A Dangerous Fortune

Rating:
Summary: Excellent page-turner! My first Follett but not the last!
Review: Ken Follett has put together a great story of intrigue, deceipt, and adversity. This was my first Follett novel and I will definitely have to read more now. This book actually reminds me a lot of Jeffrey Archer's "As the Crow Flies." Just when things get bad for the good guys, they only get worse. How events unfold as the story reaches its climax had me grinning from ear to ear. Make sure to check this one out!

Rating:
Summary: pretty good but notnhing new.
Review: Follet's good. Real good, but it doesn't seem like there's anything new. I read richard greenwald's spear of golgotha - first of series of thrillers and couldn't believe the stuf they publish down under- the aussies know how to make you buckle up and take a roller coaster ride. If you liked the earlier Follet you'll go nuts over greenwald- his stuff is too good to believe you can't put it down

Rating:
Summary: Real good stuff.
Review: Follet's been around for a while and can keep things going. His earlier stuff was more exciting - a new author out of australia is richard greenwald, spear of golgotha- he can keep those pages turning. i think his books are banned in our country- who knows why but he is the new kid on the block and folks don't seem to like it. check it out

Rating:
Summary: An immensely satisfying book
Review: A wholly entertaining read. One gets caught up in the plot from the first chapter. It is very much a "formula book" but that does not detract from it one bit. Definitely one of Follett's best. Excellent characters and a very satisfying ending. I loved it

Rating:
Summary: The best book that I have ever read. A marvelous story!
Review: A absolutely fantastic book, the best that Ken Follett has ever written. The story, characters and settings entwined miraculousty to form an excellent book. One of mystery, love, intrigue, murder and trechary

Rating:
Summary: Finally a good thriller from Follett
Review: After reading low rate novels from this author I find this one deserving a good credit.

Rating:
Summary: Good plot, but not Follett's best
Review: "A dangerous fortune" is a typical Follett book: set in a historical context, a plot involving murder and money, with many characters, usually divided between the good ones and the bad ones. The bad ones are more interesting, they have power, they have money, and the good ones, though poor, are always correct and faithful to their traditional beliefs. Between "The pillars of Earth" and "Night over water" this formula suited Follett's plots very well, and he gathererd many constant readers around the world. "A dangerous fortune" is one formulaic book, though it doesn't mean it is bad. On the contrary, it's the usual Follett, thrilling, well written and full of good moments. But it's far from the author's best.

The center of the story is the Pillaster family, traditional bankers - but not yet noble - of the London society at the second half of the nineteenth century. Hugh is the talented young Pillaster, but he's sort of a black sheep of the family. Edward and his mother Augusta, the book's arch-villain, spend the whole book trying to get control of the family bank, while Edward's friend Micky Miranda, a south-american from a ficticious country very similar to Colombia is always trying to make Edward lend him the bank's money in order to achieve a coup d'etat at home. And Hugh must prevent all of that from happening, of course. Throw in lots of love interests, four or five murders, a couple of sex-scenes - also usual in Follett's books - and you begin to get an initial idea of what this book is about.

As I've already said, "A dangerous fortune" is not a bad book, far from that. If you are kew to Follett's work, don't be afraid to try this one: it's not a flopper like "The third twin" or "Hammer of Edden". But for Follett's long-time readers this one will bring nothing new. It seems like a compilation of what the author had already put in his previous books. Even so, it's an above-average thriller.

Grade 8.2/10


Rating:
Summary: Follett hits the bull's-eye on an age-old issue
Review: Money has always corrupted those who give mind to it. It's appalling how paper, nickel, copper and other materials have manipulated actions, decisions and, lamentably, families. Money is a god.

Ken Follett has spun a web of corruption, conspiracy, murder and lies. A Dangerous Fortune is the tale of the Pilasters - a family so immersed in their fortune that paternal love has no accommodations. The trust of sons and daughters, husbands and wives, uncles and best friends is betrayed - shoved to second place. Everything is placed on a thin line for one purpose only: money.

The characters are fleshed out to their fullest capacity. The dialogue is belivable. When Hugh Pilaster, in his prime as a banker, gathers the immediate family to announce a catastrophical situation, one can't help but feel in the middle of the scene. The spotlight is shining bright, and it's pointing directly at you.

The story leaves your mind searching for answers, answers that not even 500+ pages could answer. Life is full of questions and A Dangerous Fortune will leave you questioning your impulses and inclinations, your greed and generosity, your loyalty and your love.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Incredible
Review: This was my second book by the author, after "Night Over Water," and I was not disappointed. The two books are not similar at all, except in their quality of writing and very engaging plot. Characters are well developed and a reader can relate. "A Dangerous Fortune" has to do with English upper-class society, intrigues, banking system, inheritance issues, love, lust, deception, and more deception. A fantastic read. Highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Another great read by a master storyteller
Review: This is the third Follett book I've read in a row. It all started with Pillars of the Earth, the best book I've ever read. I read A placed Called Freedom right after that and enjoyed that alot as well. And I just got finished with A Dangerous Fortune. I can't possibly say enough good things about Ken Follett. Once again, it's the characters that drive the book. He takes you on a journey with these characters through many years of their lives and you get to see how they encounter, react and truimph over adversity. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is another 'must read' in my opinion. His characters are varied and colorful and the relationships, from friendship to love, villainy and hatred are so genuine I couldn't help but wish that these people lived at that point in history. A wonderful read that I will no doubt enjoy again in the future.