Winter of the World by Ken Follett

Winter of the World is the second book in Ken Follett's acclaimed Century Trilogy, following his historical novel Fall of Giants. Spanning multiple characters, countries, and decades, Winter of the World follows the diverse paths of five interrelated families across Europe and the United States as they struggle to survive the tumultuous events of World War II.

Drama is initiated early with the return of American refugee Giles Farnaby to England and the crumbling of the successful von Ulrich family in Germany, shaken by the death of Fritz von Ulrich and the rise of the Nazi regime. Pressure mounts on both families, as the life and safety of all those involved depend on clever, often dangerous decisions.

The young Welsh mining family, the Williams', are also hit with misfortune when daughter Daisy must leave her beloved parents behind and join other kindly folk on a mission of goodwill in Berlin. The Lehmanns, a Jewish family living in Berlin, fight against oppression through courage and cunning while striving to keep their family together. Lastly, American talk radio host Chuck Dawson volunteers to fight in Vietnam and discovers his morality, convictions, and loyalty during the traumatic experience.

Follett navigates through time, portraying each family’s crisis and triumph by entirely immersing readers in the era. He crafts the story of these five families against the backdrop of intertwining international events, including Black Thursday in Germany, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the D-Day landings, and the Vietnam War.

Despite the wide geographical and temporal scope of Winter of the World, Follett carefully details each character’s inner battles and confusion and adds a realism to the story which enthralls readers. Especially poignant is the novel’s emphasis on how war changes the people it touches, not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically.

Woven through this tale is a universal story about family, love and loyalty, and how these personal stories shape the bigger historical narrative. However, neither family nor love can guarantee safety in this tumultuous world, yielding a powerful and thought-provoking novel.

Winter of the World masterfully combines suspense and drama as it follows characters struggling to keep their families intact in a rapidly changing, sometimes hostile world. Ken Follett contrasts the tumultuous events of war with the intertwined stories of family and love and invites readers to explore the consequences of a divided world. A riveting epic, Winter of the World paints a sharp portrait of a generation corrupted by the harshest of conditions, yet buoyed by the steadfast strength of remarkable individuals.