World Without End

Those looking for a quick read should look elsewhere, but then, the product description could have told you that. I read most of the text in the course of a day (with a lot of time devoted).This is, of course, a sequel to Ken Follett's 80s classic "The Pillars of the Earth"; "Pillars" wrapped up its characters stories quite neatly, so Follett wisely decides to keep the setting, 200 years in the future, and trace the development of Kingsbridge. The first novel, set in the Anarchy that followed the death of Henry I, saw the area go from a monastery on a backroad on the edge of being usurped by the town of Shiring to a cathedral town with a bustling population, all under the wise guidance of the visionary Prior Phillip, while the displaced children of the Earl of Shiring struggled mightily to regain their birthright. Since then, the town continued to grow, until the reign of Edward III, but the main characters' sacred blood and institutions have, to a great extent, rotted. While some of the main good characters are in fact descendants of Jack and Aliena, the main line, the holders of the Shiring earldom, mostly seem to have become arrogant jerks typical of their social class (excepting Earl William, partly due to having a good wife); meanwhile, the Kingsbridge priory, which under Phillip was a force for good out to forge a new community and advance the cause of God and civilization, has become hidebound, held in the course of the novel by a series of conservatives liable to quash progress. Both are entirely realistic outcomes, and it's a nice bit of unsentimentalism (actually, there are a couple of elements here that almost feel like Follett cynically commenting on some of "Pillars"' more optimistic moments; here, there is also a devout, hardworking monk without selfish motives, but he is ruthlessly sidelined instead of advancing to the priorship through good fortune, as Phillip did). Even the foundations of the cathedral are flawed.Our main characters are two brothers, Merthin and Ralph; Caris, the daughter of a prosperous merchant; and Gwenda, the daughter of a convicted thief. While playing in woods one day, they witness a battle between a knight named Sir Thomas Langley and some footsoldiers of Isabella, Queen-consort of the recently-deceased Edward II of England; Langley trusts Merthin to guard the location of a secret letter (as a sidenote, as an historian, I was absolutely convinced I knew what the secret was (indeed, the characters speculate about it), but I was surprised; well done, Mr. Follett), and then secludes himself in the monastery. Unlike the mystery of Jack's father's death in "Pillars", this mystery is pretty slight, but the individual characters' stories are fairly strong.As others have noted, one can certainly see certain character types recurring (some, such as the similar profession and proficiency of Jack and his descendent Merthin, are actually noted in-text). One can line up Aliena and Caris (and, to a certain extent, Gwenda); William and Ralph (although Ralph seems somewhat more sympathetic, although he is ultimately just as vile); Warren Bigod and Godwyn, etc. The last of those is rather interesting, since he initially seems to be a good monk in the style of Phillip in the first book, and is even something of a viewpoint character early on, but he quickly becomes a ruthless obstacle. Merthin and Caris' (extremely) lengthy, (extremely) troubled courtship is very similar to Jack and Aliena's, including each having a sojourn to the continent (apart, in the case of this novel), and lengthy periods where marriage is impossible; Caris has an additional wrinkle, since, like many romance heroines, she isn't sure marriage is what she wants, with this taking on particular significance in an era when women became property (many have noted that there's a lot of 21st century feminism present here, and that's true, to be sure, much as with most modern entertainment). Gwenda (despite some similarities with Aliena) is a very different character than can be found in "Pillars of the Earth" however, and she often seems to suffer for it in the narrative (that's on top of all her literal sufferings in the narrative); she doesn't really belong in the same world as Merthin, Caris and Ralph, all ambitious middle-classmen with big dreams success (building England's tallest structure, independence, earldom), while Gwenda, the luckless serf, just wants freehold tenantry (which is as big a dream as most in her class will ever realize). Her narrative coequals reach epic heights and depths; she goes as low, but never gets nearly as high, and she is mostly separate from the lives of Merthin and Caris, the latter nominally being her close friend. Through her, Follett does chronicle a revolution in the land organization of England, brought on by the Black Death.The first book was heavy on cathedral architecture description (something Follett has an evident passion for); there's less of that here, but a lot of talk about bridges, which is actually quite interesting. Follett's writing style is about the same as always, familiar to those who've read "Pillars" or any of his past work; as many, many other reviewers have noted, there's a lot of explicit sex (as "Canterbury Tales" will tell you, people in Edward II's time were as randy as today), and some very gruesome violence, most notably a graphic description of a man being flayed alive. It's compulsively readable.This is a five-star book; not a five-star in the way that "The Pillars of the Earth" was, perhaps, but still an excellent read.

"World Without End" is an epic triumph of historical fiction; an uncommon love story for those not fond of love stories; a bold and fitting sequel to Follett's landmark "Pillars of the Earth." Set in mid-14th century England's fictional town of Knightsbridge, two-centuries after the author's sprawling saga of building the city's Gothic cathedral, Follett spins a remarkable tale of war, treachery, death, disease and, of course, love spanning the interwoven lifetimes of three Kingsbridge families. "WWE" reads a lot like Bernard Cornwell with a smart bit of Ariana Franklin ("Mistress in the Art of Death") throw in - rich in historical detail, lore, and culture, combined with masterful storytelling and a lively pace. And while loosely a follow-on, don't be bothered if you haven't read "Pillars of the Earth," as this one easily stands alone without the need for the predecessor's context.It is 1327, the year in which King Edward II died under sinister conditions, the reign passing on to his young son Edward III. Four children, including Merthin, 11, and his younger brother Ralph, 10, wander into the forest to test a new bow-and-arrow, where they stumble upon an attack and subsequent killing, setting a thin central plot for the novel - and the next four decades. Merthin and Ralph, sons of a down-on-his-luck knight, are the descendants of "Pillars" genius architecture, Tom Builder. Merthin is small, wiry, and brilliant - in direct opposite to little brother Ralph, who is not only bigger, but is already showing signs of anger and cruelty that will determine the course of their lives. Accompanying Merthin and Ralph on that fateful November day are Caris, the clever daughter of a wealthy wool merchant, and Gwenda, daughter of a penniless serf and thief. Putting these very different family backgrounds to good use, Follett is able to paint a vivid picture of Medieval life, from an overbearing Church to the merchant guild, the privileged lives of nobility, mechanics of the feudal system, and the early decades of England's 100 Year War with France. The raging bubonic plague plays large in shaping the twists of fate of this rich set of characters; a struggle between religious dogma and an emerging enlightenment in the medical arts. The budding and frustrating love story between Merthin, the talented builder and Caris, bright, independent, and untamed, is a poignant and beautifully told literary feat. In contrast, the brutal and lustful Ralph rapes and pillages on both sides of the channel, finding his own brand of fame through treachery, cruelty, and some timely good luck.Weighing in at over 1,000 pages, Follett has plenty of time to build characters and multiple story lines - and he does is with aplomb. But despite its length, "World Without End" is neither tedious nor complex. Combined with "Pillars of the Earth," this is legend of Arthurian proportion - a swashbuckling adventure and as good a slice of Medieval life as I've read. A highly recommended cross-genre read that will have very broad appeal.

This is a great book in a continuing series by this author, full of drama and intrigue

I really enjoyed it, even more than Pillars of the eEarth.For some people, the length of descriptive phases Follet take in these books are tiresome, but for me are beautiful and nurtured.I highly advice to read the books in order:- Pillars of earth (beginning of the middle age 1100 AC)- World Without End (1300 AC)- and, a Column of Fire (to be read by me)Each set of characters and stories are linked through Kingsbridge Cathedral, but each one preset you with problems and challenges of each time.Discovering the beginning of the black death and how people faced it, reminded me a lot of our actual pandemic. And it was weird to read many of our prevention measurements, to be described in this book.In a few words: it is amazing to read how common people invest their time and life in creating something so beautiful and long-lasting as a Cathedral, a bridge and a whole town.

I did enjoy this read. Very detailed and historically accurate. Obviously Mr Follett does do his research. Again his characters developed nicely and the story progressed at a fair clip. Now on to the next in the series.

L’auteur parvient à nous plonger à l’époque du moyen-âge, de la guerre de cent ans et de la peste bucolique. Le rythme est soutenu et le lecteur éprouve de nombreuses émotions au cours des péripéties qui se succèdent. C’est la deuxième fois que je lis ce roman et c’est toujours avec le même plaisir. Je le recommande.

Took me 5 weeks to read this ( i read 9 hrs a week). Despite what other comments say, i personally enjoyed this book more than pillars of earth, because the characters in this book grow over time in such a wonderful way. even lolla a cute 3 yr old girl grows up to have a (surprisingly) different character. all the four main characters in the book really mature over the years. the story itself is vast in scope. in the last 500 pages( after 700 pages) we see the horrors of the Black death. the superiority of the longbow men of the English and the foolish chivalry of French Knights is also depicted . the battle of Crecy is beautifully described.there is no boring part in the beginning as was the case of earlier books written by Ken Follet , he has corrected this mistake in his recent novels.Every character is rich and has its peculiarities, that does not mean the story line was dull, the story is also grander in scope.