What stood out with this novel - a historical thriller set just before WWI, involving politics, family, class, social commentary and a whole load more - was the high quality of the writing and plot. It felt very well researched, very well created in terms of how aspects of the story fitted together, and very well written without using language which actively impressed. I don't read many books of this genre, but I have formed a good impression of Follett's talent as a writer (and found out also that he wrote 'The Eye of the Needle', which was adapted into a very memorable and interesting film). Good pace to all the strands of the story, good characterisation of all the main protagonists and their thoughts and histories, plus a well captured and described treatment of English society in the early decades of the 20th Century - without feeling 'ooh look at me, I did my research' at any point.

Clumsy.

Clumsy in its account of class, suffrage, politics, relationships….

Clumsy in its telling. Every paragraph should have begun ‘Coincidently…’ or ‘Conveniently…’

Not for me.

It was really good most of the time I couldn't stop reading the book. it was very suspenseful. It seemed like I couldn't read fast enough because I wanted to see what was coming next so bad. Also the cleverness and craziness of Feliks was making me smile a lot. He just always seemed to find the way out. The book got really interesting when Feliks found out two of his supposed to be family members were in the family of the person he was trying to assassinate. The whole structure of the book was very excellent. Every few pages it would skip to a different persons situation and personal view rotating through three of four different characters. this strategy made sure the book never got boring, and it created the suspense of what the other characters were going to do.
It was an easy read because of how interesting it was. All the times Feliks managed to get away were my favorite parts. My least favorite part was the ending because I like happy endings. Feliks had said if he died after killing his man Orlov he would be happy, but the purpose for which he killed Orlov fell through. Also the daughter of Feliks may have survived but her and her mom had to live in torment of what could of been if they had run off with Feliks. :( It was a great book for me because we had already covered world war one so I had some prior knowledge to help get into the story more. That along with the good imagery help cast an image of the setting of the book in my head. It was overall a fantastic book and I would recommend it to anyone.

i had no idea what to expect at the end, but that was actually jaw dropping for me

I suspect it would take me a lifetime to research, collate, articulate, and actually organize and put into an accurate account of the London times in and around the turn of the 19th century. This author created such grand masterpieces in less than a year. Brilliant!! Respect!! We as readers and seekers of knowledge are so very fortunate to have access to this creative fiction and unmitigated facts of history. Also, within my own personal and humble archive I can almost liken to the works of Clive Cussler, another author gifted with the never ending wealth of knowledge. And should you appreciate their gifts as I do, roll on with their legacy....

L'uomo di Pietroburgo, in originale "The Man from St. Petersburg" è un thriller del 1982 dello scrittore britannico Ken Follett, ambientato nella Londra del 1914, alla vigilia della prima guerra mondiale. In Italia è stato pubblicato dalla Mondadori nel 1984 con ristampe nel 2000 e nel 2004.

Il romanzo è ambientato durante la vigilia del primo conflitto mondiale, con l'impero britannico alla disperata ricerca di alleati per contrastare l'assalto della Germania. Winston Churchill, giovane e caparbio primo lord dell'ammiragliato, si reca da lord Stephen Walden per cercare l'aiuto del giovane principe Aleksej Orlov, nipote di Walden e dello zar Nicola II, che sta giungendo nel Regno Unito per dei colloqui segreti con il governo inglese. A Londra però sta per arrivare anche il pericoloso anarchico russo Feliks Ksessinsky, l'uomo senza paura venuto da Pietroburgo, che deve uccidere il principe Orlov e impedire lo scoppio della prima guerra mondiale. L'anarchico troverà l'aiuto inaspettato della giovane Charlotte Walden, che scoprirà essere sua figlia, ma dovrà scontrarsi con il capo della sezione speciale di Scotland Yard Basil Thomson.

Per chi ha conosciuto Follett dopo il successo de "I pilastri della terra" e pian piano è andato a ritroso fino a risalire ai suoi primi romanzi, come questo, probabilmente è rimasto sorpreso nello scoprire che l'autore prima scriveva tutt'altro: spionaggio come "Triplo", "Il codice Rebecca", etc... con ambientazioni sì storiche, ma con una deriva decisamente spionistica.

Se siete appassionati di romanzi storici che hanno un pizzico di thriller o mistero al loro interno troverete in esso un libro che si legge in un'unico respiro, bellissimo, una storia avvincente ricca di suspense e colpi di scena. I personaggi sono descritti magnificamente e per arrivare a decifrare l'arcano si dovrà giungere all'ultima pagina. Oltretutto sono davvero interessanti i retroscena storici delle alleanze Russia-Inghilterra.

Se infine amate la città che fa da palcoscenico a questo romanzo, ossia Londra, e le storie avventurose non potrete non apprezzare questo romanzo.

Gotta buck the crowd here and say I did not like this one. It just seemed like a cheap money grab after the much better Eye of the Needle - "hey, it worked in World War II; why not just set the same story in World War I, and add more steamy romance to draw in female readers this time?"

To be honest, though, I have to add that I just don't get anarchists. I don't agree with but at least can understand Communists, Nazis...hell, even radical Islamists. But I just don't see any guiding philosophy behind anarchy that runs any deeper than Beavis and Butthead cheering on a dumpster fire. Same thing that ruined Conrad's The Secret Agent for me, too: "Let's blow up the Greenwich observatory!" "Why?" "Um...because?"

I haven't read a lot of Follett - maybe 3-4 other books - but generally liked them all, so will just count this is the inevitable misfire...happens to the best of 'em.

As I watched various vignettes of the Women's March on Washington yesterday, and saw  some really objectionable historical posters making fun of the suffragette movement, I was reminded of this novel. When I read it back in the early eighties, I did not like it as much as his earlier thrillers because the suspense factor was muted. But looking back, I think this may be one of his better novels with excellent characterisation and human drama. Charlotte, the elder daughter of Lord and Lady Walden and pioneering suffragette, is excellently drawn - as is the description of the suffragette march, men jeering from the sidelines as the police systematically assault the activists. I feel now that this novel questions the whole philosophy of capitalism and imperialism, and shows anarchists in a very sympathetic light.

2,5/5 έχει κάποια ενδιαφέροντα σημεία στο κομματι του ότι ξανα πλάθει ψιλό σωστα την περίοδο και έχει ενδιαφέρον .

Δεν είναι κάτι ξεχωριστό αλλά είναι αρκετά απολαυστικο και συνεπης επιλογη αν εισαι φαν των αστυνομικών

Izvēlējos lasīt galvenokārt tāpēc, ka audiogrāmatu lasa Ričards Armitidžs, bet arī līdz tāpēc, ka līdz šim Folets man nav licis vilties. Protams, ka viduslaiku katedrāles celtniecībai (Zemes pīlāri) šī grāmata līdzi netur, bet kopumā man patika lasīt. Stiprā puse noteikti ir spraigas sižets, bet vājā - tēli, kuru motivācijām un līdz ar to īstumam tā arī nenoticēju (tātad izpalika līdzpārdzīvojums).

Ο Κεν Φόλετ από τους κορυφαίους λογοτέχνες οι οποίοι έχουν επικεντρωθεί στο ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα. Με περίτεχνο τρόπο εναλλάσσει το πραγματικό με το μυθοπλαστικό, τους πραγματικούς ήρωες με τους μυθικούς δίνοντας σπουδαία βιβλία.

O data cu finalizarea cărții ma declar fan al autorului pe viață!
Am trăit atâtea sentimente în câteva zile, atât de mult suspans și emoții cum rar am întâlnit prin cărți.
O poveste despre viața...cu toate "bagajele" cu care poate veni un om...părinți care se sacrifica sau își sacrifica copii pentru a da bine în societate, generații care gândesc diferit, paturi sociale care lupta pentru putere, la propriu și la figurat.
Bogații, care ii vad pe ceilalți niște "putori" deși ei au trăit din primele zile de viata înconjurați de slujitori...
Cei din treapta de jos, care lupta zi de zi cu sărăcia, prejudecățile, răutățile și influenta celor care pot...
De departe, personajul meu preferat a fost Charlotte, dar mi-a plăcut cum a intrat Follet in mintea fiecărui personaj și m-a făcut sa țin câte puțin cu fiecare la un moment dat.
De personajul negativ nu m-am atașat, mi-am impus asta... De obicei personajele mele preferate ajung rău