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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
If you have read Pillars of the Earth, this is not that. It does feel good to enter into this time period gain with Follett.
He is dependable!
He is dependable!
emotional
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:
Complicated
Loved it, couldn't put it down.
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book better when it was called Pillars of the Earth.
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Giving a Kingsbridge book 3/5 stars was not an easy thing to do, but I have to be honest. And you know what, writers are human and they can't knock it out of the park every time, especially when the books are this epic in scope (actually, scope is one of my problems with this book but lets take it step by step)
The Kingsbridge series has, for me, been the story of how England evolved from the 12th century into more modern times, so I was a little disappointed when I learned that The Evening and the Morning was kicking it back to the Dark Ages. This clearly proved to be a challenge for Follett as well, since as he reminds us in the foreword and afterword, the period is called 'dark' because not much is known about the history of this era and even less about its culture. It shows, unfortunately. Of the four Kingsbridge books, this is the one that feels the least like it's grounded in a specific time in the tapestry of English cultural development. The only thing that sets it apart is the slavery, I guess
As for the story, the scope there is dialed way back from where it was before. Since Kingsbridge doesn't exist yet, we don't get a viewpoint into the tumultuous history of England. What we get instead is a political drama about the ealdormanry of Shiring, and how Dreng's Ferry (which will be Kingsbridge in a few years) factors into all the scheming and machinations of the family in charge. But you know, that could be interesting too, right?
Like in many giant sized novels these days, Follett structures this book in a very TV show inspired format. Three of the four 'parts' of this story feel like the seasons of the show, with the fourth and last filing in the role of a two hour series finale. The cast and locations stay the same, and the events and character development fuel the show from season to season, but there's always an A plot that drives the events of the season. Unfortunately, the A plots of seasons 1 and 2 are kinda boring, and ultimately they take up the lion's share of the book
Boring is never a word I'd use to describe Pillars of the Earth or World Without End or A Column of Fire. Say what you want about those books in a big picture sense, but I finished those books out of breath and full of emotion. The Evening and the Morning kinda just left me cold, though season 3 was a rollercoaster that paid off the stuff that was building up throughout the story and as a result felt more in the spirit of its predecessors
Another word I'd never use for those other books is 'cynical'. Follett really puts the dark in Dark Ages with this book. Kingsbridge's history is definitely full of violence and injustice, but it's also one of hope and the faith that society marches onward. Dreng's Ferry and Shiring of the late 990s-early 1000s is a noticeably crueler and unjust place where good guys and bad guys alike are at the whims of a merciless god. No one triumphs for long here, victories are rarely won by ingenuity or effort and it all just feels like ASOIAF or something
So while the setting and story have a fumbled execution, there are still things I liked about this book. I liked the characters (though eager builder-empowered girl-dutiful monk have basically become the Kingsbridge protagonist formula), and the politics and intrigue do get pretty exciting at times and Follett held my interest enough to make me finish an 817 page book. But the short version of this review is that I didn't get what I wanted from The Evening and the Morning. That doesn't mean you won't like it, a lot of people felt this way about A Column of Fire and that one's my favorite. You should read it if you're into this series, just be prepared to not be as enamored with this one as Pillars or World
The Kingsbridge series has, for me, been the story of how England evolved from the 12th century into more modern times, so I was a little disappointed when I learned that The Evening and the Morning was kicking it back to the Dark Ages. This clearly proved to be a challenge for Follett as well, since as he reminds us in the foreword and afterword, the period is called 'dark' because not much is known about the history of this era and even less about its culture. It shows, unfortunately. Of the four Kingsbridge books, this is the one that feels the least like it's grounded in a specific time in the tapestry of English cultural development. The only thing that sets it apart is the slavery, I guess
As for the story, the scope there is dialed way back from where it was before. Since Kingsbridge doesn't exist yet, we don't get a viewpoint into the tumultuous history of England. What we get instead is a political drama about the ealdormanry of Shiring, and how Dreng's Ferry (which will be Kingsbridge in a few years) factors into all the scheming and machinations of the family in charge. But you know, that could be interesting too, right?
Like in many giant sized novels these days, Follett structures this book in a very TV show inspired format. Three of the four 'parts' of this story feel like the seasons of the show, with the fourth and last filing in the role of a two hour series finale. The cast and locations stay the same, and the events and character development fuel the show from season to season, but there's always an A plot that drives the events of the season. Unfortunately, the A plots of seasons 1 and 2 are kinda boring, and ultimately they take up the lion's share of the book
Boring is never a word I'd use to describe Pillars of the Earth or World Without End or A Column of Fire. Say what you want about those books in a big picture sense, but I finished those books out of breath and full of emotion. The Evening and the Morning kinda just left me cold, though season 3 was a rollercoaster that paid off the stuff that was building up throughout the story and as a result felt more in the spirit of its predecessors
Another word I'd never use for those other books is 'cynical'. Follett really puts the dark in Dark Ages with this book. Kingsbridge's history is definitely full of violence and injustice, but it's also one of hope and the faith that society marches onward. Dreng's Ferry and Shiring of the late 990s-early 1000s is a noticeably crueler and unjust place where good guys and bad guys alike are at the whims of a merciless god. No one triumphs for long here, victories are rarely won by ingenuity or effort and it all just feels like ASOIAF or something
So while the setting and story have a fumbled execution, there are still things I liked about this book. I liked the characters (though eager builder-empowered girl-dutiful monk have basically become the Kingsbridge protagonist formula), and the politics and intrigue do get pretty exciting at times and Follett held my interest enough to make me finish an 817 page book. But the short version of this review is that I didn't get what I wanted from The Evening and the Morning. That doesn't mean you won't like it, a lot of people felt this way about A Column of Fire and that one's my favorite. You should read it if you're into this series, just be prepared to not be as enamored with this one as Pillars or World
English life ca. 1000 C.E., with all its ups, downs, promise, and treachery. A perfect book to get lost in.
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A good return!
Going back to Kingsbridge felt like returning to a familiar locale. This prequel did what a prequel is supposed to do. It set the stage for he events to come. I immediately felt invested in the lives of the characters and found their stories to be compelling. I love the vivid historical detail.
Going back to Kingsbridge felt like returning to a familiar locale. This prequel did what a prequel is supposed to do. It set the stage for he events to come. I immediately felt invested in the lives of the characters and found their stories to be compelling. I love the vivid historical detail.