Changes

The world of 1933 seems to be about to disprove the idea that WWI was the war to end all wars. German politician Walter von Ulrich and his wife (and former English aristocrat) Maud watch in horror as Adolf Hitler's National Socialists increase their hold; a rise in popularity that invigorates their son Erik. After visiting the von Ulrichs, young Lloyd Williams takes mental images of the brutality gripping Germany home to England, images that fire him up to fight against the fascist threat elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile , young socialite Daisy Peshkov has marriage on her mind but isn’t considered a respectable prospect in her native USA. (Blame her thuggish father, movie magnate Lev.) This doesn't stop her though; if she can't have a rich American husband, there's still a bit of money left in Britain.

Unfortunately , it pays not to know much about the period as historical knowledge creates its own spoilers. For instance, a disabled child is born in pre-war Germany, the Dewar family happen to be visiting a certain Hawaiian naval installation on a certain day etc. Therefore even before their resolution (years before in the child's case) , you have a rough idea of their chances. Also, even excepting the Nazis and brown-shirts, all the goodies seem to be left -wing politically whereas the baddies are all right. Even for a lefty like me, anti-Tory comments without a defence or justification of the other side does suggest a one-sided view of history. Yes, this is a fiction but it's built around factual events and this bias is unsettling.

Having said this, there was something that kept me going to the end. I learnt to fast-forward over the adverbs and the clunkiness. I explained away the lack of character depth (unusual for Mr F) by telling myself it was an action-driven book. Some people have complained that certain historical moments (e.g. the Battle of Britain) are glossed over but he's trying to cram 16 years in 800 pages and the set -piece around Pearl Harbor would suggest he's aiming at an American market.

There were indeed flashes of the old Ken we love: I was rooted to my seat as the Dewars fought for survival and during a particular Carla von Ulrich bike ride I was white -knuckling all the way. Were there enough glimpses to make this book readable? For me there were.

The best way to look at the novel is as a human body. There are spots, blemishes and marks on the skin but the bone structure beneath is sound and the heart is in the right place. If you can ignore the imperfections, this sweeping saga encapsulating a world in conflict will carry you with it. If, however, you're mesmerised by the stylistic acne, that's all you'll see. In short, if you're a Follett fan it's worth a go, but you may want to borrow it first to check. If you're new to the author, this may not be the best place to start.

If this has whetted your appetite to read about specific aspects try [[The Conductor by Sarah Quigley]] about the hardships in Russia during the war and [[My Enemy's Cradle by Sarah Young]] about another aspect of Nazi ideology. Meanwhile, if you'd like to go back to the ''Winter of the World'' families' roots then we suggest the [[Fall of Giants by Ken Follett|first in the trilogy]]. We also have a review of [[Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy) by Ken Follett]].