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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
I read Pillars of the Earth, and while I enjoyed it, I felt it dragged too much to be a truly engaging story. Maybe I am just used to a story with a faster pace, one that barrels along at a modern, break-neck speed, and with the time displacement, the story moved slower here. Maybe. This series, however, is the kind of story that I lost myself in. It follows the history of families throughout time and how they interconnect. I am glad I wasn't reading this just as it was published, because I was immediately able to delve into the next one. I love this series and can't wait for the final installment to be published!
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
A solid war story with good plots and characters. Sometimes I just get tired at the sheer size of these books.
The heavy handed foreshadowing literally made me cringe on multiple occasions. Not to mention how sexist the characters are written to a point beyond logic.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finally I'm done!
No but this was actually really good. I really liked the way it was written, how everyone is connected and that we get many perspectives, though I sometimes forgot who was who since the chapters in the audiobook was not made like the chapters in the book, that's not the books fault.
Like I knew most of what was going to happen, which made it so much more sad. I felt hope for everyone, i hope the war won't be that bad and that it will stop soon. I was dragged into the book easily.
It was heavy and long, but it wasn't dragged out, I was never bored.
I recommend 4.5 stars
No but this was actually really good. I really liked the way it was written, how everyone is connected and that we get many perspectives, though I sometimes forgot who was who since the chapters in the audiobook was not made like the chapters in the book, that's not the books fault.
Like I knew most of what was going to happen, which made it so much more sad. I felt hope for everyone, i hope the war won't be that bad and that it will stop soon. I was dragged into the book easily.
It was heavy and long, but it wasn't dragged out, I was never bored.
I recommend 4.5 stars
4 stars. For me, this book highlighted the social and political changes caused by WWI. The characters seemed very real and were well written but I wasn't able to engage with them to the extent I did with Ken Follett's other two novels (World Without End, Pillars of the Earth). The plot was interesting and having so many substories means there was always something to keep me interested. The pace was good and it was page turning most times. The best thing about this book was the way it explained why WWI happened in the first place better than stuff I've read at Uni about the topic!
The book was entertaining, I read it fast enough, the subject was interesting, the historical period is very much so, but I cannot say the author did justice to all the opportunities it presented. In my opinion the characters do not evolve at all, they may become more accentuated if anything.
Some of the twists were farfetched and unlikely, and when all else failed a pregnancy spiced up the plot.
I would say 4 stars for entertainment and 0 for literary quality
Some of the twists were farfetched and unlikely, and when all else failed a pregnancy spiced up the plot.
I would say 4 stars for entertainment and 0 for literary quality
Taking place in Wales, England, Germany, Russia and America, this epic story was set in the years before, during, and after WWI. Lots of characters to remember but many were minor so it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. (There were five pages of names at the start of the book!) As always, Follett told a great, riveting story, although this particular novel had much more politics in it than I'm used to and I found those parts more difficult to read. Reminded me of Downton Abbey a bit, especially the parts in Aberowan and the estate Ty Gwyn - Fita and Bea and the servants. Ended with Germany experiencing extreme inflation and setting the stage for the next in the trilogy - can't wait!
Maud and Walter von Ulrich
Grigori and Lev Peshkov
Billy Williams, Ethel Leckwith
Gus Dewar and Rosa Hellman
Maud and Walter von Ulrich
Grigori and Lev Peshkov
Billy Williams, Ethel Leckwith
Gus Dewar and Rosa Hellman
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes