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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Meh, it was okay. I really enjoyed the Pillars of the Earth series years ago, but maybe I’ve outgrown them. The story was good but predictable. The characters are one dimensional and simple. Good people are good and bad people are bad. I enjoyed reading this but found myself rolling my eyes more than once. Also found the descriptions of women so misogynistic.
When I first started this book I couldn't put it down. It was an intense story. I liked the noble characters and watching them develop and respond to problems. I also liked how emotional I go while reading this book, I felt a little bit like a kid. My heart was pounding during certain sections.
I was not a fan of the last 20o pages. I thought the villains got very evil and the heroes seemed to allow it with no fight as if the only hope was to wait it out. I liked the ending, but it left me wanting more. I wanted to see how these characters grew in their ending circumstances, but I guess that is a mark of a book, wanting more.
I marked off a star because I thought there was too many vulgar parts of the book. They seemed unnecessary and grouped together in clusters throughout the book.
I was not a fan of the last 20o pages. I thought the villains got very evil and the heroes seemed to allow it with no fight as if the only hope was to wait it out. I liked the ending, but it left me wanting more. I wanted to see how these characters grew in their ending circumstances, but I guess that is a mark of a book, wanting more.
I marked off a star because I thought there was too many vulgar parts of the book. They seemed unnecessary and grouped together in clusters throughout the book.
The year is 997 and England is in a dire situation. Fears of invasions from the Welsh and the Vikings leave the Anglo- Saxon residents rattled while those in power take advantage of their citizens. Chaos reigns supreme as those who rule the towns are in constant power struggles between themselves and their king, Ethelred the Unready, with the average villagers caught in the middle, like the villagers of Dreng’s Ferry. It is in this small village where three characters find their lives intertwined with the political and social drama. A young boatbuilder named Edgar endures heartache and sorrow when the Vikings attack his home. A Norman noblewoman named Ragna follows her heart to marry the man she loves and travels to a faraway land but soon finds out how difficult that love can be. Finally, a monk named Aldred works hard for the people while dreaming of transforming his meek abbey into a lively center of learning. Their tales are masterfully woven together in the much-anticipated prequel to the Kingsbridge series by Ken Follett. This is “The Evening and the Morning”.
When I heard that Ken Follett was writing a prequel to his Kingsbridge series, I was ecstatic. I read the Kingsbridge series a few years ago for the first time and I fell in love with the town of Kingsbridge. I wanted to know more about the origins of this town and I wanted another engrossing tale of strength and struggle, which Follett delivers in this brilliant novel.
Follett introduces his audience to his colorful cast of characters with a Viking raid in the small village of Combe, the home of Edgar the boatbuilder. He lost everything that he cared about in one night, so he and his remaining family must pick themselves up and rebuild their lives in the town of Dreng’s Ferry. Edgar shows grit and determination as he realizes what is truly important in his life. Ragna is a vivacious Norman noblewoman who fell head over heels in love when she met a charming Englishman named Wilwulf. She decides to leave everything that she knows behind to marry a man she believes she knows very well. However, she soon realizes that Wilwulf and his family are not who she imagined. Ragna fights with vigor for what she believes is right for her immediate family and the people she has sworn to protect from her husband’s family. Her tenacity and courage to weather the storms that life throws her way are truly admirable. Finally, there is the academic monk Aldred who wants to pursue knowledge to better humanity. He believes that Dreng’s Ferry can become greater than what the people believe is possible, which often puts him on a political collision course with Wilwulf’s power-hungry family.
The stories of these three dynamic protagonists are interwoven to create a sensational prequel to the fabulous Kingsbridge series. This novel is riveting with the gorgeous storytelling that readers have come to expect from Ken Follett. What I love is that Follett’s focus is not on the royal family, King Ethelred and Queen Emma, but the people who built England from the ground up. It is the nobles and the village people that had to endure every decision and mistake that the crown made. They were the ones who suffered when raiders like the Vikings pillaged towns and killed their loved ones. They were the ones who had to fight back time after time to make sure that their families survived. To focus on three people from three different walks of life gives the audience a complete picture of the fictitious town of Dreng’s Ferry.
I applaud Follett for going back and giving his fans the prequel to the Kingsbridge series that they craved. To see how the town of Dreng’s Ferry became King’s Bridge was a delight. I had to slow down my reading pace to make sure I was fully immersed in the tale that Follett wrote. I loved every minute of reading this prequel and now I want to reread the Kingsbridge series. If you are a fan of Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series or if you want to jump into a series that is a fabulous historical escape, “The Evening and the Morning” is a must-read. A sensational prequel to one of my all-time favorite historical fiction series.
When I heard that Ken Follett was writing a prequel to his Kingsbridge series, I was ecstatic. I read the Kingsbridge series a few years ago for the first time and I fell in love with the town of Kingsbridge. I wanted to know more about the origins of this town and I wanted another engrossing tale of strength and struggle, which Follett delivers in this brilliant novel.
Follett introduces his audience to his colorful cast of characters with a Viking raid in the small village of Combe, the home of Edgar the boatbuilder. He lost everything that he cared about in one night, so he and his remaining family must pick themselves up and rebuild their lives in the town of Dreng’s Ferry. Edgar shows grit and determination as he realizes what is truly important in his life. Ragna is a vivacious Norman noblewoman who fell head over heels in love when she met a charming Englishman named Wilwulf. She decides to leave everything that she knows behind to marry a man she believes she knows very well. However, she soon realizes that Wilwulf and his family are not who she imagined. Ragna fights with vigor for what she believes is right for her immediate family and the people she has sworn to protect from her husband’s family. Her tenacity and courage to weather the storms that life throws her way are truly admirable. Finally, there is the academic monk Aldred who wants to pursue knowledge to better humanity. He believes that Dreng’s Ferry can become greater than what the people believe is possible, which often puts him on a political collision course with Wilwulf’s power-hungry family.
The stories of these three dynamic protagonists are interwoven to create a sensational prequel to the fabulous Kingsbridge series. This novel is riveting with the gorgeous storytelling that readers have come to expect from Ken Follett. What I love is that Follett’s focus is not on the royal family, King Ethelred and Queen Emma, but the people who built England from the ground up. It is the nobles and the village people that had to endure every decision and mistake that the crown made. They were the ones who suffered when raiders like the Vikings pillaged towns and killed their loved ones. They were the ones who had to fight back time after time to make sure that their families survived. To focus on three people from three different walks of life gives the audience a complete picture of the fictitious town of Dreng’s Ferry.
I applaud Follett for going back and giving his fans the prequel to the Kingsbridge series that they craved. To see how the town of Dreng’s Ferry became King’s Bridge was a delight. I had to slow down my reading pace to make sure I was fully immersed in the tale that Follett wrote. I loved every minute of reading this prequel and now I want to reread the Kingsbridge series. If you are a fan of Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series or if you want to jump into a series that is a fabulous historical escape, “The Evening and the Morning” is a must-read. A sensational prequel to one of my all-time favorite historical fiction series.
Ok, so the rating might not reflect how quickly I read this mammoth book.
Here’s the thing, it’s just too long. The story was soooooo slooooooowwww at times it was infuriating. I know it’s a prequel to the Kingsbridge trilogy (and The Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time favourites) but there was need for an editor, so badly. The span of just 10 years doesn’t need pages and pages of riding about the countryside.
Also, it’s brutal. Now I know the Dark Ages probably were, but when I’m wanting to curl up in front of the fire and just read on a dark day, I don’t want the endless rape, violence and cruelty. The treatment of women is especially unkind, the treatment of children even more so (Blod’s baby and Mairead made me sob).
Finally, the characters are just caricatures. The good are completely good, the evil are utterly evil. There are masses of small roles that all blend into the background. So it ends up feeling very shallow. The author can’t write a sex scene from the women’s viewpoint for toffee.
All that said, I didn’t hate it. I just wouldn’t bother again. It’s a poor relation to the fabulous TPOTE and I won’t be lending it to my mum either.
I have the most recent Follett book at home and will be interested to see how he writes other genres, I’ve only read the Kingsbridge books.
So really it’s a 3.5 but I’m ok with rounding it down.
Here’s the thing, it’s just too long. The story was soooooo slooooooowwww at times it was infuriating. I know it’s a prequel to the Kingsbridge trilogy (and The Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time favourites) but there was need for an editor, so badly. The span of just 10 years doesn’t need pages and pages of riding about the countryside.
Also, it’s brutal. Now I know the Dark Ages probably were, but when I’m wanting to curl up in front of the fire and just read on a dark day, I don’t want the endless rape, violence and cruelty. The treatment of women is especially unkind, the treatment of children even more so (Blod’s baby and Mairead made me sob).
Finally, the characters are just caricatures. The good are completely good, the evil are utterly evil. There are masses of small roles that all blend into the background. So it ends up feeling very shallow. The author can’t write a sex scene from the women’s viewpoint for toffee.
All that said, I didn’t hate it. I just wouldn’t bother again. It’s a poor relation to the fabulous TPOTE and I won’t be lending it to my mum either.
I have the most recent Follett book at home and will be interested to see how he writes other genres, I’ve only read the Kingsbridge books.
So really it’s a 3.5 but I’m ok with rounding it down.
Contains spoilers. I truly love this series, and Ken Follett as a writer in general. I wish we had seen more of a build up between Ragna and Edgar; it seemed a little forced (though it's clear why these two characters would fall in love). Some of it towards the end was a bit lazy (we missed out on Edgar's Viking experience in Dublin!) but ultimately, poetic justice for the bad guys, and it all wrapped up nicely.
took a while to get into the story, but once it developed some the book became a great read
adventurous
tense
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another great start to my reading year with another great Ken Follett historical epic. As always, his writing is immerserve and detailed. I was transported to the dark ages and invested in the tumultuous lives of our vast cast of characters. Follett really has a way of making you despise his villains and rooting for his heroes.
Unfortunately though, at this point I've read the following three Kingsbridge novels and they begin to feel formulaic. I doubt any of them will ever reach the heights of Pillars of The Earth (and maybe that was because it was the first one). I didn't connect with the characters as much in this one, and the plot was aimless at times. But i enjoyed the nitty gritty of everyday medieval life and the politics. This remains a great read, especially for the beach where this 900 page tome only took me 3 days to consume instead of 3 weeks!
Looking forward to reading Armour of Light next summer. 😅
Unfortunately though, at this point I've read the following three Kingsbridge novels and they begin to feel formulaic. I doubt any of them will ever reach the heights of Pillars of The Earth (and maybe that was because it was the first one). I didn't connect with the characters as much in this one, and the plot was aimless at times. But i enjoyed the nitty gritty of everyday medieval life and the politics. This remains a great read, especially for the beach where this 900 page tome only took me 3 days to consume instead of 3 weeks!
Looking forward to reading Armour of Light next summer. 😅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder