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Winter of the World

A Gripping Epic From The Number One Bestselling Author

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Winter of the World

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

Winter of the World is the second novel in Ken Follett's uniquely ambitious Century trilogy. On its own or read in sequence with Fall of Giants and Edge of Eternity, this is a spellbinding epic of global conflict and personal drama during World War II.

A Battle of Ideals
It is 1933 and, at Cambridge, Lloyd Williams is drawn to irresistible socialite Daisy Peshkov, who represents everything that his left-wing family despise. But Daisy is more interested in aristocratic Boy Fitzherbert, a leader in the British Union of Fascists.

An Evil Uprising
Berlin is in turmoil. Eleven-year-old Carla von Ulrich struggles to understand the tensions disrupting her family as Hitler strengthens his grip on Germany. Many are resolved to oppose Hitler’s brutal regime – but are they willing to betray their country?

A Global Conflict on a Scale Never Seen Before
Shaken by the tyranny and the prospect of war, the lives of five families become ever more enmeshed. As an international clash of military power and personal beliefs sweeps the world, what will this new war mean for those who must live through it?

Continue the captivating Century Trilogy with Edge of Eternity.

 20th Century Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction War Military Imperialism

Critic reviews

Gripping . . . powerful
A consistently compelling portrait of a world in crisis
This book is truly epic . . . The reader will probably wish there was a thousand more pages.
All stars
Most relevant
This is part 2 of the Century Trilogy and I strongly recommend listening to part 1 first (Fall of Giants) as it introduces the characters and their offspring who straddle the series and whose lives illuminate the horrors and heroics of war more effectively than a merely historical account. As in part 1 of the trilogy this sequel blends fictional characters and real people together to achieve a narrative that left me feeling deeply involved in the lives of the imagined players before, during and after the Second World War. Both books powerfully evoke what life was like during these turbulent times in world history and help the listener to understand how and why these destructive wars came about. I found this second book more depressing than the first as the senseless inhumanity and cruelty was so extreme. Nevertheless I loved this magisterial book and felt sorry that it ended and eagerly look forward to part 3, Edge of Eternity, which, unfortunately is not yet available as an audiobook on this website, though it has been recorded.
John Lee is a superb narrator who brings all the characters to life.

A heart-breaking but wonderful sequel

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Brilliant and fascinating. Covers family life in Britain, Germany and America throughout the Second World War. Horrifying and spellbinding. Highly recommend this book.

Bewitching

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Wonderful book written so well with lots of factual history but not enough to make it dry. credible characters...uplifting and sad at times..overall a book I didn't want to stop listening to at any time. Narrator is superb could (and often do) listen to his voice all day...on to the next one!..

Brilliant yet again

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A thoroughly engrossing read though I think it helped to have read The Fall of Giants. There were times when the political arguments, believable as they were, did get a bit boring, but there is action aplenty. I was particularly impressed by the narrator's ability to handle all the different accents, including differentiating between different American characters, not to mention the wealth of English, Russian and German accents required. It made it very easy to follow the dialogue. As a reader myself, I was in awe! I'm looking forward to the next one in the series and I will always look out for John Lee's narrations.

A Hefty Read

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I listen when walking and at the gym. A good book is a great incentive to exercise everyday and sometimes I do more than I mean to, simply because I can't stop listening. This is one of those books. Winter of the World has strong narrative drive, good characters and is exceptionally well read, plus it is l..o..n..g...(35 hours) so you certainly get your money's worth. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Great listen

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