Winter of the World (The Century Trilogy #2) by Ken Follett

Century Trilogy #1 The Fall of Giants

I was so excited about the first book in this series that I immediately got the audiobook of the second book, Winter of the World. The best part of reading a series that is a decade old is that the books are available without a wait!

This book picks up with our original families, but following the next generation. That is not say that we don't see our heroes and heroines from The Fall of Giants, but war is a young person's game and we mostly follow their children. We've got Mussolini in Italy, Stalin in the Soviet Union, and Hitler in Germany. There's building of nuclear bombs. And what's going to happen to our families? Well, I won't give it away, but they're there for Pearl Harbor, nuclear testing, and Paris peace treaties. Because that's how a Ken Follett book is.

Look, I have no defense of this. I love these books. I learned so much about World War II, especially from the Soviet perspective. The books are very plot-heavy, so if you're looking for a ton of character development, you'll be disappointed, but the characters do grow. We have one spoiled American heiress who ends up driving ambulances in London during the Blitz, so there is some development. And even when there isn't development (a dude follows Hitler until he follows Stalin), the other characters talk about why he doesn't grow up. 

So, yeah, if anyone asks what I did in June 2024, I'm going to have to admit that my big accomplishment was listening to long audiobooks. 5/5 stars

Lines of note:

"Even with massive intimidation, they failed to win the votes of most Germans." He banged his fist on the steering wheel. "Despite everything they say, they are not popular and the longer they stay in government, the better the people will get to know their wickedness."

Lloyd was not so sure. "They've closed opposition newspapers, thrown Reichstag deputies in jail, and corrupted the police," he said. "And yet 44% of Germans approve? I don't find that reassuring." (timestamp 1:46:40)

Ugh. It's hard reading this in 2024. 

There were a dozen olive, drab vehicles parked on the lawn and their tires had chewed up the earl's lush turf. The gracious entrance courtyard with its curved granite steps had become a supply dump and giant cans of baked beans and cooking lard stood in teetering stacks where, formerly, bejeweled women and men in tailcoats had stepped out of their carriages. Lloyd grinned. He liked the leveling effect of war. (timestamp 11:14:14) 

I was sort of dumbfounded by this. I do understand how delightful it might be to see the mighty be taken down a peg, but this seemed sort of mean. I don't know. 

They had paid her the compliment of coming to her door without an invitation, knowing they would be welcome. They belonged to her and she to them. They were, she realized, her family. (timestamp 28:04:37) 

Lots of stuff about found family in these books, since families are often broken by war.

"No candidate is perfect," Lloyd said, "it's how you deal with your weaknesses that matters." (timestamp 28:15:05) 

I have been thinking a lot about presidential debates recently and there have been two moments in recent debates that have really stuck with me.

1) Trump attacking Clinton for staying off the campaign trail to prepare for the debate.

Clinton's response: “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And yes I did,” she said. “And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.” 

2) Trump attacking Biden's son Hunter for his addiction issues.

Biden's response: “My son, like a lot of people, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem. He’s overtaken it. He’s fixed it. He’s worked on it, and I’m proud of him,” Biden said.

It is all in how you frame it. 

Americans talked about voters the way Russians talked about Stalin; they had to be obeyed, right or wrong. (timestamp 30:23:18) 

And just like Stalin was wrong and cruel much of the time, so are the American voters. There is no perfect system of government. 

Hat mentions (why hats?):

62 hats! (The first book had 78, so it's not a record.) 

We had several coats and hats, several hats and gloves, a few suits and hats, fur hats, and a couple of top hats, hat stands, and felt hats. Lots of adjectives used to describe hats: chef's, black, straw, jaunty, nice, trilby, cute, peculiar, floppy, and green. 

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How many hats do you predict will be in the third (and final) book in this series? Do you have any favorite memories from a presidential debate?