Enjoyed this period thriller by Ken Follett. It fit right in with reading I've been doing on both Russia and WWI. Some of the plot details are a little fantastic, but because it's FOllett and he keeps things moving, the reader doesn't really have much time to sit and think about that. You just want to turn the page, read the next chapter, find out what happens next. What a talent!

He Sketches out some pretty good characters, not the least of whom is the anarchist Feliks, on a mission to assassinate a Russian diplomat before he can arrange the alliance that will bring Russia into the oncoming World War. It's 1914 and the world is about to change for all of Europe, as well as the millions of Russians heading for revolution. IN retrospect, modern-day readers may agree that Felix's cause is the right one. Yet most probably see him as a cold-blooded killer who needs to be stopped. That task falls to Earl Stephen Walden, the aristocrat who finds his family in the middle of the conflict - his Russian wife as well as his naive (but rapidly maturing) debutante daughter. Follett throws a few surprises at us, keeps us guessing, in realistic-feeling depiction of prewar London. Glad I picked this one up!

Oh what a wicked web we weave, when we practice to deceive...
Russia, high society, Churchill, Germany, power, war, love and lies. Different to Folletts Pillars of the Earth books, but still excellent. With a small cast, it was easy to keep track of the players and the lies they wove. A fascinating peek into life pre WW1 and the work of the suffragettes and anarchists trying to topple the establishment. Follett makes it easy to feel sympathy for the evil Russian assassin as well as cheering on the hard working detectives from Scotland Yard.
I enjoyed the story.

Gosto bastante deste autor, assim como da temática do livro, cuja ação se passa em 1914, vésperas da 2ª Guerra Mundial.

Apesar de não ter adorado todas as personagens, identifiquei-me com elas e gostei do facto de a narrativa ser alternada entre as várias perspetivas, dividindo o leitor sobre que posição tomar e que personagem apoiar, pois acabamos por ter acesso a todos os pontos de vista.

A história principal centra-se em Walden e na sua família. Este conde inglês está a tentar chegar a um acordo com o seu sobrinho russo, afim de que Inglaterra possa contar com o apoio da Rússia contra a Alemanha na Guerra Mundial que se avizinha. Contudo, Walden tem a tarefa dificultada por um anarquista russo, que tenta assasinar o príncipe Orlov, com o objetivo de evitar a entrada da Rússia numa guerra que matará milhões dos seus compatriotas.

Feliks, este anarquista, acaba por ter também uma ligação ao passado de Lydia, a mulher russa de Walden.

Por outro lado, ao longo do livro e do dia-a-dia das personagens, acabamos por testemunhar a sociedade da época: os títulos de nobreza e a riqueza dos condes e duquesas contrastando com a luta das sufragistas pelo poder de voto e pelos direitos das mulheres. Gostei bastante destas partes e esperava que este aspeto social tivesse sido mais explorado.

Achei algumas revelações um pouco previsíveis e estava à espera de maior contextualização histórica, contudo, no geral, considero-o um bom livro e recomendo a sua leitura nas tardes de outono!

You guys, once again Ken Follett did not disappoint! So good!!!

Follett strikes again with another winner and he seems to favor this time period around World War 1 where this book time period is as was his masterpiece of Fall of Giants. Another 5 star rating for thrill, suspense, intriguing dialogue and historical characters( a young Winston Churchill)

Wow. I thought I was reading one of Follet's classic books, a bit of adventure and some intrigue and instead I realized after a few pages that The Petersburg Man was almost a Victorian novel. Maybe a little out of season, say twenty years, but the atmosphere is all there. We are in London on the eve of the First World War and Churchill wants England to make a pact with Russia so that in the event of a war with Germany, Russia will help England itself. In charge of carrying out this agreement are Lord Walden for the British and Prince Orlov, nephew of the Tsar, for the Russians. The two are acquired relatives, since Lydia, Walden's Russian wife, is the sister of Orlov's mother. The first scenes take place in the Walden palace, and between debutante ball, royal invitations, carriages, pages, lackeys, sumptuous lunches in immense ballrooms Follet builds the atmosphere of which I say above. The parallel story, the one that will then intersect with this, is that of Feliks Ksessinsky (he is the man from Petersburg), a Russian anarchist who in his youth had had a clandestine love affair with the noble Lydia and who, later, discovered by her father, he had been imprisoned and tortured in Russian prisons on a formal charge of being an anarchist, but really only to get him out of the way and use it as a weapon of blackmail by Lydia's father. In fact, if Lydia had agreed to marry a certain English lord and go to England with him, Lydia's father would have released Feliks. Lydia accepts and Feliks won't know where she ended up when he gets out of prison. Meanwhile, he continues his anarchist journey and after various vicissitudes, twenty years later, he arrives in England with the aim of killing Orlov, as an exponent of the Russian nobility, with the aim of breaking out the people's revolution in Russia. In London he discovers that Orlov is housed in the Waldens' house and during the first attempt to kill him he discovers that Walden's wife is "his" Lydia. From here a whole series of events and twists start (which would be a spoiler for me to list) that will culminate in a finale worthy of the Hollywood films and which Follet uses to underline how much Churchill and the other politicians on the planet are Machiavellian and cynical to the core. A really good book, compelling and written with style, bravo Follet.

Es el año de 1914, nos encontramos a meses de una de las guerras más importantes en el mundo: la I Guerra Mundial. Francia e Inglaterra, necesitan el apoyo de Rusia para ganar el conflicto y derrotar a Alemania. Inglaterra necesita la formalizar la alianza, así que deciden que sea lord Walden sea el quién lleve esta alianza a una realidad, pero tendrá que realizarla con el príncipe Orlov. Lo que no saben es que alguien misterioso va en busca de la cabeza del príncipe Orlov.

Me encanta la pluma de Ken Follet, a diferencia de otros libros muchísimo más grandes que este, en ningún momento sientes la historia lenta, al contrario, es increíblemente fluida y además de interesante. Son los momentos de tensión que va dosificando Follet en la historia, que hace imposible dejar el libro y querer seguir con el libro.

Los temas que se van tocando en la novela, fueron muy interesantes como: socialismo, el ascenso de Alemania como potencia mundial, el sufragio femenino (mi favorito sin duda alguna) y sobre la moral social a principios del siglo XX.

Seré muy sincero, el final no me termino de convencer, no fue malo pero llegue a sentirlo súper apresurado y siento que dejo a unos personajes al aire. Pero dejando eso a un lado, el libro es una gran forma de pasar un rato muy amigable y sobre todo recomiendo mucho este libro si quieres iniciar a leer a Ken Follet, para que así veas de lo que es capaz.

This is bad. Like monumentally bad. The protagonist - a Russian anarchist - is insufferable and the characters, in general, seem unrealistic and downright dumb. There are various cringe-worthy sex scenes in the book that I could have lived without and the plot is just cheap. I am only giving it 2 stars because Walden is the only nice character, an honourable aristocrat whose only 'fault' is that he is rich...and here's how people fall victim to the false assumption that all rich men must be bastards and all poor men are actually decent, kind-hearted people changed by circumstances. Human nature is far more complicated and nuanced than these simplistic judgements.

Now, I am not giving up on Ken Follet just yet. But this was cheap writing.

Ik vond het boek erg voorspelbaar en de slechterik had wel heel erg veel geluk/mazzel, jammer want normaal is Ken Follett een goede schrijver...

Deși multă vreme nu am știu de Follet sau l-am evitat involuntar, Omul din Sankt-Petersburg mi-a adus mult suspans și teroare lirică, mi-am imaginat un Petersburk sfâșiat de snobismul celor bogați și mizeriea la limită a celor foarte săraci într-o opoziție crasă a secolului XIX, nedreptate, lașitate, ignoranță, dualism și un singur personaj negativ anarhist care m-a cucerit, i-am dat dreptate, am fost de partea lui, Felix! Felix - un fost pușcăriaș, rebel. nihlist, activist care vrea să distrugă cu orice preț clasa superioară a paraziților... Poate ne trebuie și nouă un Felix acum, în epoca guvernării corupte, când mulți bătrâni nu au ce pune pe masă, nicio coajă de pâine, iar guvernanții se lăfăie. M-a uimit Charlotte, o fată de viță nobilă care a fost mințită 18 ani de ipocrizia părinților, la 18 ani riscă să fie măritată cu forța cu un prinț fără ca fata să aibă minime cunoștințe de viață sexuală, Charlotte află de termenul '' act sexual'' întâmplător dintr-o carte de medicină generală, oare e corect așa? Tinerele prințese din nefericire așa erau educate pe vremea aia, într-un întuneric total, cele mai multe nu se revolatau, continuau să fie niște oițe blânde și supuse care ascultă numai de sfatul părinților ipocriți, prea bogați, bigoți, dizgrațioși și foarte rigizi și hapsâni când trebuie să ofere un minim ajutor și săracilor, mi se face greață! Felix și Charlotte, un tată și o fiică care încearcă să schimbe ceva într-o lume prea trasă cu echerul, oare vor reuși, se pare că rezultatul va fi unul tragic, nimic nu poate fi schimbat peste noapte, prejudecățile unei societăți sunt strâns încarcerate de secole în conștiința unui popor și așa aflat pe drumul pierzaniei. Omul din Snakt- Petersburg este un thriller de excepție, m-a ținut cu sufletul la gură de parcă aș fi vizionat un film și imaginile mi se perindau spasmodic în fața ochilor, eu fiind încătușată pe un scaun dintr-o sală cu proiecții întunecoase.

wow - i sooo enjoyed this book. i was on the edge of my seat (and my bed) - the suspense was there, all the time.

it was also an excellent story and well thought out. at times i suspected something, but soon after it was revealed, which i quite liked. i cannot bear it when i suspect something and it only happens at the end - so boring. with this one, there were surprises around every corner.

this is why ken follett is my favourite author.

What a well written novel with full character development and intricate plot lines weaved into historical events. I rooted for all of them, even the assassin. The book details English society in 1914 and covers many social issues on top of the Great War storyline. There was Energy, tension, fierceness, fearlessness, passion and so much more to be had.

What a great listening experience !