In Paris, personal grievances between the British and French commanding generals slow communication as the Germans march on the city. Fitz learns that the French government has fled Paris. He receives a call from Maud with the news of the London home front. Fitz tells her of his prediction that the war will be over, one way or another, in a few days. 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. Gus is sent to Berlin once the election is over. There, he meets Walter and says that Wilson wants the Germans and Allies to hold peace talks. However, Otto says they need a total victory and that America’s army is too small to matter. Walter then writes a love letter to Maud and sends it through Gus, promising that they will deliver Wilson’s proposal to the Kaiser. Gus tells Maud about the peace talks as Fitz tells them there will be no compromise in the British government. Gus gives Maud the letter, much to her excitement. Maud runs a newspaper supporting better treatment of the dependents of servicemen; Ethel Williams is the manager. Together they have both ends of the social spectrum covered. They confront the woman in charge of distributing the “separation allowances” to wives of soldiers. She is withholding the money from women whom she feels are not morally fit. Maud is arrested when she refuses to leave.

Fitz goes with Maud to a meeting in the East End, where he sees Ethel. He speaks to her, but they both maintain a very formal tone. He asks her to meet him the next day and Ethel reluctantly agrees. He offers to arrange for her to watch a Parliamentary debate now that her childhood hero, David Lloyd George, is Prime Minister. He also offers to set her up in a large house complete with servants and tutors for Lloyd if she will be his mistress. She tells him that she will think about it. Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd); Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa On June 22, 1911, the day George V is crowned king, thirteen-year-old Billy Williams, called “Billy Twice," goes to work for the first time in the mines of his home in Aberowen, Wales. His one surviving sister, Ethel, comes to wish him a happy birthday and a good first day in the mines. She is in service to the local aristocrat, Earl Fitzherbert. Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.In April 1914, Walter and his father Otto talk with a Mexican ambassador, Diaz, about helping equip the government with munitions during the civil war. Walter worries about angering America, but Diaz agrees to speak to his president. When Walter introduces Otto to Maud, Otto calls her disgraceful for running a clinic for husbandless women with a Jewish doctor. Meanwhile, Gus takes a call in the West Wing and wakes up President Woodrow Wilson. He learns that Germany’s ships are on their way to Veracruz and Wilson demands they invade to stop it. Unfortunately, Germany issues a formal protest as there was no declaration of war and America is forced to apologize. Maud later learns that this was an embarrassment for America and that the ship went to another city anyway. Her relationship with Walter grows. 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?

He reads an article by Mildred revealing to the public the details of his wrongful imprisonment. It presents Billy as a hero and a victim of the same type of injustice against which Britain fought. Rich story-telling in satisfying Follett style. I happened to be listening to the Battle of the Somme as we reached Remembrance Sunday this year - right at the time the papers were full of photos of the poppies at the Tower of London. Really quite poignant.Ken Follett cannot be criticized. He is covered in Teflon, Kevlar, and Valyrian steel. Book reviewers understand this and have given up. After finding an article about Maud in his wallet, Monika guesses that not only is he in love with Maud but is in fact married to her. Despite her pain, she promises to keep their secret. Walter writes a letter to Maud in code, telling her that his family wants him to marry someone and that he has been forced to tell their secret. Gus and Rosa both go with Wilson on his whistle-stop campaign around the country. After three weeks of incessant speaking, Wilson’s health breaks down and the tour is cancelled. 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. Graf (Count) Robert von Ulrich, Walter's second cousin, military attache at the Austrian embassy in London