NIGHTLIGHT: Winter of the World The Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series WWII & NYC Series FEATURING: Best-Selling Author Ken Follett and Host of CBS Sunday Morning Charles Osgood (moderator) Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 The New York Historical Society is the Best Place to Be Tonight! The sequel to Fall of Giants, published in Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, India, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, UK and USA on Tuesday 18 September 2012!
Peachy and Ken
You know we are closing in on our first 500 book reviews and Ken Follett constantly wows the world, not only us, with the debut of every new novel. Tonight at the New York Historical Society we learned that 5 million people await the launch of each of his new books and we wouldn't be surprised to see that multiply to 50 million someday soon. Many of our readers may wonder why Peachy Deegan is not at Fashion Week in London now but it seems that the Movers & Shakers of the UK like Ken have come to us! We previously recommended Fall of Giants:
and we totally loved it. There were many reasons to make this event tonight, the top 3 being:
*We already know we're going to love the book since we have liked everything we've read by Ken Follett
*We love love LOVE the New York Historical Society especially Laura and Robert who do an amazing job. Peachy does after all have a B.A. in American History from BC to go with her hockey major
*Peachy's first job in journalism and first time ever living in New York was as an intern for Missie Rennie and Charles Kuralt at CBS Sunday Morning and we love them- though they are not on the show anymore we still watch it
You all should have been there tonight because the event was amazing-an hour long interview plus a Q and A session-thank you Charles and Ken for taking Peachy's question. Peachy asked what book that Ken did not write influenced him the most and he replied the King James Bible as the language of bible words used and phrases are classics in life and literature that are often repeated. She also wanted to know what he liked to do when he came to Manhattan and he replied-same as in London-go to restaurants with his friends. Ken we hope our list of our first 150 is useful to you:
We're at nearly 180 now. In fact, last night Peachy was reviewing a restaurant and she's doing another tomorrow. But your book signing was the place to be tonight! We almost never write on an event the night it happens however tomorrow is Coterie and this was a great event that you need to know about now!
This event tonight kicks of the New York Historical Society's new exhibition on World War II and New York's involvement with it. We found it interesting to know how Follett became a writer-his car broke down and he needed 200 pounds to fix it, and another journalist in his newsroom had made 200 pounds by writing a thriller-so that's precisely what Ken did. It took about ten books for him to turn into the huge success that he is and we are hoping to interview him sometime.
Ken encourages all writers with the first 50 pages in a drawer to keep at it - and when you get sick of it thinking no one's going to read your book and you might as well go to the pub don't quit-and we will verify that persistence does pay off. We admire Follett for doing all his own research as he's the only one that knows what he's looking for and it takes him 6 months to a year to do the planning and research alone for one of his intricate works. Ken writes in sequence which we would agree makes the most sense. We also think it's smart that he puts his characters in a spreadsheet to keep everything straight, and smartest of all, he is constantly keeping in mind how readers may react and is careful to draw them into an emotional connection with the characters. In a world where there are many competing sources for entertainment such as of course the television and internet (where you of course should never leave whomyouknow.com and you might not need to with over 12k posts to read!), Follett says books need to offer a deeper and richer experience than other mediums and his books certainly do. We love how he preserves the historical authenticity of actual historical figures as well.
On another note, we would have gone to hear his accent alone nevermind the content! Peachy is suffering from major Downton Abbey withdrawl symptoms.
Finally, you all know overnight success does not happen overnight and those that are successful work very hard at it. As the interview went on our respect for this author increased exponentially as we learned tidbits like he works from 7am to 5pm 6 days a week and maybe Sunday morning too (Ken you can't watch CBS Sunday Morning if you are working!)- and in the evening he goes to restaurants and the theatre. Among American authors, Ken Follett likes Edith Wharton and commends her on her fierce intelligence.
Whom You Know Highly Recommends all works by Ken Follett, the New York Historical Society, and of course, CBS Sunday Morning.
Stay tuned to see what Peachy Deegan has to say on Winter of the World! She has to start reading it! She can't wait.
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World-renowned novelist Ken Follett discusses his latest book. Set against the backdrop of the international upheavals of the 1930s and 1940s, Winter of the World chronicles the experiences of five interrelated families living in a time of enormous social, political and economic turmoil from the rise of the Third Reich up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs.
The discussion will be followed by a book signing with Mr. Follett—the only one in the New York City area. Copies of Winter of the World will be available for purchase in the New-York Historical Society's Museum Store.
SPEAKER BIO(S)
Ken Follett is the #1 international bestselling author of the acclaimed The Pillars of the Earth, which was voted the second best novel of the last 60 years in a poll by The Times of London. His new novel, Winter of the World, is the second book of The Century Trilogy. Charles Osgood(moderator) is the Peabody Award-winning anchor of “CBS News Sunday Morning” and the CBS Radio Network program “The Osgood File.”
Ken Follett’s worldwide bestseller, World Without End, comes to life as a monumental eight-hour event series to air on the ReelzChannel TV beginning on October 14th.
LOCATION
The Robert H. Smith Auditorium at the New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
Fall of Giants, the first novel in Ken's extraordinary historical epic The Century Trilogy, was an international sensation, acclaimed as “sweeping and fascinating, a book that will consume you for days or weeks” (USA Today) and “grippingly told and readable to the end” (New York Times Book Review). The Washington Post said, “If the next two volumes are as lively and entertaining as Fall of Giants, they should be well worth waiting for.”
Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families – American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh – enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs and the beginning of the long Cold War.
Carla von Ulrich, born of German and English parents, finds her life engulfed by the Nazi tide, until she commits a deed of great courage and heartbreak…
American brothers Woody and Chuck Dewar, each with a secret, take separate paths to momentous events, one in Washington, the other in the bloody jungles of the Pacific…
English student Lloyd Williams discovers in the crucible of the Spanish Civil War that he must fight Communism just as hard as Fascism…
Daisy Peshkov, a driven social climber, cares only for popularity and the fast set, until the war transforms her life, not just once but twice, while her cousin Volodya carves out a position in Soviet intelligence that will affect not only this war but also the war to come…
These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as their experiences illuminate the cataclysms that marked the century. From the drawing rooms of the rich to the blood and smoke of battle, their lives intertwine, propelling the reader into dramas of ever-increasing complexity.
As always with Ken, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. With passion and the hand of a master, he brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.
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