No doubt the project was a way of passing the evenings he was obliged to spend with a woman he did not love. And if I had to read one more time about someone teaching someone about oral sex or some woman accidentally getting pregnant – really?

In a sweeping tale that began in 1911, the descendants of five families will now find their true destiny as they fight for their individual freedom in a world facing the mightiest clash of superpowers it has ever seen. Perhaps it is because I lived through this era, that there was a knowing of the linear plot, but I just don't think it was well written. I had felt sure that would happen with the (SPOLER ALERT) intravenous heroin use and gay characters – again, it would have shown something very interesting about the latter fifth of the century – again echoing aspects of the problems faced by homosexual characters throughout the trilogy and linking with gay rights, a change in society and attitudes that were so different one hundred years ago. Sadly as a previous review highlighted , the author appears to have become obsessed with sex and the female body.But at that point he could hardly go back to pretending that she was a propagandist for capitalist imperialism. The principal point-of-view character in the United States setting is George Jakes, a young lawyer and Harvard graduate who works for Attorney General Robert Kennedy during John Kennedy's presidential administration.

It is an epic book and it does cover some huge and complex history, mainly the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement but I think it lost its way and let some of the strongest elements of the first two books just fizzle out. She remembered their wedding day, the honeymoon, and their year of marriage, seeing it all now as a play in which Hans had been performing. Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

I was under the impression that Follett (who is usually quite masterful in weaving historical backdrops with personal fiction) was in a hurry to finish. You’ll weep as you imagine yourself in the massive crowd listening to Martin Luther King deliver his “I have a dream” speech. As Bernd detailed the emergency arrangements, Rebecca wondered when the school would get its new head.

East German teacher Rebecca Hoffmann discovers she’s been spied on by the Stasi for years and commits an impulsive act that will affect her family for the rest of their lives. Soon after the Berlin Wall is erected, she flees to the west with another schoolteacher, Bernd Held, whom she later marries. Would it have cost too much for Follet to add a 2 page chapter where he receives some accolades (or maybe a fictional Nobel Prize of sorts) once the Soviet Union has been dissolved? Ken Follett makes absolutely no attempt to present a left-right balanced portrayal of events in his chosen 40 year time frame!

The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. According to Publisher's Weekly, Edge of Eternity is "the mesmerizing final installment in an exhaustive but rewarding reading experience dense in thematic heft, yet flowing with spicy, expertly paced melodrama, character-rich exploits, familial histrionics, and international intrigue. The portions about Nam can somewhat be forgiven from a "boots on the ground" POV stance, as Follett is never at his strongest when discussing combat.