Tuesday, June 29, 2010

World Without End


World Without End
by Follett, Ken

In 1989 Follett published what was to become one of his most popular novels, The Pillars of the Earth, a historical epic about the construction of an English cathedral, set in the twelfth century. Now, 18 years later and with several intervening best-sellers to his credit, Follett presents his eager fans with a sequel to Pillars. According to publicity material, he spent three years writing it, and it shows, because this an amazingly well-researched, intricately plotted, richly detailed novel that, while long in pages, never sprawls or flags. It is set in the same English cathedral town as Pillars, some two centuries later, and has as its primary characters the descendants of the major characters that appeared in the previous book. Follett's technique is to follow the lives of four individuals who have varying goals in life and, in the process, build a comprehensive tapestry of medieval English life an especially important background thread being the horrible natural disaster of that era, the black plague. - Booklist

A book which you will not be able to put down despite it's length. Follett's characters use conventional English language which does not take away from the feeling you are in the middle ages. Although a historical novel the focus is on common people so knowing history does not spoil the story.

TB

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