Books: Fall Of The Giants

I never could resist a fat book. So when I saw Ken Follett’s 985 page, Fall of the Giants, I couldn’t resist. I was expecting a good long story to get lost in, but what I found was that and even more. Fall of the Giants, is a novel full of historical accuracy and well developed characters. Follett has a unique way of drawing the reader into a very tactile portrait of the past. The story is intimate and detailed yet grand and sweeping at the same time__ quite a unique achievement. The plot follows the lives of five families during WWI and the Russian Revolution. Connections, interconnections, political intrigue, illicit love and conspiracies abound everywhere. This a complex book and as they say, “size doesn’t matter”, but when writing a book this size it does because it can become very unwieldy. Especially in tying plot lines together and moving the narrative forward at least in a way that keeps readers interested. Follett pulls it off well. There are no boring passages, and no political grand standing. Something refreshing in the fiction I have been reading lately. Is this literature? No. Is it a grand and good read? Yes. Be warned this is a sweeping novel that will pull you in and put you into another time and place. And it’s long and takes a lot of time to read. The thing is it’s only the first in a series…