A fictional view of the 14th century: building, rebuilding, sex and plague.

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	• World Without End Ken Follett NAL Trade, 2008 - 1024 pages average customer review:based on 379 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Sequel tells us a lot about how we've changed in 20 years

Follett finally completed the sequel to his evergreen historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, and although I was compelled by the story enough to read all 1024 pages in a week, I was saddened at how poorly the book compares with its predecessor.

It is interesting to consider the nearly 20 years between the first book and this sequel. Many things have changed in our culture since then, leading Follett to inject even more egregious anachronisms into this book than the first. For example, the characters at one point fret over the self-esteem of a teenage girl. There are many further examples but I will spare you.

More telling is the apparent shift Follett has undergone in what he believes we want to read about. For example, the first book barely treated homosexuality, despite the many opportunities to explore it in a monastery. The second, now twenty years deeper into the gay rights movement, explores gay relationships with a frank openness more consistent with San Francisco circa 2000 than the Britain of the 1300s.

This observation aside, I was personally disappointed that the author did not again craft a thoughtful and multi-dimensional portrayal of a man of faith. The character of Prior Philip stands as the hallmark achievement of the first novel. Prior Philip was a man filled with the desire to do what is right by God and by his fellowmen but sometimes unable to know what would be right and what cost was worth bearing to do it. This is my personal experience of what most spiritual leaders are like.

In contrast, the religious figures in the sequel are all one-dimensional sycophants or toadies, ingratiating themselves with higher ups for their own personal ambition, betraying their own principles regularly, and considering faith a stepping stone rather than an end in itself.

The one sympathetic, intelligent, and thoughtful religious character is a woman who is technically an atheist, and only joined a convent to avoid a worse fate. She is consistently smarter and more capable than all other religious figures and her atheism is continually cited as the engine behind her industriousness and her unique interpersonal gifts.

I've met atheists like that, but I've also met religious people like that and you'd think that a novel that spans fifty years of religious life in a town where all activity centers on a cathedral might include even one intelligent, sincere devout person? Just one?

The differences between these two books tells us much about ourselves and the kinds of things authors and editors believe we want to read. I wonder what a third book, written 20 years from now, would say about us?

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The Great Soap

World Without End has all the elements of a great soap opera. There was never a point when I wasn't eager to know what would happen next.

There is love, envy, brutality, ruthlessness, greed, deviousness, selflessness and even a plague. If this is not enough for you, there's also murder, rape, kidnapping, and a mystery. Surprisingly, the plot has everything except incest

For me, WWE is more interesting than Pillars of the Earth in that it is a close examination of the human aspects of the time, focusing on the customs and the ways people of different rank related to each other.

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A fictional view of the 14th century: building, rebuilding, sex and plague.

I bought this book when it was first released but have hesitated to pick it up both because of its size. I need not have worried: the 1100+ pages took about 11 hours to read and it was a delightful escape into a fictional piece peopled with dastardly villains, noble heroes and good-hearted souls.

While 'Pillars' laid the foundations for `World Without End', this book only felt like a sequel when I regarded Kingsbridge and the cathedral as the central characters instead of the people. Once I did that, the story fell quite neatly into place.

This is not a difficult book to read and while historical accuracy can (and should be) questioned, Mr Follett's strength is in recounting the feelings of his characters. Sure, some happenings seem quite contrived to make particular points but basic human needs, wants and reactions have remained similar for millennia.

At the beginning of the book, four children (Gwenda, Caris, Merthin and Ralph) witness two men being killed in the forest. The mystery of the killing is only explained towards the end of the novel and yet it casts a long shadow over many of the happenings. We follow the lives of Gwenda, Caris, Merthin and Ralph for a period of 34 years (1327 to 1361). We share their transition from childhood to adulthood: their successes, their failures, their hopes and dreams. Their lives are intertwined with each other, and also with the future and fortunes of Kingsbridge. These are momentous years: the onset of the Black Plague brings enormous social and economic upheaval while war with France (the early part of the Hundred Year War) provided opportunities for some.

If you finished `Pillars' wondering about the future, and you are happy to revisit Kingsbridge 200 years later, this novel will take you there.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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Solid Follett

A grand follow-up to Pillars of the Earth (but a "stand alone" as well). A joy to read, but horribly heavy to hold up in hardback.

Excellent - I could hardly put it down

World Without End was extremely engaging. It was entertaining and took me through a wide range of emotions. Ken Follet masterfully takes readers into the psychological make up of his characters. This includes the heros that you love and the trouble makers/villians that frustrate. The book was also historically informative. I loved how the author gave insight and perspective to a very truamatic episode in history.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most anticipated sequel of the year-World Without End. Unabridged edition read by John Lee

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