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moira_desu's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
scgreenfelder's review against another edition
5.0
I love Ken Follett. His books always contain so much detail, and they're all set in different historical eras and they're fascinating as hell.
And I really did love this book. It was lovely to return to Kingsbridge, the same location as Pillars of the Earth, and to see how the town was faring after Prior Phillip was long gone. It was a deliciously long book, one that actually took me more than a few days to read. It totally deserves five stars.
That being said, I think setting it in the same place as Pillars of the Earth allowed Follett to fall back on the same themes. There's the evil clergy, the good clergy, the good lay people and the evil lay people, all fighting to help Kingsbridge develop or keep it back, as they see fit. There's the building of a grand edifice seen as the epitome of someone's work as a builder. Even though it was a year ago I read the other book, this one still felt very familiar.
And I really did love this book. It was lovely to return to Kingsbridge, the same location as Pillars of the Earth, and to see how the town was faring after Prior Phillip was long gone. It was a deliciously long book, one that actually took me more than a few days to read. It totally deserves five stars.
That being said, I think setting it in the same place as Pillars of the Earth allowed Follett to fall back on the same themes. There's the evil clergy, the good clergy, the good lay people and the evil lay people, all fighting to help Kingsbridge develop or keep it back, as they see fit. There's the building of a grand edifice seen as the epitome of someone's work as a builder. Even though it was a year ago I read the other book, this one still felt very familiar.
tracyk22's review against another edition
3.0
If you've read Pillars of the Earth, then just wait a good long time before you read World Without End. If you haven't read Pillars, don't even think about reading this book until you've accomplished that. World Without End seemed to be just a reproduction of Pillars, minus the suspense and redeeming characters. Which is why I suggest waiting to read this if you've just read Pillars, because whether it's fair to compare them or not, you invariably will. It's kind of like if Steinbeck had decided to write a 2nd Grapes of Wrath, using the same story lines, just plugging in different characters. Would it be as good? Probably not.
I did enjoy the parts where Caris was learning about medicine and disease. It's just mind-boggling what the priests and monks of the time believed about disease. So glad I didn't live back then.
I did enjoy the parts where Caris was learning about medicine and disease. It's just mind-boggling what the priests and monks of the time believed about disease. So glad I didn't live back then.
nearly_empty_nesting's review against another edition
3.0
This book fell flat for me compared to the first in the series. The plot was much more political and the scheming felt like it was ping-ponging back and forth between characters without much else going on to temper it with. I will say- some of my feelings may have been impacted by the time I was reading it. It's the summer of 2020 and I was not prepared when the plot shifted from bridge building to the years of the Plague and all that entailed. TBH- Some parts of the book felt like they were ripped from the headlines of modern day America...
alexandromeda's review against another edition
2.0
At some point I realized I didn't really care about what was going to happen but I felt like I'd gotten so far into the book that I might as well finish it. The story line wasn't really uninteresting but it didn't matter to me what happened to the characters.
The way some of the characters acted and their thoughts were just not realistic to me, at the very least it did not endear me to them.
I've seen some reviews saying it is very similar to the Pillars of the Earth, which I can see because the whole time I just wanted to reread that book instead.
The way some of the characters acted and their thoughts were just not realistic to me, at the very least it did not endear me to them.
I've seen some reviews saying it is very similar to the Pillars of the Earth, which I can see because the whole time I just wanted to reread that book instead.
marzipan9's review against another edition
3.0
better than Pillars of the Earth, but still not what I've come to expect from historical fiction.
canuckmum's review against another edition
4.0
I think I may have enjoyed this even more than Pillars of the Earth.
jklbookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
This book stands on its own, although at the beginning it refers back to a few things in The Pillars of the Earth (that I'd forgotten, because it's been a while). The characters and story are compelling, the book is hard to put down, and the historical setting is interesting. However, It contains graphic descriptions of (cw: people being terrible and people being lusty) that range from very unpleasant to unnecessarily graphic to read. It feels like a few characters in this book end up being responsible for about a dozen innovations in many different fields that come from this period, which is pretty unrealistic although understandable for the sake of the story. And the women especially think and behave in very modern ways, then are sometimes tripped up by the societal constraints of the period.
Spoiler
multiple rapes, someone being flayed alive, murder, a battlefield, black death, various consensual carnal acts between people of various genders, etc.leslielu67's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Follet turns a good tale! Five years ago, when hubby and I were in NYC, we stopped by a park on our way home after a Broadway show. The park was set up with ping pong tables, and while hubby tried his hand, I chatted with one of the fellows waiting his turn. We talked about books, and promised to read each other's favorite. I chose for him City of Thieves, and he chose for me World Without End (after having confirmed that I had already read Pillars of the Earth, albeit 20 years ago). I listened to WWE on my commute, and could not wait to get in the car in the morning to hear more of the saga (narrator was top notch). It took me 40+ hours, and two borrows from the library. I was completely wrapped up the lives of the Kingsbridge/Widely citizens. [Note on the Black Death: that was some nasty sh*t. Another book (shorter) with some similar plague themes is Year of Wonders.] I'd better make a return trip to NYC to get Mr. Ping Pong's next recommendation.
hoserlauren's review against another edition
4.0
In this epic sequel of Pillars of the Earth, we're taken back to Kingsbridge. The church has been standing now for a while, John the builder is long gone, but similar problems with the town still exist. There's a guild who doesn't treat people fairly, the priory only cares about power, and the sprinkling of good people seems to be less than those out for themselves. We're introduced to Merthin, a talented builder that descends from John, Caris, a very independent young lady who wants to learn how to help heal people, Gwenda, who comes from a poor family and doesn't want to stay that way, and Ralph, Merthin's brother who is mean spirited and wants to become a knight.
This book is just as captivating as the first. You're pulled in to the lives of these characters and get to follow them through many years. Thankfully, there is a lot of happiness, although a lot of heartache required to get there. I'd like to say that everyone gets what they deserve, but they don't. Some characters got off rather easy, but that's what help makes this book real.
I enjoyed Merthin's descriptions of how to build a bridge and what to look for to ensure that water doesn't destroy the bridge again. It's amazing that people had this all figured out back in the 1300s.
As much as I enjoyed this book, and its predecessor Pillars of the Earth, I'm not sure I'd want to read another book in this format. Having one follow up book similar to Pillars of the Earth is great, two may be too much.
This book is just as captivating as the first. You're pulled in to the lives of these characters and get to follow them through many years. Thankfully, there is a lot of happiness, although a lot of heartache required to get there. I'd like to say that everyone gets what they deserve, but they don't. Some characters got off rather easy, but that's what help makes this book real.
I enjoyed Merthin's descriptions of how to build a bridge and what to look for to ensure that water doesn't destroy the bridge again. It's amazing that people had this all figured out back in the 1300s.
As much as I enjoyed this book, and its predecessor Pillars of the Earth, I'm not sure I'd want to read another book in this format. Having one follow up book similar to Pillars of the Earth is great, two may be too much.