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9th out of 34 books
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23 voters
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A Dangerous Fortune
by
Ken Follett
In 1866, tragedy strikes at the exclusive Windfield School. A young student drowns in a mysterious accident involving a small circle of boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates a spiraling circle of treachery that will span three decades and entwine many loves... From the exclusive men's club and brothels that cater to every dark desire of London's upper class...more
Mass Market Paperback, 576 pages
Published
July 21st 2010
by Island Books
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Geniales Sittenbild des ausklingenden 19. Jahrhunderts
Das Buch ist ein geniales Sittenbild der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Im Kern geht es um die Geschichte des Hugh Pilasters, der das schwarze Schaf der Pilasters - einer der größten Bankiersfamilien - ist. Nun schwarzes Schaf ist vielleicht etwas falsch ausgedrückt, eher ist er das weiße Schaf innerhalb der grau-schwarzen Herde. Hugh ist ehrlich, aufrichtig und glaubt an das Gute im Menschen. Nebenbei ist er höchst intelli...more
Das Buch ist ein geniales Sittenbild der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Im Kern geht es um die Geschichte des Hugh Pilasters, der das schwarze Schaf der Pilasters - einer der größten Bankiersfamilien - ist. Nun schwarzes Schaf ist vielleicht etwas falsch ausgedrückt, eher ist er das weiße Schaf innerhalb der grau-schwarzen Herde. Hugh ist ehrlich, aufrichtig und glaubt an das Gute im Menschen. Nebenbei ist er höchst intelli...more
Ken Follet has added another great book this novel, A Dangerous Fortune. His has a great nack for creating amazing characters showing many different aspects of human life, like manipulation, greedy, misery, deceiving, murder, political and amorous intrigues, etc., making the book a very entertaining reading.
The story takes place in the late 1800’s and starts with a tragic drowning of a student in an exclusive school named Windfield. A small circle of boys are directly or indirectly ...more
The story takes place in the late 1800’s and starts with a tragic drowning of a student in an exclusive school named Windfield. A small circle of boys are directly or indirectly ...more
I had to stop after a couple chapters of listening to this audiobook and double check Ken Follett’s biography. I mean, after reading my first three of his novels—Triple, Eye of the Needle, and On Wings of Eagles—I was quite convinced that he was going to be one of my favorite authors. I even went so far as to write some pretty enthusiastic reviews of those books right here on Goodreads. But then I read The Key to Rebecca and it troubled me somewhat. I began to feel a nagging little suspicion...more
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Patrice Sartor
rated it
Ken Follett sure knows how to tell a story, and he oozes character development skill. I got to know every character in the title well, for better or for worse. There were manipulators, the manipulated, the highborn, the lower class, and everything in between. I was eager to discover what these people would do next, and who they would do it to.
As a period piece, I cannot vouch for its authenticity (since I'm not an expert on London and South America in the late 1800s), but I can tell ...more
As a period piece, I cannot vouch for its authenticity (since I'm not an expert on London and South America in the late 1800s), but I can tell ...more
Yes, this book is somewhat predictable and serves less as a mystery novel and more as a historical drama/romance, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the novel simply as it was. It may also be a bit too familiar to Follett followers as the model of storytelling remains consistent with his typical writing techniques, but it also displays Follett's tremendous ability to set a mood and create an atmosphere that makes almost all his books so hard to put down. The historical detail makes A Dange...more
بعد الإنتهاء من رواية دعامات الأرض اقتنيت هذا الكتاب بسرعة، ولم يخب ضني، رواية تجعلك تبتلع الكتاب في مدة قصيرة.
كين فوليت استعمل تقريبا نفس الوصفة التي استعملها في كتاب دعامات الأرض، لكن هذه الرواية، رغم وقوعها في التشخيص الهزيل والغبي والغير واقعي في بعض الأحيان للشخصيات الشريرة في الرواية، تبقى رواية غنية بالأحداث التي تدور في وحول بريطانيا في النصف الأخير من القرن التاسع عشر، خصوصا الأحداث الإقتصادية منها.
أكثر ما يعجبني هو وصف الحالة الإجتماعية للبريطانيين في تلك الفطرة، بد...more
كين فوليت استعمل تقريبا نفس الوصفة التي استعملها في كتاب دعامات الأرض، لكن هذه الرواية، رغم وقوعها في التشخيص الهزيل والغبي والغير واقعي في بعض الأحيان للشخصيات الشريرة في الرواية، تبقى رواية غنية بالأحداث التي تدور في وحول بريطانيا في النصف الأخير من القرن التاسع عشر، خصوصا الأحداث الإقتصادية منها.
أكثر ما يعجبني هو وصف الحالة الإجتماعية للبريطانيين في تلك الفطرة، بد...more
A Dangerous Fortune is set in 19th century London and deals with love, hate, murder, and family relationships. There is a hero, Hugh, who is the black sheep of his family, and a villian, Hugh's Aunt Augusta. It is a story of a woman who marries for access and not for love, and an observation of middle class relationships of the period which are burdened with making a match to serve a purpose and then living with the consequences. Each character in the story makes decisions in their relationshi...more
A Dangerous Fortune is one of Ken Follett's most popular novels and with good reason. The story is set in London during the late 19th century and touches on many themes including tragedy, murder, deceit, love, sex, hate, responsibility and justice.
The main hero of the story is Hugh Pilaster, an intelligent and handsome man who struggles to break free of his role as the black sheep of a prominent banking family. Follett does a brilliant job of making the reader sympathize with his ...more
The main hero of the story is Hugh Pilaster, an intelligent and handsome man who struggles to break free of his role as the black sheep of a prominent banking family. Follett does a brilliant job of making the reader sympathize with his ...more
( Portuguese version) . As ever ken Follet novel are worth to read. This one talk about banks. He always chose a subject and build the story around it.I read about airplanes, buildings, miners and spies in World Word and Follet never disappoint the reader. Always creating essence to his stories, tense, awe and action dominated by tough characters. One thing I don't like it though is some brutal death that he insists in putting in his novel like smashing one head, drowning another with that horro...more
This book has the distinction of being the first book that I purchased and read on my Sony e-reader. The first thing I noticed was that the e-reader must condense the pages as there were less screens than the book copy of A Dangerous Fortune- a good thing in my opinion as Mr Follett tends to write chunky pageturners.
A Dangerous Fortune is another one of those page turners, focusing on an English banking family, the Pilasters, in the late 1800s. There is Edward, the rich banking heir ...more
A Dangerous Fortune is another one of those page turners, focusing on an English banking family, the Pilasters, in the late 1800s. There is Edward, the rich banking heir ...more
I have yet to finish this book but that doesn't mean I haven't already devolped a strong opinion about it. The book is interesting and nearly impossible to put down. Though you see the villians crush the happiness of others again and again for their own personal gain, that's one reason I can't stop reading it, the hope that in the next page, the next chapter the villians will finally get exactly what they deserve. That also sets it apart from most of the crappy teen romances you see now, where e...more
I've read this book three times, which in and of itself should show how much I like it.
Anyway. There's a young man who is a financial genius but is disliked by his banking family, a young woman whose fortune rises and plunges in an instant, a few incredibly complicated, realistic villains, and at the back of it all, the bank.
Somehow, their interactions make sense when reading. It's historical fiction, but with such an elaborate plot that it's breathtaking. Each character's ac...more
Anyway. There's a young man who is a financial genius but is disliked by his banking family, a young woman whose fortune rises and plunges in an instant, a few incredibly complicated, realistic villains, and at the back of it all, the bank.
Somehow, their interactions make sense when reading. It's historical fiction, but with such an elaborate plot that it's breathtaking. Each character's ac...more
2009 # 93
Ken Follett - A Dangerous Fortune - Finished - 7/2/2009
An older Follett book that had me reading steadily. Set in 1800s London, it follows the ups and downs of the Pilaster Banking Family. Hugh Pilaster is the son whose father broke away from the family and started his own business but was wiped out when another bank failed. Hugh ends up back working for the Family bank and dealing with the dislike and even hatred of other members of the family. The books follows ...more
Ken Follett - A Dangerous Fortune - Finished - 7/2/2009
An older Follett book that had me reading steadily. Set in 1800s London, it follows the ups and downs of the Pilaster Banking Family. Hugh Pilaster is the son whose father broke away from the family and started his own business but was wiped out when another bank failed. Hugh ends up back working for the Family bank and dealing with the dislike and even hatred of other members of the family. The books follows ...more
this is so far my favorite book..
i honestly say that this is a real page-turner and you'll be hooked up 'til you finish it.....
this book is about everyone's greed for money that they're able to do even the impossible just to get it...
i honestly say that this is a real page-turner and you'll be hooked up 'til you finish it.....
this book is about everyone's greed for money that they're able to do even the impossible just to get it...
Il giudizio sicuramente è condizionato dal fatto di aver letto 'I pilastri della Terra', 'Mondo senza fine' e questo nel giro di quattro mesi. Cambia il periodo storico, siamo verso la fine del 1800, ma i protagonisti assomigliano a quelli degli altri libri. Il ragazzo in gamba, con grandi idee che sa sempre risollevarsi dalle situazioni peggiori, la donna amata che però non può stargli accanto, gli antagonisti(compresa la solita madre che guida un marito debole ed un figlio incapace) che compio...more
I gave this one 4 stars. It is typical Ken Follett work-vast and expansive. The character development is terrific, the story engaging and the saga of these people's lives is truly enjoyable to read. It was also interesting to read about the nineteenth century and how progress impacted business as well as personal lives. I'm not sure that the story really could have taken place and by that, I mean that I'm not really sure the characters could have survived or realistically interacted with each...more
This was great historical fiction and a departure from the usual Follett spy fare. This is a tale of English bankers circa 1895 who not only share a shocking secret of a childhood trauma at boarding school but who also now find themselves faced with financial collapse and economic ruin. The characters are three-dimensional and robust and include a female villain, mother of one of the schoolboys. She reminds me very much of the mother in "The Manchurian Candidate." What's also inter...more
This was my first book by this author and I was really impressed. The story is set in the 1800s and in a way it is the classic tale of good vs evil. It is a glimpse into the banking industry in England in its' infancy. The book contains intrigue, murder, some sex, and a plot with lots of twists and turns. I thought the way the author portrays the English and Spanish characters in the book was particularly interesting. They are both ruthless in their seeking of power. But the Spanish characters w...more
I was given the abridged version of this by a friend and I wish I had read the non-abridged version. I kept getting lost in the characters, especially when the boys were young, and I think it's because too much detail was edited out. I didn't think it would affect how much I enjoyed the book since I was expecting it to be a generic suspense story (since that's mainly what she passes on to me) but this had an actual thought out story plot with characters that didn't seem like one dimensional ster...more
A dramatic Victorian family saga so full of intrigues -- from petty gossip to outrageous scandals -- it holds you like a whale-bone corset and leaves you more and more breathless by the page. Admittedly, the details are a bit too neatly woven together, leaving behind not a single wasted character, sub-plot or dialogue, which makes the plot way too unbelievably convenient at times. Nevertheless, it's a highly entertaining piece of historical fiction that is all the more relevant today for its tho...more
I’m so happy that Ken Follett must love doing research for his books. This is my 4th Follett novel and not only are his books notoriously huge books, all 4 that I have read cover a very different time in history. I love books that I enjoy and learn while reading. “A Dangerous Fortune” is set in the late 1800’s (1866-1892) in England. It follows the characters as they age from middle school through middle age. While this historical fiction work contains a bit of period history, the strength i...more
Plot: The book took place during the late 1700-early 1800's and focused mostly on a banking family in London. There were the typical "rags to riches...good overcomes evil...blacksheep makes good" story lines.
My Thoughts: Although this book did keep my interest, there was nothing special about it. The plot was predictable and there were few surprises. I don't think I really learned anything from reading this book, nor was I left thinking about it after I finished it.
...more
My Thoughts: Although this book did keep my interest, there was nothing special about it. The plot was predictable and there were few surprises. I don't think I really learned anything from reading this book, nor was I left thinking about it after I finished it.
...more
SUMMER READING CLUB "A boy drowns under mysterious circumstances at a private school. This unfurls a series of events which follow the Palister Family for almost 30 years. It begins in 1866 and culminates in 1893. This historical novel covers the banking system in England, Victorian sexual mores, family intrigues, religious prejudices, murders, and insight into the lives of the wealthy as well as those of the lower classes. This well written suspense novel is reminiscent of the Forsyte Sa...more
Marwan Asmar
added it
A historical blockbuster of a banking family in London in the late 19th century and their diabolical intrigues. Excellent on the research of the economic and fiscal situation through timely narrative that keeps the reader turning the pages while each and everyone of the family is involved in his own private life. We get a very real view of Victorian society, the debouchery that went on and behind-the-scenes acts that dwell on murder while keeping an facade of respectability. There is a plenty of...more
Well, Ken Follett continues to enthrall me. This is the third book of his that I've read, and I'm captivated! His books are long and have very multi-layered plots. They are not for readers looking for instant gratification, as they are not fast reads. However, they are SO worth the time invested. The plot twists are unparalleled genius.
There's nothing I love more than a book that surprises me, and Follett does that every time. I love how his "bad guys" get justice in...more
There's nothing I love more than a book that surprises me, and Follett does that every time. I love how his "bad guys" get justice in...more
I love historical fiction. This Follett book begins in the 1860's and follows one family through the 1890's. There are family feuds, murders, financial collapses -- all making for a great tale. Follett has the ability to capture the language, clothing, and behavior of the period he covers. It's interesting to read about how the class society in England changed over the 30 year period as politics and technology changed. I will continue reading Ken Follett's books. He does not disappoint.
Fascinating book of suspense set in the late 1800's. It revolves around the banking industry at that time, corruption, crime and drama that surrounded the characters involved. A classic good wins over evil in the end. Although during the story it seemed like the evil people kept getting all the breaks...so it kept me guessing how it was going to turn out. 568 pages and I actually finished in a day... stayed up til 4am this morning...so it must have been good!
Who'd have thought a book about bankers would be so deliciously intriguing. That's right... bankers. Probably the most boring profession ever and possibly more boring in the 1800s.
This story is typical of Follett. Well thought out, well researched, realistic, and well developed characters. There's a mystery that starts the book off. After awhile it gets put in the background only to be brought back up towards the end and has you going "wow, I totally didn't see that coming"...more
This story is typical of Follett. Well thought out, well researched, realistic, and well developed characters. There's a mystery that starts the book off. After awhile it gets put in the background only to be brought back up towards the end and has you going "wow, I totally didn't see that coming"...more
This book looked promising, but within the first three chapters, it was pretty easy to figure out who were the villains, who was the hero and what the outcome would be at the end of the book. Very little depth of characters compared to his other novels. It was a good "I really don't want to think too hard about what I'm reading" book - easy to pick up and put down. Enjoyable, yet disappointing at the same time. Expected more from Follett.
I would have to give this story 4.5 stars, only so I can differentiate it from Pillars of the Earth (which receives 5 stars in my opinion). Ken Follett is a master storyteller. He weaves such intricate plots, but the characters are so well-developed that you become completely engrossed in the story. This book has it all-- murder, intrigue, suspense, and romance. Although it spans almost 30 years, the time flies by as you read this novel. It is hard to put down!
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Ken Follett burst onto the book world in 1978 with Eye of the Needle, a taut and original thriller with a memorable woman character in the central role. The book won the Edgar award and became an outstanding film.
He went on to write four more bestselling thrillers: Triple; The Key to Rebecca; The Man from St Petersburg; and Lie Down with Lions.
He also wrote On Wings of Eagl...more
More about Ken Follett...
He went on to write four more bestselling thrillers: Triple; The Key to Rebecca; The Man from St Petersburg; and Lie Down with Lions.
He also wrote On Wings of Eagl...more
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