Fall Of Giants Book Review: In Love In War By Ken Follett

Book number 5: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (Book One of the Century Trilogy). I finished reading this early this month but I’ve been lazy on writing my book review. 😆

What It Is: Clever, witty, funny, and moving, Fall of Giants takes you back to the major events in the early 19oos. It’s not a cool time of course because that’s when the first World War happened but the book takes you on a special tour, the kind that gives flesh to the war, interestingly, only to be torn.

Fall of Giants follows the major historical events around this time through the lives of five families, from the pits of a coal mine, to the White House, to the grand function halls of the Brit elite, to the streets of Russia and Germany… come to think of it, the scope of this book is just too large, it’s amazing how everything is put together nicely, wow. 🙂

Normally, I will not enjoy a book on politics, government, crime, violence and all, but Fall of Giants is special. It takes these subjects and make you think why they are as they are and why people allow them to be as they are. I know my writing is a bit rusty right now and I can’t even begin to tell you the merits of this book, but trust me, it’s just as cool as historical fiction can get, lovely stuff. Oh, know what, I think I’ll love for Fall of Giants to be a movie!

What I Liked About It: I’m jumping up and down about Fall of Giants, I enjoyed it that much. If you loved The Book Thief, which happens to be my best book of 2012, don’t miss Fall of Giants. Follett’s narration reminds me of Murakami but one that I understand; it’s easy, flowing, engaging, and very powerful in the sense that it’s transporting.

The characters draw you in equally, like they’re people you already know. They make you feel. You love them, you cheer for them, you cry with them, you hate them – the characters are just so alive you have no choice but to get suck in. With good narration and solid characterization, tell me, how can I not love Fall of Giants?

But I believe the best part is how it puts faces to a time of war. Normally, when you read or hear of war, you get cold statistics and a clinical telling of events. Here, you feel the war, as if you are in the middle of it, not a spectator recalling past events, and each of the five families inside the book highlights a different aspect of war that will inspire and break your heart. Each character brings a unique tale of war that offers lessons why it’s so stupid and why it never brings victory to anyone.

What I Did Not Like About It: Okay, so I said I enjoyed the personal tour of World War 1, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage through the characters but I must admit there are times when the romance is too much for me. I think every major character in Fall of Giants had sex too. 😆 Also, there are times when one character from one family resembles another in a different one, like it’s the same person in terms of how he or she acts. I’m not sure how to explain it but you’ll see when you read it.

Recommended For: Fans of historical fiction and anybody looking for a great, kind of serious read. Thumbs up for Fall of Giants. 🙂

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Photos taken from here and here.