established government. He marries his brother's ex-girlfriend and starts a family of his own with her. His fortune takes a turn for the positive halfway thru the book, however has us wondering at the end if he will prosper in the new Communist government.
Lev Peshkov (Russian): He is the younger brother of Grigori, a horse wrangler, and also quite the troublemaker. He impregnates a peasant named Katerina, yet kills an Imperial officer in a scuffle and must flee his nation. He first spends some time working in Wales then eventually arrives to America, always using his confident swagger to survive. It is in America that he finds work for a mob moss named Josef Vyalov and impregnates her daughter Olga. This works in Lev's favor as he is able to rise from peasant to a middle class business man. He continuously gets into trouble however and is later sent to the war by his father-in-law in hopes that he will be killed. It is here that he reunites with his brother Grigori and offers him the money he promised. After the war Lev returns to America, kills Josef in a domestic fight, and flees to Canada for a while. It is there that he come up with an idea to make a fortune during the Prohibition age.
Gus Dewar (American): He is the privileged son of an American senator and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson. He begins with a minimal role in Europe's war yet his character grows throughout the novel. He at first has a fling with Olga Vyalov yet is devastated when she must marry Lev instead. He then later begins to grow an attraction for an American journalist named Rosa Hellman, who happens to only have one eye. He delivers her the Zimmerman telegram that gets the US involved in war. Gus decides to join the war as an officer in order to strengthen his character. After the war he plays a crucial part in the Treaty of Versailles as well as helping president Wilson promote his League of Nations. He also romantically declares his love for Rosa Hellman.
Rosa Hellman (American): She is an extremely ambitious and rebellious journalist always on top of the developing stories at the White House. She is as pretty as she is intelligent, however her only major flaw is that one of her eyes is sealed. Nonetheless she becomes Gus' love interest and helps expose the Zimmerman telegram that gets the US to enter the war. She cares for Gus, yet feels she is below him and is surprised at the end of the story when Gus declares his love for her.
1 comment:
This book has so many parallels to what we are experiencing today in America. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Instead of Royalty, we have Corporations. It is always about money and power, whatever title the wealthiest go by. It is ironic that the Bernie in this book is fighting for worker's rights, much like our Bernie Sanders today. Good reading for people who like complex literature.
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