Edge of Eternity: by Ken Follett (The Century Trilogy, Book 3) | Summary & Analysis

by Book*Sense

Edge of by Ken Follett (The Century Trilogy, Book 3) | Summary & Analysis

This is a Summary & Analysis of Edge of Eternity. Ken Follett’s sweeping Century Trilogy concludes with Edge of Eternity. It is a substantial and compelling read covering more than fifty years of recent history offering a detailed and authentic account of world events as they could have been seen by those in positions near those in power. As a work of historical fiction, it is based upon and treats real events, but it does so from the peripheries that, still closer to the action than many or most of the readers could be.

Ken Follett’s Edge of Eternity narrates the fictional stories of the descendants of Ma Peshkov, their families and their associates in the United States, the United Kingdom, divided Germany and the USSR through the decades of the all-too-real existence of the Berlin Wall and the thrust of the United States Civil Rights movement and into the generation after. Several of them—notably George Jakes, Rebecca Held and Dimka Dvorkin—find themselves in positions of political power and influence near, but not at, the top of their countries’ governments across several decades.

This companion to Edge of Eternity also includes the
• Book Review
• Story Setting Analysis
• Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel
• Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis
• Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed
• Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols…
• And Much More!

This Analysis of Edge of Eternity fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[Candace Simar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got through about 1/2 of it and finally gave up. There are way too many explicit sex scenes. I would skip over one and then almost immediately get to another, even worse! This ruined it for me. I'm tolerant of most things, but this was over the top.

My advice? Don't read it. I am 100 % disappointed.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader could have been better, considering who the author is. Having lived through most all the history, I found the story interesting. The different points of view made each event clearer.

[Michele Delimont · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a Ken Follett fan, this is painful for me to say but this book was boring and drawn out. I was tempted more than once to just stop reading but I just kept holding out hope! And if I had to read one more time about someone teaching someone about oral sex or some woman accidentally getting pregnant – really? Every time people met, you wondered how many paragraphs/pages it would take.

I kept thinking that maybe it had to do with the fact that this was more modern history and some of it was in my own history but I just found myself disappointed. Every incident was drawn from what could have been a pleasant story into a long, over-detailed story. Just because the other two books (which I loved!) were long didn’t mean this one had to be as well. Maybe Mr. Follett should go back to mysteries and a faster pace but I’m going to take a break after this one. And I’m disappointed because after the first two books in the series, I was really looking forward to the wrap-up.

[SnowFlash · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good ending to the three-book saga, but the worst of the three books, the Edge of Eternity continues the story of The rise and fall of the Soviet Union, tying with it the American civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, and the effects of rock and roll on swaying public opinion on politics.

Having lived through most of this history, I had never thought about how these seemingly disparate events influenced and shaped each other. The very last chapter brought tears to my eyes, having lived it so recently.

My only issue with this book was the writing. 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. The book is also muddied with too many explicit sex scenes which just felt in questionable taste and crass.

Taken as a whole, the trilogy (over 3,000 pages of reading) was great: thought provoking, educational and entertaining). I just wished the third book was as refined as the first two.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this last book in the Century Trilogy series but once I got over handling a brick whilst trying to read it, I was fine. He does clear up all the questions left over from book 2 of course, but it does drag on a bit to get there..
No letting off from his left leaning, wo is me/the poor people view either but overall I enjoyed it tho it left me flat and thinking I was glad the long haul was over!
At least I know book 4 is not coming any day soon....

[Marianne Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

1000 pages was quite daunting but Ken Follett is a master story teller about Historical events in this case the Cold War. It was so so well written and despite its length it kept me interested till the last page. One of my top authors

[Victoria Raun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, and seeing the major events of the second half of the 20th Century and beginning of the 21st Century through the character's eyes. The development of the next generation of characters in the trilogy was very well done.

[Paul Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that I have never felt as sad to have finished a story as I have when I cane to the end, not just of Edge of Eternity, but the end of the Century Trilogy. What an epic story. It is definitely in my top three trilogies if all time. Along with the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King and the Empire Trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts.
What an epic tale! The writing itself is genius. At nearly 3000 pages I knew it would take some investment to finish it. Believe me you will not regret it.
I cannot recommend this Trilogy enough. It brought back so many life moments in my own story that it made me put into perspective my view of history.
Mr Follett weaves qn amazing, captivating fictional story into the historical bullet points of the 20th Century. Character become real and three dimensional. I have laugh, cried and cheered throughout these books.
I have learnt so much from this book about history and in particular, history from another perspective. The workings behind the scenes of the cold War and Russian politics, what it was like to be black in the USA during the Martin Luther King, the Kennedy assassination and many more.
3000 pages seems an epic but in reality the story telling us so good the pages fly by. The way these five dynasties are interwoven us sublime. I almost feel as though I know these people.
Thank you Mr Follett. A job beautifully done.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series was fantastic. Although involved through some of the events , reading them from different angles of history was amazing. The book by itself as the last of the series was fantastic and gave us the opportunity to see how we got here in the IS. I would have preferred however that the jump from 1987 to 2008 had not occurred. I would prefer a fourth book to do that!

[Emma Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, powerful and again brilliant

[Ricky Sherriff-Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe how long this has taken me to finish.
The Ken Follet trilogy is phenomenal, I have gained more knowledge about historical events between 1913 - 1989 than I ever did in History at school.
Every page is fascinating.

Edge of Eternity is between 1960 - 1989, capturing the change in society which resulted in the fall of the communisms across much of Eastern Europe and eventually the fall of the Berlin Wall. Ken Follet captures the events through the fictional characters beautifully and makes the events more tangible, up to know they were just historical events. I felt part of it, especially the last chapter which culminates in the fall of the wall and reunited families and loved ones, this drove me to tears.

I have absolutely loved this and scared to look at other books by Ken Follet in case they don't live up to the same expectations.

[Eereeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished the TRILOGY!!!! I enjoyed these books. But the 3rd book was quite long. Not as strong as the first two books. I still wanted to read about the fall of the Berlin wall and wrap up the characters. A little harder to keep up with the name and follow generations, but you have learned to care about where they end up in this crazy world.
Once again there is an interest of the world politics and how incidents and decisions impact us all.
It's much like a chess game and thinking 5-10 moves ahead so you can maneuver your opponent.
Learning more about history was a big draw overall for theses three books.
Thank you Ken Follett...... we will meet again in another book.
__________________________
Series rating overall would be 4.5 Stars

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this three-part series, Follett follows the lives of 4 families through the 20th century. Previous editions covered WWI and WWII. In this final of the series, he covers post WWII events - The Bay of Pigs, Civil Rights, the fall of the Soviet Union. The families are from the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain. The families experience these events differently, and he is able to present events from each of their perspectives. I found it interesting because it represents the time I lived, but in all honesty, it is probably not as good as the first two books in the series. I was particularly disappointed in his limited coverage of the 80s to present. It seemed nothing much happened after the fall of the Berlin wall.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follett is a great writer and this book is the end of a fantastic trilogy. He parallels what is happening with Russia and the United States starting from the 1900's . He highlights the mistakes and the coups of each nation. Famous people are interspersed with fictional characters which allows the reader to understand the timeframes in the book. It is so evident that the decision-making men tare usually making decisions that involve their ego or re-election. And those decisions impact their people without care. It is sometimes so disheartening. It was certainly satisfying finishing this trilogy, but I am still looking forward to his next book!

[Kim Parish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third of the Century trilogy and again Ken Follett has provided us with an interesting thoughtful and easy to read account of this stage in history - this book covering the Cold War period and the many social issues therein.

Sadly as a previous review highlighted , the author appears to have become obsessed with sex and the female body. There is no reason not to include such material when relevant and appropriate, but in this book it gets seriously tiresome. Such a shame as it detracts from an otherwise good historical novel.

[Ian Greaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

So easy to read. Slightly confusing with multiple generations of different families and so inter-related but the charts of family trees at the start helps heaps.

So, do power mongers actually change the world? or only influence it for a time? then economic overlays shift the dial.
Some people are just evil and despotic while good shines through in multiple situations.
A great way to understand historical events and how they shape our world and their affect on ordinary people.
Amazing how the author moves with the times at a social & religious level as well as political and economic.

[Duane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read by one of my favourite authors. Plenty of background and relevance to what is currently happening in the US with BLM. I found the book to be just a bit too lengthy. That said this is still a great trilogy. I particularly enjoyed the first on Fall of Giants. I highly recommend them.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Ken Follett book and a great learning experience. Since I lived through the time period I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two of the series. If you have a chance to get the British paperback version, it has memories in the end of people that lived through the different decades. It’ll be well worth it.

[Lois Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock solid Ken Follett. If you’re a boomer, you know the people, places, and events covered by the book: John Kennedy, MLK, Berlin wall, Beatles, Dylan, Civil Rights, Voting Rights. They’re more poignant with age.

“Time’s glory is to calm contending kings, to unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light”

[Romina Schincariol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, easy to read. I love to read fiction based on historical facts. And that’s what Follet does in a fantastic way! Some parts are a bit harder to get through but in all a great finish to the trilogy.

[Martin Legros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dernier tome de la trilogie, j’ai senti un essoufflement narratif de la part de l’auteur même si j’ai délecté la lecture du livre. On sent la rapidité à vouloir terminer une trilogie afin de boucler l’ensemble des histoires des différentes familles.

[Eero Örri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story carried incredibly well until the very end. Stunning trilogy, nothing less. It's amazing how Follett has written the story straight to history and how families from several countries bond through century.

[Garj Basi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished it too along with the first 2 books as well. Overall I enjoyed it and learned something about the history, which I now want to find out about more the collapse of the Soviet empire. The last book was a bit clunky compared to the first two but enjoyable.

[Georgia Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book weaves the major events in the background to my early life growing up in 60’s America, so, for me, it was compelling reading.

[Kodakjack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long.

[Pashnee Naidoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final in the this trilogy ended all the relationships and stories across the countries it covered beautifully. Ken’s ability to continue the families stories is amazing and he brings the memories of the past series in this final book. I have found my new favourite author.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried to cover too much history in this one.

[Lizw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but I like the older ones better - maybe this is too close to home for an old lady.

[Lynne Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Follett epic! I can highly recommend this Trilogy.

[Jackalacka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! That was a HUGE trilogy and I’m pooped. Lol. I’m so glad for how some of the family timelines ended up.