Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
It's a fun "origin" story of Kingsbridge and the surrounding area. There were a lot of familiar plot lines: the devout monk fighting against an evil bishop, a noble woman's forbidden love to a commoner. But I enjoy these stories and the world building of the early middle ages. It's learning in between the lines sort of way that only the best historical fiction can do.
I forgot how much I like Follett's writing. He has a way of giving you historical context through the plot itself rather than in long, drawn-out explanations. it was so easy to slip back into the Kingsbridge world through this book. I can't wait to re-read Pillars after this.
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
On my previous review, I mentioned that I had a lot of new releases coming out in September/October, although I have to wait until October/November to receive them due to my library having a lag with acquiring and cataloguing new releases. (I get 95% of my books from my local library due to not having the funds to buy them. I only purchase my own books 1 to 2 times a year.)
Anyway, I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy, and although, it is my favorite genre, I was feeling like I needed something different to cleanse my palate so I decided to pick up The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett, which is the prequel to the Kingsbridge trilogy, which starts with The Pillars of the Earth. This installment in the series tells the story of Edgar, Ragna, and Aldred as they struggle to make their way through one of the most tumultuous time periods in history, the Dark Ages, and maybe, find a little happiness along the way while being plagued by some of the worst of humanity.
In my opinion, the best thing about this book was the time period that it was set in. The Dark Ages is one of the most interesting time periods to study as it presents a unique scenario that doesn’t come up very often. When the Romans conquered Britain, they brought all their innovations and technology with them, which lead to a time of prosperity and growth. However, when the Roman Empire collapsed, Britain converted back to their tribal ways, and it took centuries before they were able to recover. As a lover of history in all its forms and with the dream of becoming a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed exploring why a society regressed the way Britain did.
I also really liked the characters that we were reading about, particularly Edgar. Edgar was one of those people who just naturally understand how the world works, and he didn’t always understand that some people take offense when people are smarter than them. I related to this a lot as I tend to have this same problem. All in all, I really appreciate how resilient all of these characters were and how determined they were to achieve their goals.
The only slight problem I had with this was that it didn’t have as much history in it as most of his other books do. This might be due to the fact that there just isn’t as much known about the time period he was writing in so he couldn’t add history that he didn’t have, but I did miss it, especially such I prefer my historical fiction to be more history than fiction. It is still one of my favorites of the year and I am now stoked to re-read the rest of his books, which I already own. 4.5 stars!!!!!!!!
On my previous review, I mentioned that I had a lot of new releases coming out in September/October, although I have to wait until October/November to receive them due to my library having a lag with acquiring and cataloguing new releases. (I get 95% of my books from my local library due to not having the funds to buy them. I only purchase my own books 1 to 2 times a year.)
Anyway, I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy, and although, it is my favorite genre, I was feeling like I needed something different to cleanse my palate so I decided to pick up The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett, which is the prequel to the Kingsbridge trilogy, which starts with The Pillars of the Earth. This installment in the series tells the story of Edgar, Ragna, and Aldred as they struggle to make their way through one of the most tumultuous time periods in history, the Dark Ages, and maybe, find a little happiness along the way while being plagued by some of the worst of humanity.
In my opinion, the best thing about this book was the time period that it was set in. The Dark Ages is one of the most interesting time periods to study as it presents a unique scenario that doesn’t come up very often. When the Romans conquered Britain, they brought all their innovations and technology with them, which lead to a time of prosperity and growth. However, when the Roman Empire collapsed, Britain converted back to their tribal ways, and it took centuries before they were able to recover. As a lover of history in all its forms and with the dream of becoming a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed exploring why a society regressed the way Britain did.
I also really liked the characters that we were reading about, particularly Edgar. Edgar was one of those people who just naturally understand how the world works, and he didn’t always understand that some people take offense when people are smarter than them. I related to this a lot as I tend to have this same problem. All in all, I really appreciate how resilient all of these characters were and how determined they were to achieve their goals.
The only slight problem I had with this was that it didn’t have as much history in it as most of his other books do. This might be due to the fact that there just isn’t as much known about the time period he was writing in so he couldn’t add history that he didn’t have, but I did miss it, especially such I prefer my historical fiction to be more history than fiction. It is still one of my favorites of the year and I am now stoked to re-read the rest of his books, which I already own. 4.5 stars!!!!!!!!
Ken Follett never disappoints me. His stories are like medieval soap operas - and I mean that in a very good way. There is always something happening that makes you want to move on in the story. And even though the book is huge (900+ pages), it's not overwhelming. I could have read another 900 pages about these characters. I love how his female characters always find their strength amidst the terrible ways they are treated by both society in general and the men in their lives. I hope we get another novel that bridges the characters in this book with the ones in Pillars of the Earth.
Wow.
This book had the most explosive first chapter I have ever read. I had to wait till the next day to start chapter 2!
That being said, what a brilliant book. Ken Follett has mastered the ability to write totally immersive medieval fiction.
The plot follows three different lives: 1) Edgar, a young boatbuilder. 2) Ragna, a noblewoman. 3) Aldred, a monk. The storyline is expertly weaved together, coving a 10-year span of each of the characters' lives.
I really enjoyed how the characters crossed social classes, giving us an insight into how different life was depending on your social standing.
I must note the in-depth descriptions are so real and raw, that they can be uncomfortable. Please note that this book is definitely for more mature readers.
Not only was this book really exciting, but it also provided an insight into Anglo-Saxon life. Having studied medieval history myself - I was happy to see how accurate this world setting was. The imagery was accurate and fascinating, which made all the more impact throughout this brilliant story.
Definitely a top read and I wholly recommend it
This book had the most explosive first chapter I have ever read. I had to wait till the next day to start chapter 2!
That being said, what a brilliant book. Ken Follett has mastered the ability to write totally immersive medieval fiction.
The plot follows three different lives: 1) Edgar, a young boatbuilder. 2) Ragna, a noblewoman. 3) Aldred, a monk. The storyline is expertly weaved together, coving a 10-year span of each of the characters' lives.
I really enjoyed how the characters crossed social classes, giving us an insight into how different life was depending on your social standing.
I must note the in-depth descriptions are so real and raw, that they can be uncomfortable. Please note that this book is definitely for more mature readers.
Not only was this book really exciting, but it also provided an insight into Anglo-Saxon life. Having studied medieval history myself - I was happy to see how accurate this world setting was. The imagery was accurate and fascinating, which made all the more impact throughout this brilliant story.
Definitely a top read and I wholly recommend it
Spoiler
(especially if you love a happy ending)!
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
The story is told about England in the years 900 AD and after of a noble woman from Normandy, a monk and a shipbuilder's son and how their lives change after one of the Vikings raids in a sea side city named Combe. The adventure is set such that the three have the same moral compass and end up being against some powerful people in the South of England.
This book was full of twists and turns and it had a rollercoaster of emotions. The last 300 pages were almost unputdownable for me. I needed to know how the plot would unfold and in the end, I was not disappointed at all. The mastery of the author is such that he not only pays attention to detail, but the character development is very masterful and the plot is very detailed and realistic.
I can't wait to dive into the rest of the books in this series.
Run, don't walk to get a copy of this book.
Ken Follet never disappoints.
This book was full of twists and turns and it had a rollercoaster of emotions. The last 300 pages were almost unputdownable for me. I needed to know how the plot would unfold and in the end, I was not disappointed at all. The mastery of the author is such that he not only pays attention to detail, but the character development is very masterful and the plot is very detailed and realistic.
I can't wait to dive into the rest of the books in this series.
Run, don't walk to get a copy of this book.
Ken Follet never disappoints.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes