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Lots of characters and lots of interesting details about banking in the robber baron days. Overall, a really good read! (And some poetic justice well served in the end pages!)
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A Dangerous Fortune
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An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
By the 1860s, the Pilasters are one of the world's greatest banking families, with connections that reach from the City of London to far-afield colonies. However, as the family grow ever richer in the shadow of oppression and tragedy, their very future is threatened – by the self-same ambition and greed that first earned them their fortune.
By the 1860s, the Pilasters are one of the world's greatest banking families, with connections that reach from the City of London to far-afield colonies. However, as the family grow ever richer in the shadow of oppression and tragedy, their very future is threatened – by the self-same ambition and greed that first earned them their fortune.
596 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 24,1993
This edition
- Format
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596 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- Published
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February 19, 1999 by MacMillan General Books
- ISBN
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9780330332651
- ASIN
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0330332651
- Language
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English
Characters More characters
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Maisie
Sabinas twin sister, who grew up with the mages.more...
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Augusta Pilaster
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Hugh Pilaster
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Micky Miranda
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Edward Pilaster
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About the author
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Ken Follett is one of the world's most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.
Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.
He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.
Ken's first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken's most popular books.
In 1989, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.
Ken's new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.
Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.
Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.
Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.
He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.
Ken's first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken's most popular books.
In 1989, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.
Ken's new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.
Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.
Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.
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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Follet never disappoints. It was a really interesting story and I could not stop reading it. I love his complex characters and background, he achieves that you always sympatize with some and hate others. I have never read the story about bank movements in Europe and I found it very interesting topic. :)
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Another good Ken Follett book, based on the end of the 19th century in and around London. Schoolboys are a part of a murder and what happens to their lives afterward. A great description of the banking industry in Britain in the 1966-1892. Those that are good vs those that are evil. You'll enjoy this one.
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As a great fan of Ken Follet, this book was as expected.
It takes place in the past and spans many years/generations.
A strong male character who managed to raise from the bottom to the top due to hard work and honesty.
A strong male villain who is rich, corrupt, lazy, dishonest, powerful and more. This character manages to gain power and wealth and spreads wickedness and misery.
A powerful female villain, usually connected to the powerful male villain who manages to manipulate her surroundings.
Many characters that can be plotted between the above characters from the power and wickedness point of view.
The end is usually happy so you can guess what will happen, the main question is how and to what extent.
I like his books for the historical background and research, and for this I accept the mostly one sidedness and predictability of the characters (which, to be frank is not so bad, I have seen worse)
The flow and story of the book are good and there are no dull moments and you always are waiting for what will happen next
I would give it 3.5 but I have to round it to 4
It takes place in the past and spans many years/generations.
A strong male character who managed to raise from the bottom to the top due to hard work and honesty.
A strong male villain who is rich, corrupt, lazy, dishonest, powerful and more. This character manages to gain power and wealth and spreads wickedness and misery.
A powerful female villain, usually connected to the powerful male villain who manages to manipulate her surroundings.
Many characters that can be plotted between the above characters from the power and wickedness point of view.
The end is usually happy so you can guess what will happen, the main question is how and to what extent.
I like his books for the historical background and research, and for this I accept the mostly one sidedness and predictability of the characters (which, to be frank is not so bad, I have seen worse)
The flow and story of the book are good and there are no dull moments and you always are waiting for what will happen next
I would give it 3.5 but I have to round it to 4
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Ken Follett has a talent for weaving complicated plots, creating complex characters, and for leaving you in suspense. None of those talents are evident in this book. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is predictable, and there's never really any kind of suspense in the book. It ends up reading like a Harlequin.
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Personajes planos, situaciones inverosímiles, demasiados clichés. Pese a ser mi primera novela de Follet, el autor me decepcionó.
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Uma narrativa interessante sobre o período áureo do império britânico respeitante ao último quarto do século XIX.
Acompanhamos durante três décadas a história duma família poderosa de banqueiros.
A matriarca da família espelha extraordinariamente bem como uma mulher consegue manipular os homens a seu belo prazer através dos seus dotes femininos, a sua sedução, postura e intimidação.
Quantas vezes os homens são subjugados sem terem essa noção? Incrível a constatação. Sinceramente não sei se me revolte ou se me regozije com a sua estupidez, e ver destronado o estigma que perdurou durante séculos: o homem designado como o “elo mais forte, mais capaz, mais inteligente”.
Aborda igualmente a banca, numa era isenta de tecnologia, mas em tudo o mais idêntica, nos bons e maus investidores, nos riscos necessários e calculados ou arriscados, nos lucros arrecadados de forma lícita ou ilícita. Na bancarrota como um flagelo exponencial para uma sociedade. No poder financeiro, na credibilidade e seriedade de que se devem revestir estas instituições, que é em tudo contrário ao que infelizmente assistimos actualmente.
n ”- Nos últimos anos, o volume de negócios da City decuplicou. E, com a complexidade e a sofisticação que a actividade bancária atingiu, estamos mais interligados, que nunca. Algumas pessoas cujo dinheiro nós perdemos não vão conseguir pagar as suas dívidas e, por isso, também vão entrar em bancarrota, e assim por diante. Para a semana, vai haver dezenas de bancos falidos, centenas de empresas forçadas a fechar as portas e milhares e milhares de pessoas atiradas para a miséria da noite para o dia…”n
Assistimos também à estratificação social bem delineada assim como a caracterização das personagens. A trama desenrola-se a bom ritmo, as oportunidades ou ausência delas vão impactando as suas vidas, criando avanços ou recuos e incitando a sua leitura.
Não considerei extraordinário, achei-o interessante q.b.
Acompanhamos durante três décadas a história duma família poderosa de banqueiros.
A matriarca da família espelha extraordinariamente bem como uma mulher consegue manipular os homens a seu belo prazer através dos seus dotes femininos, a sua sedução, postura e intimidação.
Quantas vezes os homens são subjugados sem terem essa noção? Incrível a constatação. Sinceramente não sei se me revolte ou se me regozije com a sua estupidez, e ver destronado o estigma que perdurou durante séculos: o homem designado como o “elo mais forte, mais capaz, mais inteligente”.
Aborda igualmente a banca, numa era isenta de tecnologia, mas em tudo o mais idêntica, nos bons e maus investidores, nos riscos necessários e calculados ou arriscados, nos lucros arrecadados de forma lícita ou ilícita. Na bancarrota como um flagelo exponencial para uma sociedade. No poder financeiro, na credibilidade e seriedade de que se devem revestir estas instituições, que é em tudo contrário ao que infelizmente assistimos actualmente.
n ”- Nos últimos anos, o volume de negócios da City decuplicou. E, com a complexidade e a sofisticação que a actividade bancária atingiu, estamos mais interligados, que nunca. Algumas pessoas cujo dinheiro nós perdemos não vão conseguir pagar as suas dívidas e, por isso, também vão entrar em bancarrota, e assim por diante. Para a semana, vai haver dezenas de bancos falidos, centenas de empresas forçadas a fechar as portas e milhares e milhares de pessoas atiradas para a miséria da noite para o dia…”n
Assistimos também à estratificação social bem delineada assim como a caracterização das personagens. A trama desenrola-se a bom ritmo, as oportunidades ou ausência delas vão impactando as suas vidas, criando avanços ou recuos e incitando a sua leitura.
Não considerei extraordinário, achei-o interessante q.b.
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Empieza un poco lento, pero avanzadas algunas páginas mejora y mantiene tu atención, lo acabe en una semana!
Es más una novela histórica que un gran drama, la historia es buena pero algo predecible. Pero los detalles históricos y la narración te envuelven y hacen volar la imaginación sobre Londres antiguo y la sociedad del siglo 19.
Si te gusta Downton Abbey es una lectura obligada.
Es más una novela histórica que un gran drama, la historia es buena pero algo predecible. Pero los detalles históricos y la narración te envuelven y hacen volar la imaginación sobre Londres antiguo y la sociedad del siglo 19.
Si te gusta Downton Abbey es una lectura obligada.
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