The second volume in Ken Follett’s "Century Trilogy" begins in 1933. Hitler has rapidly risen to power and Germans are pondering how to react. The English-born Berliner, Maud von Ulrich, chillingly asks, “what would life be like for our children if Germany became a Fascist state?” For the next 940 pages, Follett answers this question with a no-nonsense style, an impressively firm grasp of history and an ability to juggle multiple, attention-grabbing story strands.
In this panoramic, 16-year epic, diverse characters from around the globe become embroiled in historical dramas. From protests in German streets to the London Blitz to the Manhattan Project’s inner workings, the five families from the first book – Welsh, English, Russian, German, and American – and, to a greater extent, the next generation, get even further entangled.
Each character fights literal and figurative battles; Carla von Ulrich does her courageous utmost to halt Nazi atrocities, Lloyd Williams, the Cambridge-educated illegitimate son of a housemaid-turned-MP, heads to Spain during its civil war to combat fascism, not expecting to fight communists too, and Daisy Peshkov awakens from her rich, empty existence to establish a meaningful life.
"Winter of the World" includes nearly every type of Second World War story, drawing together scenes of country house drama, suspenseful front-line action, Soviet espionage, daring resistance, generational conflict and even interracial romance. Most impressively, rather than a patchwork of disparate segments, Follett has produced another seamlessly woven and enjoyably readable work, one which honours the individual acts of bravery that shifted history’s course. At its heart, this mammoth saga highlights the importance of connections. Follett clearly explains the links among the political and social movements during this darkest of times.
