Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Follett does it again!
The intertwining tales of the fortunes of a monk, a young man, a power hungry family, and a strong woman was the perfect first book for 2021. Follett always leaves me spell-bound and eager to see how the fates of his characters influence the others over time. Great story!
The intertwining tales of the fortunes of a monk, a young man, a power hungry family, and a strong woman was the perfect first book for 2021. Follett always leaves me spell-bound and eager to see how the fates of his characters influence the others over time. Great story!
A ver, el libro se disfruta porque Ken Follet escribe muy bien y a mí me gustan este tipo de historias, pero es verdad que es la tercera vez que nos cuenta el mismo libro, con los mismos personajes y las mismas tramas. Aún así, no puedo ponerle menos de 4 estrellas porque yo he disfrutado la lectura y porque considero que está muy bien escrito.
Read Pillars of the Earth and World Without End and then stop with Kingsbridge. This novel is almost exactly the same as it’s predecessors - trials and tribulations galore - and then suddenly all wraps up happily. The characters are annoying in their simplicity and the story drags. Unlike Pillars, which had so much character and world development, it’s like Follett got lazy and just hammered something out to please his publishers. Very disappointed in this one.
not as good as pillars, but still so good and so nostalgic
Inspiring underdog story of resilience. About 2/3 of the way through, I didn't want to keep reading it because it was getting oppressively depressing, but like all Ken Follett books, it kept me hooked and I enjoyed it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
I love this series, it feels so big and yet crams so much detail onto the page. The characters were all life-like and had hard decisions to face. As a prequel it delivered, revealing the origins of various places and things we see in The Pillars of the Earth. It did feel a little similar in terms of the character archetypes, but it was still a great read and a page turner.
It's been 30 years since the Pillars of the Earth was published, and we finally have a prequel! Of all the books in the Kingsbridge series, this one has the most similar appeal factors with the original book. The book starts in the late 900's, when England is regularly raided by Vikings. The ownership of slaves is common, and priests are allowed by the church to be married. All of the familiar and comforting types of characters and story lines from the other Kingsbridge novels are here, with Follett's usual attention to historical detail. Fans of Pillars will not be disappointed.
This prequel to one of my family's favorites paled in comparison to the original.
Now that that's established, I'll try to review this as more of a standalone book because otherwise my disappointment will just be greater.
Here is a summary of what happens in this book: Three characters can do no wrong and, in fact, do a world of right. Another character is blatantly evil (and knows it himself) and does a lot of wrong to thwart the innovation and progressiveness that the other three characters attempt. Everyone else files along behind these patterns without much blurring between good and evil. All in all, that means no one establishes themselves as a three dimensional character.
I am being slightly generous in giving this three stars instead of two, and that's because I think the writing was decent and I did like having a view like this into the end of the Dark Ages.
But...for 900+ pages, I would have expected something more than same plot reshaped over and over again.
Now that that's established, I'll try to review this as more of a standalone book because otherwise my disappointment will just be greater.
Here is a summary of what happens in this book: Three characters can do no wrong and, in fact, do a world of right. Another character is blatantly evil (and knows it himself) and does a lot of wrong to thwart the innovation and progressiveness that the other three characters attempt. Everyone else files along behind these patterns without much blurring between good and evil. All in all, that means no one establishes themselves as a three dimensional character.
I am being slightly generous in giving this three stars instead of two, and that's because I think the writing was decent and I did like having a view like this into the end of the Dark Ages.
But...for 900+ pages, I would have expected something more than same plot reshaped over and over again.