Winter der Welt - Die Jahrhundert-Saga

Geschrieben von Ken Follett

Erzählt von Johannes Steck

Es ist eine Zeit des Umbruchs, eine Zeit der Finsternis. Aber auch der Hoffnung, die selbst das tiefste Dunkel erfüllt. Während sich die Lage in Europa gefährlich zuspitzt, versuchen drei junge Menschen heldenhaft ihr Schicksal zu meistern: Der Engländer Lloyd Williams wird Zeuge der Machtergreifung Hitlers und entschließt sich gegen den Faschismus zu kämpfen. Die deutsche Adelige Carla von Ulrich ist entsetzt über das Unrecht, das im Namen des Volkes geschieht, und geht in den Widerstand, während die lebenshungrige Amerikanerin Daisy nur vom sozialen Aufstieg träumt - und eine bitterböse Überraschung erlebt! Liebe und Hass, Anpassung und Widerstand bilden ein schicksalhaftes Geflecht vor dem großen Panorama des Zweiten Weltkriegs, der dramatischen Zeitenwende des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: Lübbe Audio
• Erscheinungsdatum: 21. Sept. 2012
• ISBN: 9783838770536

Ken Follett

Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. Barred from watching films and television by his parents, he developed an early interest in reading thanks to a local library. After studying philosophy at University College London, he became involved in centre-left politics, entering into journalism soon after. His first thriller, the wartime spy drama Eye of the Needle, became an international bestseller and has sold over 10 million copies. He then astonished everyone with his first historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a medieval cathedral, which went on to become one of the most beloved books of the twentieth century. One of the most popular authors in the world, his many books including the Kingsbridge series and the Century trilogy - a body of work which together chronicles over a thousand years of history - and his latest novel Never - which envisages how World War III could happen - have sold more than 188 million copies. A father and husband, Ken lives with his wife in England and enjoys travelling the world when he can.

Rezensionen für Winter der Welt - Die Jahrhundert-Saga

[pennsylady · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Winter of the World12 discs (abridged)3.5 ★I found myself losing interest in a time period that usually intrigues me...Ok but I was looking for it to end.Glad I chose abridged.

[cornelia16-1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Der 2. Roman der "Jahrhundert-Saga" erzählt die Geschichte der nächsten Generation der Familien aus "Sturz der Titanen". Während sich die einen in Verblendung und Schuld verstricken, werden den anderen die Augen geöffnet für das Unmenschliche, das im Namen der Ideologie geschieht. Heldentum und Tragödie, Anpassung und Widerstand, Liebe undHass bilden ein schicksalhaftes Geflecht vor dem Hintergrund des 2. Weltkriegs, der großen Zeitenwende des 20. Jahrhunderts, die mit dem Donner der Geschütze eine neue Weltordnung einläutet (Verlagstext).

[creighley_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

The continuing saga from The Fall of Giants, this book continues to relate the stories of the interrelated families- Welsh, English, German,Russian, and American-through the social, political, and economic turmoil of World War II with the rise of The Third Reich, the disasters of the war, and into the rise of the Cold War.

[delta61 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I love history and reading these books by Follett is like reading a history bookbut better. The characters are woven into the actual events bypassing the coldhard facts of history and making them come alive. Through the eyes of the characters we see the events as if they are happening now. Well written andhard to put down.

[mslourens-500290 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

great book, very well written, it gives you a very clear view of all sides of the conflict and their motives. I like the way Follett let it's characters from all sides interact with each other. I am looking forward to it's next book of the Century trilogy.

[daniel_m_oz · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Second book in the trilogy. Whilst being not only a good "page turner" and also covering the major events leading up to, during and just post WWII wit the dame human perspective of the first book; this effort doesn't impress as much. The story line in most cases is predictable and the amount of co-incidence that was tolerable on the first book seems way too much in this one - which makes the story less believable.

[lkernagh · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

In book 2 of the Century trilogy, Follett continues with his sweeping saga, this time focused on the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II, ending in 1949 with the start of the Cold War era. The characters are familiar or direct decedents from the five families in book 1, Fall of Giants. Not surprisingly, Follett manages to insert his characters into such events as Pearl Harbour, the battle at Midway, the French resistance and even the Manhattan Project. As with Fall of Giants, Follett goes big taking in Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, the United States and the Pacific theatre. Thankfully, Follett keeps to a straightforward, chronological story line, making it easy to follow along. While the only unpredictable aspect of the story is how his characters react to these historical events, Follett continues to touch on broader social themes such as women’s rights, the stratification of social classes and communism versus capitalism – themes already captured in the first book in the trilogy and continued in the second installment – while expanding in this book to include themes on homosexuality and mixed race relationships. While not stellar writing – Follett sticks to straightforward language while focusing on historical setting over character development – the story has the right balance of romance, intrigue and action to continue to hold my attention. One reviewer has aptly described this one as, “An entertaining historical soap opera.” I agree with that assessment and looking forward to finding out what happens in the final book in the trilogy.

[ginafava · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Superb overall story structure and pacing. Every character's story is intriguing and emotional and thrilling, and weaves together with the others masterfully. The history is portrayed with perfect intensity, and sympathy. This book, along with Fall of Giants, is the best historical thriller out there....a must read for any one.

[lissabeth21 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I think that this was a fitting, well-written sequel to Fall of Giants. I anxiously await the third installment. The characters are well set up to see first-hand accounts of the cold war, civil rights movement, the division of Germany - and hopefully all the way to the fall of the Berlin wall.

[bevok-1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I really enjoy Follett's books and I think this one continues the Century Trilogy in fine style. Although sometimes a target of criticism I find that the clear prose, interesting characters and effective integration of events is compelling. A real page turner, I finished this mighty book in a few days. Like others the content and settings reminded me a lot of Herman Wouk's "The World At War" and "War and Rembrance". Although this book didn't try to tell so much of the detail of World War II it still conveyed the sense of titanic struggle and, at times, hopelessness. As well the benefit of beginning the story in 1933 is the opportunity to convey the horror of the Nazi regime's seemingly unchallengeable power.
Follett's books highlight the power of historic fiction, especially recent. Although well written history is always enjoyable, the placement of characters that we know and may sympathise with in these settings really puts the reader powerfully in the situation. Despite reading a reasonable amount about the terrible things that happened in Germany (and the Soviet Union) I really got a better feeling for the horrors, and also the disturbing way that public opinion and action can be manipulated in times of crisis.
A good read and I would recommend it.

[ddjtj1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

WINTER OF THE WORLD(THE CENTURY TRILOGY #2) BY KEN FOLLETT is the second in the Century Trilogy takes the reader to 1933 with the same five families, all from different countries. In this book we set the focus on the second generation & we get a deeper focus of their lives. Spanning thru WWII, we still get to meet some very famous "real" people & meet new fictional characters, both good and bad. I have so far enjoyed this series because I feel now that these characters are like family or friends,which is attributed to the excellence of how Mr Follett portrays them. As a historical fiction junkie I cant wait to get the time to finish the trilogy. Even though we bounce from country you will have no problem keeping up with the plot or the characters as Mr.Folliet is molding and binding them together into what I hope to be a great conclusion to the series.

[tinkerbellkk · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Loved this continuation of the next generation as they struggled through the second world war. Terrific character development and ongoing interesting stories with each of the characters kept me engaged right through to the end.

[northern_light-1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This book sweeps from 1933 to 1949 and covers the huge changes that the world lived through viewed through the eyes of people from all sides of the political divide.

From the rise of Hitler and throught the second world war and beyond the research shines through and the accuracy is such that it is at times hard to tell fact from fiction.

The scenes where people face great moral dilemmas in order to advance the war are particularly powerful.

Sadly though this is not as good a book one in the trilogy to me. Firstly there is just no need for all the sex scenes and in great detail!! Also although appreciating hat the characters lives need to interact it just feels too contrived and un-natural at times.

Very topical to read just now with the problems in Crimea showing that some things sadly never change.

I look forward to the third instalment.

[tracykelley-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I love this book excellence read

[parp-4 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

What does it mean having to fight for freedom? It's not so obvious to those who were born in freedom and not even suffered lack of it much less experienced tyranny.
To fight for freedom is to fight evil. To imagine better the consequences of not fighting it one can read Ken Follett's Century trilogy. It vividly and interestingly describes most of the 20th century with two of the worst historical evils (Nazism and Communism) and the echoes of even greater evil: slavery. All high school kids should read Follett's trilogy!

[toobusyreading · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

If you want to read this Century Trilogy, starting with Fall of Giants, you'd better be prepared to be in it for the long haul. Every book in the trilogy is long by itself, and when you add all three together, it's going to take a lot of reading or listening hours.The first book deals mostly with the period around WWI. This second book deals with the time around WWII. Some of the characters continue, and some are replaced in prominence by their children. As with the first book, this one occasionally lapsed into too much of a soap opera for me, and the prose sometimes felt just a bit stilted to me, but overall, I really enjoyed it. And don't count on some of the characters, maybe even some of your favorites, to live to see another book.The narrator of the unabridged Audible edition, John Lee, does a very good job with the different characters and the different accents. Some of the words are pronounced differently than I learned them, but sometimes that is due to his using the European pronunciation, as he does with “fracas.”This book drew me in more than the first one, so there was some time between listening to the first book and starting the second. Follett does a very good job of reminding me who the characters are, and how they fit into the story. That's a really good thing because there are LOTS of characters, and it is occasionally hard to keep them all straight.I liked this book enough so that as soon as I finished it, I started listening to the third book, Edge of Eternity.

[lynnb_64 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I enjoyed the first book of this trilogy more. In this second novel, the characters seem more two dimensional -- the good are good and the bad are bad. The characters also seem to be a key places in history just a bit too often -- but that's how the author is able to move the plot along. I'll read the third because I've come this far.....

[sleahey_3 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

In this second of Follett's trilogy, the intertwining stories of American, British, German, and Russian families are continues during the 1930's and 40's. The relentless progress toward the Second World War unfolds painfully, and brutal characters continue to prey on sympathetic characters; sometimes it's impossible to understand which are which. In spite of its excessive length, the novel makes us care about the people in it and to look forward to the next installment in their lives and the history of Western civilization.

[kakadoo202 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

the first one was better. too many clichés. Characters ( now the next generation ) are shallower and some of them not believable. However, I still learned a lot of details about WWII, I didn't know before. Will for sure read the third part.

[lamour_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This is volume toe of The Century Trilogy and takes up where Vol. 1 ended after theFirst World War. We continue to follow the same five families living if four countries- England & Wales, Germany, Russia and America. By having his fictional characters taking key roles in historical events from 1933 to 1949, Follett manages to present a very accurate history of those years while also giving us an interesting narrative about how those events play in the lives of his characters. The German families obviously experience some of the most gut retching events from doling out Nazi terrorism to experiencing it.

[bbbart-1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

After longing to get my hands on Winter of the World ever since I finished Fall of Giants, I couldn't help but being disappointed by the second part of the Century Trilogy by Follet.

It's of course a very nice book. Easy read, great historical background, compelling characters and what not.

What was it then that kept me from enjoying this book as much as the other grand historical tales by Follet? I guess it's the sheer speed at which certain major events (both historical and personal to the characters) are described. Some chapters seemed to be going on forever, where others were excruciatingly short.

Events like the return of Werner and Erik, the death of Joanne, the discovery of Lloyd's true lineage, etc... weren't described in enough depth. I also didn't find an ending to the story line involving Eva and her probable return to Berlin.

Second, I also couldn't help but think parts of the book were too much influenced by a Western point of view (read: Anglo-American point of view) and not duly neutrally presented. Personally, I'm quite allergic to that.

Finally, I also felt more related and therefore interested in the parent-characters as in the newly introduced child-characters. Perhaps because I enjoyed the previous book so much more.

Anyway, I'm still looking forward for the final book in this trilogy since I'm learning so much from them and they are, after all, pretty enjoyable reads.

[bdtrump · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Where 'Fall of Giants' was Follet's masterful work on World War I, 'Winter of the World' is the same for World War II. Follett's characters and their children grow increasingly interconnected, and directly experience both the European and Pacific Fronts of the war.

Incredibly well written, the characters are forced to experience brutality, poverty, and sadness on an incredible level. This book isn't for the faint of heart, and will touch on elements of World War II that don't often come to light. A strong sequel to an already strong series.

[sandra.k.heinzman · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

This is book two in a trilogy, and I can't wait for the third one to be released later this year. These are the first Ken Follett books I've read, and if am a fan! Besides enjoying the story, I learned a lot of history reading this. I am invested in the characters and can't wait to hear what happens to them and how the next generation does.

[olongbourn · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This was my very first Follett book, even as it is the second installment of the Century Trilogy. I read this because it is the Summer Read of one of my book club. I am, once again, glad that my book clubs "make" me read books I do not usually gravitate toward.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I like this book, have come to care for the characters, and appreciate the history lessons refreshers. Why am I surprised? Follett is such a widely read, prolific author. I've come to learn that readers either love him or hate him. With 900 pages laid before me, I was dubious that I would get a handle on all of the characters and the historical events, let alone enjoy this book. I was wrong. While I don't love or hate Follett after one book, he did write so that I would keep the characters and their families and their connections in place. 900 pages is somewhat intimidating, especially when the first book was nearly 1000 pages and there is no reason to expect the third to be just as hefty. How could a 3000 page story not be intimidating?!?!?!

Please look to other reviews to summarize and analyze this book. I certainly cannot do the book justice to summarize it, nor am I overly knowledgeable to criticize the historical accuracy portrayed herein or the historically meaningful events absent.

Follett does a fine job making this a stand-alone novel. He doesn't formally introduce his characters, they are "continued" from the first novel, but not abruptly or without "refresher". One who hasn't read the first installment will eventually understand and identify all members of all families. Obviously, some parentage issues that are known by those who have read the first book are surprised to those who haven't read the first book.

I look forward to reading the third installment and I look forward to reading the first, too!

[jmoncton_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I generally like Follett's books -- they make history come alive. His characters' reactions to historic events or situations give me a better understanding of that time and era. And, I enjoyed the first book in the Century Trilogy, Fall of Giants. But I think Follett's goal of chronicling the 20th Century with his select cast of families from around the world is ambitious and the literary quality of his work is suffering. This huge book starts where Fall of Giants ended, from the rise of the Third Reich, through WWII, and finishes with the Russian and American acquisition of atomic weapons. Parts of this book were excellent. The depiction of different families as the Nazis gain power in Germany showed the different sides of this conflict and made it understandable how rational people could be swept up in the furor of the Fascists. But especially toward the end of this book, it felt like Follett had a list of historic events that he had to include and no easy way to portray them. So there are many contrived coincidences - like various characters meeting Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, or being part of the Manhattan Project in the US or the Soviet equivalent. Near the end I was racing through the book, not wanting to find out what happened, but to finish and be done with it. I still enjoy Follett's books enough to read the final installment of the trilogy, but a bit disappointed with the execution of this middle book.

[suew456 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Kept my interest, but Herman Wouk did it so much better.

[maggieflo_1 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

I was looking forward to the 2nd instalment of this trilogy but gave up one third of the way through. The story picks up at the dawn of WWII with many of the same characters or their children. I grew tired to the story and the characters who were really caricatures of good or evil and not really very interesting. The story is very predictable and dull.

[pennyanne_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Workmanlike but interesting exploration of WWII from all sides of the conflict (told through the stories of families in England, USA, Germany and Russia). Part 2 of a trilogy so am now committed to reading Part 3 when it is published!

[keneumey · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

I struggled to finish this one, but toughed it out because I did want to know what happens to the characters, even as Follett’s writing style got on my nerves. I’d have to take another look at Fall of Giants, or even The Pillars of the Earth to be sure, but I suspect that this book suffered because he was in a rush to get it out a year after the first part.

There are no graceful turns of phrase, and most of the war stuff is pretty pedantic. Maybe I’m just too familiar with the politics of WWII. Nazis vs. Communists. The atrocities committed on both sides. I know exactly what’s going to happen when disabled children are sent to a hospital in Bavaria for “special treatment.” Or when an American soldier gets stationed in Oahu.

Excellent writing and fascinating characters should be able to transcend that, but I don’t think this book has either. Some critics of Pillars of the Earth accused Follett of poorly developed female characters. So to speak, because all the women were described by the size of their bosoms. That didn’t bother me in Pillars, but I’m keenly aware and annoyed by it now.

Star-crossed lovers are separated and come back together with very little drama and uninspired sex. “I’ve always loved you.” “I love you too!” “Now take off your pants!”

I hope part three is better, because I feel obligated to find out what happens to everyone during the Cold War.

[pmaurer_11 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Big book, retelling WW2 as it affected the lives of a large cast of characters. Enjoyable, but long. Didn't learn anything new about the war, but worth listening to anyway. I had to check it out multiple times to be able to listen to all 25 tapes.