Book Review: Winter of the World

After several months of Christmas, wine, and good Jazz music I have finally finished book 2 of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, Winter of the World. It is a continuation of the characters from book 1, this time with a focus on their children. Just as the story did in book 1, the characters in this book intersect with one another in the backdrop of World War II. It is a fictional account of romance drama and incredible historical cultural insight. I was very satisfied with this book and it has immersed me into a long winter phase of WWII appreciation (as you can probably tell from my posts of late).

The Premise

The story begins in 1933 at the start of Hitler's Third Reich. The streets of Germany are in total political upheaval, dominated by fascist bullying tactics. Maud and Walter (characters from book 1) are opposed to the rising Nazi party and support social democracy. However they do their best to remain neutral and raise their children in the changing country. Their daughter Carla is a righteous nurse, while their son Erik is a conformist Hitler youth who later joins the Nazi army.

Carla quickly finds herself disgusted by the Nazi policies, such as their discrimination to Jews and later their euthanasia programs on the sick and disabled. She does her best to secretly aid the resistance as well as the Soviet army throughout the story. Meanwhile her brother Erik assimilates to the Nazi regime as a proud young supporter however he also changes his attitude throughout the story.

Meanwhile on the British Isle, Lloyd Williams, the bastard son of Ethel and Earl Fitzherbert (characters from book 1) emerges as the new heroic idealist. Just like his mother Ethel and his father in law Bernie, he is very engaged in social liberal politics. He hates fascism so much that he voluntary chooses to fight against it in the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

Lloyd's heart is at first broken by an American woman named Daisy Peshkov, who is the daughter of the wealthy Russian mobster Lev Peshkov (the Russian-American immigrant from book 1). Daisy moves from Buffalo high society to English high society after being humiliated at a part. In England she quickly weds Boy Fitzherbert (the wealthy son of Earl Fitzherbert). At first Boy is a supporter of the English fascist party which makes Daisy a supporter, and this breaks Lloyd's heart.

While Boy enlists in the British army, Daisy drives ambulances during the British Blitz of 1941. However during the war their relationship goes through a whirlwind of scandal and infidelity. Daisy later meets Lloyd a second time while he is stationed at her estate and the two have an affair. She later intends to divorce her husband Boy to be with Lloyd. At first Boy is unwilling to grant the divorce yet he dies in a heroic plane crash and permits Lloyd to marry her.

The third story comes from the American perspective of Greg Peshkov (the bastard son of Lev Peshkov). Unlike his corrupt father however Greg pursues a righteous path, working for the government. He is able to land a job with Senator Gus Dewar and later works with a team on the development of the nuclear bomb. He falls for a black actress and has a kid with her. His story somewhat intersects with the two sons of Senator Dewar, Woody and Chuck who both serve in the American army. Woody loses his fiance at the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Chuck dies at a battle in the Pacific.

The fourth story comes from the Soviet perspective, of Vladimir Peshkov (the son of Lev Peshkov, who is raised by his uncle Grigori). Vladimir is a proud Soviet citizen who serves as spy for the Soviet KGB. He fights in the Spanish Civil War where he meets Lloyd and goes on several covert missions infiltrating Nazi Germany. He is eager to see the downfall of fascism yet later grows doubtful about communism. He falls for a beautiful scientist, named Zoya, who helps construct the Russian nuclear bomb.


The Characters

Carla von Ulrich: She is the righteous daughter of Maud and Walter, and shares her parents disgust for the Nazi regime. At first she does her duty for the government and serves as a nurse. However she quickly realizes the injustice done upon Jews, women, and the disabled. After the death of her father at the hands of a Gestapo officer she does her part to secretly expose and sabotage the Nazi government. She helps her mother seduce a German officer into bringing them war plans and handing them off to Soviet spies. She also plays a heroic role in saving children and less fortunate people throughout the story.

Erik von Ulrich: Unlike his courageous sister, Erik quickly supports the Nazi regime. A lot of this has to do with his young naive teenage ambitions to fit in, be strong, and be popular. He serves in the German army and is later captured in a battle. He later witnesses all the injustice done upon the Jews and prisoners of war and changes his fervor towards the Nazi party. However in a total turn of ideals he later supports the Communist party, which is just as extreme.

Thomas Macke: He is the Nazi arch villain of the story, a vicious Gestapo officer. He confronts the Von Ulrich family on several occasions concerning their political alignments. He threatens Walter's cousin for his homosexuality and kills his lover. He later kills Walter for his involvement in revealing the secret euthanasia programs.

Lloyd Williams: He is the heroic blue-collar protagonist of the story, in the likes of his uncle Billy from book one. He shares his mother's courage and desire to get involved in social politics that support the labor cause. He is not afraid of a fight, and often gets involved in protests, scuffles, and battles against the Fascist and Conservative coalitions. His romance with Daisy is the best part of the story.

Daisy Peshkov: This character goes thru quite a transformation throughout the story. She begins as somewhat of a sassy spoiled princess, as she flees from one romance to another. In England she quickly married for wealth and position as she is able to seduce Boy Fitzherbert. However she later finds that he is unfaithful to her and she begins a new independent lifestyle. At this point she falls for the working class soldier, Lloyd Williams and completely changes her ideals. She later marries Lloyd and helps him pursue his future career in politics.

Greg Peshkov: He is another righteous character who wants nothing to do with his father's corrupt business. However he still shares his father's bold, sharp personality as well as a hunger for love. He jumps from one romance to another, yet remains particularly devout to a black actress named Jacky, whom he sleeps with at a young age. He later discovers that he has a kid with Jacky and decides that he doesn't want the kid to be a bastard like he was.

Vladimir Peshkov: He is a proud Soviet citizen wanting to serve his country, just like his revolutionary uncle who raised him, Grigori. He overlaps with multiple characters in the story trying to infiltrate Fascist regimes. Similar to Lloyd's character he wants nothing more then to see the collapse of Fascism. However he later realizes that his Soviet government is just as bad. At the end he chooses a life of love and family.

Woody Dewar: He is the eldest son of Senator Gus Dewar and his wife and journalist, Rosa. They are stern liberal democrats and supporters of president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Woody shares his mother's passion for journalism and photography. He falls for a woman named Joanne, and they get engaged together, however she tragically dies at the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He later enlists in the army and serves as an officer during DDay. He later finds love again.

Chuck Dewar: He is the younger son of Gus and Rosa who enlists in the Navy. He secretly reveals to his brother Woody that he is a homosexual. He is stationed at Hawaii and has a secret relationship with a man named Eddie. He later dies for Eddie during at a battle in the Pacific.