A Fall of Giants - Buddy Read

[Tien]

Participants:
Tien
Joanna
Stacey

Schedule?

[Tien]

I know we said March in the nominations thread but now I'm thinking, could we bring it forward a bit to coincide with the Read-a-Thon?

My copy has 849 pages -approx 200 pages a week?
Or 42 chapters (though chapters are quite varied in length!) -approx 10 chapters a week?

[Stacey]

I got my copy last week. I have 984 pages. I'll be using this for my Jail book for Bookopoly as well, so I'm up for starting next week.

I'll try to keep up with 200p. a week --give or take. :)

[Tien]

Here's a proposed schedule:

Week 1: ch 1 - 9 inclusive (pages 1-241)

Week 2: ch 10 -18 inclusive (pages 242 - 447)

Week 3: ch 19 - 27 inclusive (pages 448 - 657)

Week 4: ch 28 - end (pages 658 - 850)

pages according to my edition

[Joanna]

I downloaded the audio version of this so I can switch back and forth with my hard copy. I'll try to keep up, but this schedule is probably a little faster than I will manage.

[Tien]

It's just a rough guideline, Joanna, however we can stretch it out a bit... just got to be within 6-8 weeks noting I borrowed my copy from the library :)

Is 150p/week better?

Are you ok to start this Sun, 23rd?

[Joanna]

Yes to both!

[Tien]

Excellent! How's this then:

Week 1: ch 1 - 5 inclusive (pages 1-143)

Week 2: ch 6 -12 inclusive (pages 144-311)

Week 3: ch 13-18 inclusive (pages 312-447)

Week 4: ch 19-24 inclusive (pages 448-596)

Week 5: ch 25-32 inclusive (pages 597-732)

Week 6: ch 33-end (pages 733-850)

[Stacey]

I'm okay with that schedule. I can start this weekend, but I might be a little slower that first week as I finish up some books for SRC.

[Tien]

That's fine, Stacey. Read at your own pace, really, schedule is just a rough guideline so we can hopefully discuss, if we're at around the same page but there's always the spoiler html feature so all good.

[Dee]

can i still join in? lol!

[Tien]

Dee wrote: "can i still join in? lol!"

YES! I've only read 2 chapters... less than 100 pages so I'm sure you'll catch up, not a problem at all!

[Dee]

yay...lol! now to figure out where i can fit it into SRC

[Joanna]

I listened to the first 4 chapters on Sunday. I'm enjoying it so far. The first time it switched people I got confused, then realized what had happened. Then it switched again and I got briefly mixed up again.

[Tien]

Joanna wrote: "I listened to the first 4 chapters on Sunday. I'm enjoying it so far. The first time it switched people I got confused, then realized what had happened. Then it switched again and I got briefly mix..."

That's the thing with Follet, Joanna... Multiple POVs and oh so many of them! If you crack open your hardcopy, there's a list of characters at the beginning - pages and pages of it lol

[Joanna]

I'm flying through this on audio. The narrator is doing a great job with the large cast of characters. I discovered that my hardcover is water damaged, so I'm glad I have the audio!

So far, I'm most interested in the miners and the least interested in the Russians. Follett seems to be at his best when talking about interactions between servants and masters.

[Tien]

oh no, water damage is the worst!

I haven't got to the Russians yet! I like Russian lit etc though so I might actually like it.

Follet seems to have this thing about crossing classes, doesn't he?! lol In a way, it's why I find it difficult to read him at times... a lot of sad things usually happened in the middle :p

Sadly, I didn't have time to read any yesterday... will try today

[Stacey]

I started yesterday but was only able to finish the prologue before I fell asleep. :) I have to say, if I wasnt already a little intimidated by the size of the book, the 5 pages of characters would have done it. I may need a chart to keep them all straight!

[Tien]

lol

We're doing this together, Stacey! We CAN do this :D

[Tien]

Princess Bea is such a... [insert rude word/s]

wow... when she finds out what he's up to, I shudder to think of the consequences!

also, even if Fitz & Maud are portrayed as quite 'nice', they are still snobby inconsiderate noble class! ugh

I've read up to the end of ch. 5 -am just on schedule ;p

[Dee]

Bea is a spoiled brat but with her Russian heritage not really surprised...

I got sucked in and halfway through week 2 reading right now - lol

[Tien]

lol I knew you'd catch up, no problem!

[Stacey]

I just finished Chapter 4 so a little behind, but its easier going than I thought.

I agree with above though.. Bea is NOT going to be nice when she finds out about Fitz and Ethel.

[Dee]

so i think i understand the Fall of Giants reference

(view spoiler)[fall of the russian czar's - which culminated in the killing of alexander, tatiana and their kids in 1917; fall of the unions/coal miners in england (i'm guessing on this one) and then the US also went through a rough period in history prior to entering WW1 (hide spoiler)]

[Tien]

I don't know whether to click on that 'view spoiler' or not! When's best, Dee? What are you up to now? Finished week 2?

[Dee]

i'm on chapter 11 i think

[Joanna]

I'm already about halfway through (49%), maybe around the end of Chapter 12. I'm having a great time with this, though if I were reading it in print, I'd be seriously tempted to skim the war parts. I really just want to read about the characters...

Also, how is it possible that these same people keep running into each other all over the world. I'm finding that a little too convenient.

[Tien]

Wow... that's great, Joanna! I'm getting distracted by other reads lol
I don't think I can read this one any faster though... I'm not completely drawn in... yet?

[Tien]

Dee wrote: "so i think i understand the Fall of Giants reference

[spoilers removed]"

I've just finished chapter 11 which means I'm kinda up to date with the reading schedule. This is also the end of Part 1 and Part 2 (view spoiler)[has title of "The War of Giants" - I think the Giants actually refer to powerful countries (Britain, Germany, Russia...) (hide spoiler)]

I'm guessing Dee & Joanna are fairly near to finishing :O

How are you going, Stacey?

I find myself unable to read much of this book at a time so am plodding away at average of 1 chapter per day.

Am not keen on the politics of war so that kind of bore me a bit though M+W really touched me 😢

[Dee]

Tien - I actually showed down this week - I’m only half way through ;)

[Stacey]

I'm about 50 pages from the end of part 1, so a little behind, but not terrible. I'm finding it easy enough reading, but not really something I'm dying to get back to. The characters are nice enough -- although the storylines are pretty predictable. I like M+W, but most interested to see what happens to Billy right now.

[Tien]

Stacey wrote: "I'm about 50 pages from the end of part 1, so a little behind, but not terrible. I'm finding it easy enough reading, but not really something I'm dying to get back to. The characters are nice enoug..."

Ditto!

I'm more interested in Ethel, actually...

[Dee]

any thoughts on rolling into books 2 and 3 upon completion? I've figured out how to fit them all into SRC ;)

[Dee]

Tien wrote: "Stacey wrote: "I'm about 50 pages from the end of part 1, so a little behind, but not terrible. I'm finding it easy enough reading, but not really something I'm dying to get back to. The characters..."

i think Billy and Ethyl are the most interesting characters to me - mostly because i like that they stand up to the status quo - (view spoiler)[like when billy confronted the rich folks who were telling about how the battle of somme really went down with the british/irish being mowed down by machine guns when they were told everything had been destroyed (hide spoiler)]

[Tien]

Dee wrote: "any thoughts on rolling into books 2 and 3 upon completion? I've figured out how to fit them all into SRC ;)"

OMG... let me finish this one first, Dee LOL

Not sure if I can read Follett after Follett after Follett... so we'll have to see how I or the others feel after this one :p

[Joanna]

I'm at 82% of the way through. This isn't holding my attention as well as the Kingsbridge books did.

I'm glad that this one doesn't use rape as a way to demonstrate that a character is bad. Instead, this book seems to use antisemitism for that, which is easier to read and fits with the history.

I'm still sort of bored by the war parts and really just want to read more about the characters, particularly the class-based interactions like those between Ethel and Maude.

[Dee]

I’ll probably finish this up this weekend, if not today

I find WW1 to be fascinating and honestly amazed more books about it haven’t been written and I studied the Russian revolution in both high school and college

[Tien]

*sighs* I'm still plodding along at avg. 1 chapter per day... can't seem to read more than that at a time. It's not really engaging me? I got too impatient and just have to move on to another book... but I am keen to finish it. I'm sort of on schedule lol

[Dee]

Finished up on the plane today - I def didn’t know much about the League of Nations (precursor time UN) but some of the comments still echo today - US being the world police etc

[Tien]

League of Nations didn't last very long, right? few years at most...

and wow, Dee... once again, you've surpassed us all ha ha ha

[Dee]

It wasn’t planned - I swear!!!

LN lasted 10ish years before it became the UN I think but I’m also rather drunk right now so my memory of dates may be questionable ;)

[Joanna]

I finished this up last night as well. I thought this book dragged more than other Follett books I've read. I may read the next in the trilogy at some point, but I'm not ready to dive in immediately.

[Tien]

Stacey!! Please tell me that we're around about on the same chpater 😅 am on 16.

[Stacey]

Pffft. I havent moved from my spot from last week! I'm woefully behind!

[Tien]

Stacey wrote: "Pffft. I havent moved from my spot from last week! I'm woefully behind!"

*phew* all good, Stacey... since it's just the 2 of us, am going to take it slow too lol

Though I will try to finish by end of March or at least very early April as another buddy read to start then :)

[Tien]

How are you doing, Stacey?

Am still plodding at a chapter a day & am on ch 23... my eyes glazed over when they're talking about politics of war :/

[Stacey]

I still haven't turned a page. :( I work in a hospital/trauma center so this week has been a little crazy with prep, and my reading has not really been where I would like. I have a couple of days off this week -- I'll try to get back to it then.

[Tien]

oh no, Stacey... hang in there! You're doing an important job in this crazy times - keeping you in my thoughts xo