Books like Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Set against the backdrop of the Coronation Day of King George V in 1911, Ken Follett’s *Fall of Giants* follows the Williams, a Welsh coal‑mining family, and the Fitzherberts, aristocratic owners of the same mines. Amid romance and rivalry, Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls for Walter von Ulrich, a German spy stationed in London. Their tangled fates link to an earnest young aide to President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers whose hopes of emigrating to America are shattered by war, conscription, and revolution. Across the Anglo‑Saxon, German, Russian, and American continents, the novel traces how five families navigate the turbulence of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the fight for women’s suffrage, all while confronting brutal conflict, political intrigue, and personal ambition. The narrative spans five intertwined storylines, weaving social customs, the rough life of coal miners, and espionage against the sweeping changes of the early twentieth century.

First publish date: 2010