Fall of Giants (Century Trilogy, 1)

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Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

There are many novels based on the impact of the First World War on peoples’ lives but none better than this book. The factual content is an excellent analysis of how countries slipped into what turned out to be a disaster and a salutary reminder of how hubris and stupidity can change the course of history. Where this book scores over a straight historical account of the period is that the author creates such engaging characters who are deftly inserted into this tumultuous period of world history whose fates become personally important and whose imaginary lives illustrate forcefully the impact of the war on all strata of society, on women and countries across the world. The book isn’t jingoistic in that there are sympathetic characters as well rogues and autocrats from both sides of the conflict though there is more sympathy for the ordinary people than for those with influence over events. I certainly laughed at times. And, I was certainly provoked to deep consideration of incidents and experiences, astonishment for the intricate manipulations of the war machine of the early 20th century, disgust for the polarised standards of rights and responsibilities, and I was prompted to empathy,sadness and even tears for the distainful attitude of negligence for life. In December 1916, Fitz works at the Admiralty after suffering a major injury in the battle at Somme. He translates German communications, but cannot decode them himself. When the prime minister resigns, the ing asked Bonar Law who declined thinking it should go to Lloyd George instead. Fitz wants someone with aggression, but Maud wants peace. He meets with Bea and demands that she do her duty and produce more heirs, though Fitz feels bad about the encounter after he leaves to meet with the wive’s of soldiers. Once there, he is surprised to see Ethel, and the two talks about all that has happened. He asks her to meet him the next day. She does and he offers her a luxurious house and all she could want to live as his mistress. Ethel agonizes over the decision as Maud meets Gus at a Gallery. Gus says there is a divide in Germany and the war faction convinced the kaiser to invade Romania. The publication of Fall of Giants will be a major international event, with simultaneous publication in at least fifteen countries. Is this the biggest publication event of your career to date? Follett writes from the vantage points of people whose home countries come to the brink of—and finally enter into—a world war. What was it like to read the perspectives of enemies as they embark on battle with one another? Did you find yourself taking sides in any way? Did reading about World War I through fiction cause you to think differently about the conflict?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. Many real historical figures appear in your novel, including President Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill. How closely did you follow the historical record in portraying them?

Is there a custom or practice from the book’s early twentieth-century time period that you wish existed in our modern day? What would it be, and why do you think it should have a place in today’s world? Politics is an important element in Fall of the Giants, and you're married to a politician who is a member of Parliament for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. Did your relationship with your wife influence the view of politics that is presented in your novel? And is there anything of her, or other important women in your life, in your main female characters?

READERS GUIDE

I've enjoyed immersing myself in the Middle Ages, and I know readers have been intrigued too, but it's not the only fascinating period of history. I wanted to give readers a similar experience with an era that their own grandparents and great–grandparents lived through. In a way, Fall of Giants is about understanding ourselves and where we all come from. Fitz and Ethel consummate their affair, careful to avoid pregnancy. Ethel shudders to think of what her father would say. She persuades Fitz to feed the children of the striking miners and learns that all the striking miners have been evicted.