Fall of Giants (Century Trilogy, 1)

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Follett is masterly in conveying so much drama and historical information so vividly . . . grippingly told.”— The New York Times Book Review On April 6, 1917, the United States declares war on Germany. Walter’s only hope now is for the Russian government to collapse so that the anti-war group will take control.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits… Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House… two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution… Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London… Sometimes a real person goes to a fictional location, as when Winston Churchill visits Tŷ Gwyn. In that case, I have made sure that it was not unusual for him to visit country houses, and that he could well have done so at around that date. Think about the ways the main characters’ lives intersected throughout the book. Were there any characters that didn’t meet over the entirety of the novel that you wished did? Who, and why? Ken Follett’s magnificent new historical epic beginsas five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. Walter goes to his father’s office and shares what he has learned. He then meets Maud at tea at the Duchess of Sussex’s home. Maud manages to get Walter alone in the library, but they are soon interrupted by Lady Hermia, Maud’s aunt.In St. Petersburg, Fitz and Gus Dewar tour the Russian locomotive works, guided by Lev and Grigori Peshkov. Grigori recognizes Fritz’s wife Bea as the sister of the Russian prince who had killed his father.

Discuss Maud and Ethel’s relationship. Did you expect them to form such a lasting bond, considering they met as mistress and servant? What did you think of the circumstances surrounding how their friendship ultimately dissolved? On July 1st, 1916 Walter sneaks into a British camp for some information and barely escapes. A leader on the British side says all the Germans are dead and demands that the British forces rush forward. A German machine gun slaughters them in seconds. As Billy and his crew are forced into no-man’s-land, Billy and other sergeants lead their troops to safety and manage to take out a few of the machine guns. While they succeed, the battle itself was a massive failure due to the casualties on the British side. My rule is either the scene did happen, or it might have; either these words were used, or they might have been. And if I find some reason why the scene could not have taken place in real life, or why the words would not really have been said—if, for example, the character was in another country at the time—I leave it out. I really wanted to like this book. I have been a keen student of 20th century history since high school, 40 years ago.As his battalion meets the German offensive, Grigori’s fear soon turns to anger at the relentless barrage of bullets. The battle is nothing but confusion and Grigori is unable to make any shot count. He is surprised to find most of one ear shot off. It is not until after the fighting is over that he manages to shoot a passing German. Walter von Ulrich, a German nobleman and a former schoolmate of Fitz's. He and Maud begin at the party to act on the mutual attraction they have felt for years.