World Without End is written in the third person but isn't choppy like some third person books are. I loved that we get to see the characters grow up and mature. They all encounter hardships (war, death, disappointed hopes and dreams, the black plague) but never stop fighting and never give up hope.

I really enjoyed reading about the advances in medicine and what people believed to be cures (bloodletting, poultices made with dung, balancing the "humours" of the body). Physicians believed that diseases could be transmitted by looking at a sick person because the eyes have "feelers" that touch things in order to see them. Isn't that wild? When the black plague befalls the country, one of the nuns wants to wear a mask over her nose and mouth to prevent transmission of the disease and this is treated like heresy!

I also enjoyed reading about the politics of the church. There was definitely more corruption in World Without End than there was in The Pillars of the Earth. Of course, the fact that The Pillars of the Earth's main character was a humble and worthy prior may have something to do with that.

I am in awe of Follett's plot. He weaves the stories together in a way that they all make sense and seem cohesive.

The last thing I enjoyed reading about was the architecture. Now, the descriptions were hard to read, which they were but they were also really informative and practical to the story. I'm not a fan of architecture, but reading about how they had to build things back then was pretty fascinating to me.

When I finished the book, I was left with a feeling of hope. I think the ending is totally appropriate. It's not so perfect that it's unrealistic. I think that's the special thing about Follett's writing---he makes you feel what his characters are feeling.

Wow, I really love these Kingsbridge books. They're one of the best ways to immerse yourself into history, to see and really feel how times were back in the medieval days. I'm curious how accurately Ken Follett has captured the general psychology of those back then. Because their way of thinking certainly doesn't jive with ours, almost 700 years later. I can't even imagine living in a time when common sense is considered heresy. When it can be proven that mud and poop will infect a wound, rather than heal it, but still must be used as a poultice because that's how the ancient philosophers would have treated it. How women with decades of practical knowledge can outmaneuvered by some young kid simply because he's a male, and has been 'trained' by a university. How greedy and downright cruel men with power can actually be.

Ken Follett can write some evil. He did so with his first book in this series, Pillars of the Earth. But I think that World Without End is much darker.

This novel is Follett's follow up to The Pillars of the Earth which is one of my favorite novels and probably never had a chance of living up to my expectations. It follows the lives of four people beginning with a disturbing childhood encounter. Four very different people: two brothers, one brilliant, but not physically imposing and one one strong and ruthless; and two women, both resourceful, but one from a wealthy family and one for whom life was one struggle after the next. Seeing how each played out the hand that medieval life dealt them was the driving force for me.

It served to me as a poignant reminder that, especially in the Middle Age, the path of our lives can often be more impacted by sometimes arbitrary laws of Nature, God, and Man than by our own actions. We find that often justice turns a blind eye on our little corner of the world and all we can control is how we respond to the obstacles thrown in our path.

Perhaps this same theme is why I was so taken with the first book. And perhaps it's not a difference between the two books that I'm feeling, but a difference in myself over the eighteen years between readings. The idealistic 20 something who read Pillars and felt the unfairness of life in the Middle Ages has been replaced by a 40 something widower who reads of injustice and thinks, "Eh, sometimes life throws you a parade and sometimes it pisses in your corn flakes. That's just the way that it goes."

All that being said I found World Without End to be a pleasant journey - and at 1,000+ pages it is a journey, as I was reading it I jokingly referred to the book as "Novel Without End". I enjoyed being transported back to a different time and although I didn't care about the characters the way I did reading Pillars of the Earth, I'm glad for the time spent with them.

World Without End is a captivating epic saga that brings us back to Kingsbridge and immerses us in the brutal world of 14th-century Europe. The story spans decades, and I love how it feels like we witness the entire lives of these characters. This sweeping timeline makes the triumphs and heartbreaks hit even harder, as we become deeply invested in their journeys.

The characters are unforgettable, each leaving a lasting impression. Just like with The Pillars of the Earth, we’re given a diverse cast spanning the distance from good-natured, bold heroes like Caris to vile embodiments of evil depravity like Ralph. Follett’s ability to create such vivid and flawed characters—some to root for, others to despise—is one of the highlights of the book. Every character is expertly written to express both light and dark sides of human nature.

The plot is relentless, packed with tension, conflict, and deeply emotional moments. Every victory feels hard-won, and every setback cuts deeply. The historical backdrop—war, famine, plague, and the Church’s dominance—shapes and tests the characters at every turn. The struggles of the time are ever-present, and Follett doesn’t shy away from their harsh realities. Like The Pillars of the Earth, this book comes with a trigger warning for sexual violence, which is difficult to read but rooted in the grim truths of the era.

That said, the book is in many ways eerily similar to Pillars. The echoes are undeniable, from familiar character archetypes to overarching themes, and while I don’t mind, I can see how some readers might find it formulaic. Still, the richness of the storytelling and the unique challenges of the 14th century give it its own identity.

While it doesn’t surpass Pillars, it comes close. The decades-long journey, vivid historical backdrop, and unforgettable characters make this a story I’ll cherish and likely revisit one day. If you enjoy epic, character-driven fiction, especially epic fantasy and historical fiction, I highly recommend this one. Follett crafts another captivating tale that we won’t soon forget.

Kingsbridge
Book 1: The Pillars of the Earth 5/5
Book 2: World Without End 5/5

Here’s a book that completely copies the first book in the series. Here’s a book that follows the same sense of narrative progression, character development and resolution as it predecessor. It is one who's characters bear a striking resemblance to their ancestors in terms of individual personality and their place within the story; yet, for all the repetition, Follett churns out an equally as engrossing story as that of The Pillars of the Earth.

What have I to complain about? This is one of those rare occasions when more of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And the sense of familiarity also helped to solidify that this is actually the same location, Kingsbridge, just a few centuries later. Instead of focusing on building a new cathedral, after the dramatic burning down of the first one, the citizens are focusing on re-building the town bridge after the other was destroyed by a stampede of angry witch burners. And here’s one of the things Follett does better this time round: he explores more social issues regarding femininity with greater depth.

In Pillars of the Earth he looked at injustices such as women being paid less for the same work and having to stay married to violent husbands. In the fourteenth century here he looks at the fear and hysteria that surrounded women with knowledge. If a woman had an idea or if she was moderately successful, it was a logical assumption that she must be a witch. It’s unthinkable that she could have done such a thing based upon her own merits. And if this wasn’t bad enough, men were always seen as right even when they were so clearly wrong.

The response to the Black Death that sweeps across Kingsbridge shows this. The monks have some very backwards ideas to medicine such as applying dung poultices to wounds and then wondering why they become infected. The sisters of the priory recognise the folly of this and argue for a more modern approach to treatment. The practicalities of their ideas are ignored simply because they are women: they must be wrong or witches. The men in the book are either suffocating brutes or paragons of kindness and decency. There seems to be no middle ground. The women though, they have many chances to prove themselves and rise above restrictions of the church and society.

A strong romance against a backdrop of war and terror

“It was an odd relationship, but then she was an extraordinary woman: a prioress who doubted much of what the church taught; an acclaimed healer who rejected medicine as practised by physicians; and a nun who made enthusiastic love to her man whenever she could get away with it. If I wanted a normal relationship, Merthin told himself, I should have picked a normal girl.”



As well as enduring the Black Death, Kingsbridge finds herself at the centre point of a massive court intrigue. Decades ago Edward II was deposed by his own wife and her secret lover. Now his son (Edward III) has his armies marching towards Kingsbridge due to some very disturbing rumours about a wayward knight. Follett explores how such tumultuous actions affect the lives of the everyday people of the realm, of the builders and the nuns, who simply wish to live in happiness and peace.

Central to this story is a real human element of drama. Everybody is out for themselves and despite the fact that they have known poverty and hardship, when they are placed in a position of power they only help to cause more for those less fortunate. There’s a certain lack of empathy and self-involvement that only serves to destroy communities. The bridge though, and the building of it symbolises something much greater: it symbolises strength and human spirit. If the people can come together and re-build it, in the midst of death carnage and misery, then they can survive anything. Love, friendship and society will endure.

This book is over a thousand pages long, but for all that it is completely griping, entertaining and thoroughly dramatic. This is my favourite historical fiction series, I recommend it most highly.

"...epic, historic novel"??!
Good Lord, I must be reading a different book than everyone else.
This seems formulaic and forced. Characters are more like caricatures; and what's the deal with everyone fornicating all the time??! Not that there's anything wrong with fornicating per se, I just don't care for books that use it as a major plot device time after time after time.
I actually checked the cover to make sure it wasn't "Clan of the Cave Bear" 2.0...
I'm going to finish this book (I think) 'cause I'm feeling a little masochistic. I may have to make my own book cover though, with Fabio as the builder replete with heaving chest and flowing locks on the cover. ;P

Update:
I've finished. Unless you are on the beach and looking to read but not think, and feel that a book cover emblazoned with 'Harlequin' is benath you-I really can't recommend this book.

I think this is one of those rare occasions where the "sequel" turned out better than the original. (I use the term sequel loosely, there are a few references to the first book, but most of what happens is independent of that.) Pillars of the Earth was an amazing story, but I think at times it was a little bogged down with the descriptions of medieval masonry. World Without End certainly has architectural elements, but it was usually a couple quick sentences about how Merthin could build something new, but simplistic, that no one had ever seen before. As a result, this book was much more character/plot driven.

The same general theme of good vs. evil prevails. There are times when, maddeningly, it seems the only way to get ahead in life is to stomp on all the other people around you, but ultimately, Follett gives the reader the happy ending they were looking for. I was satisfied that many more of the characters received more poetic justice.  Ralph killed by his son, Godwyn killed by the very plague he ran to escape, Prior Anthony, though he was certainly not evil, killed by the bridge he didn't want to repair, and Caris's face engraved on an angel watching over the town.  This led to a more satisfying read overall, where I remember being frustrated by the way many of the other characters' story lines ended in Pillars of the Earth.

I think Follett did an excellent job of trying to portray how people would think and operate in a world that didn't understand how communicable disease was spread (in this case the plague). The muslims believed the disease was transmitted by light beams reflected from the eyes of a sick person. I'm not sure if this is a historically accurate viewpoint, but it was an interesting thought. As was seeing how modern medicine might have found it's beginnings in 14th century Europe. What if the plague had never come? How long might it have taken people to discover why sickness could spread and how? Would we still be bleeding people and speaking of humors?

My only real complaint is that there were a few mysteries that were never quite solved. Who was Philemon's secret lover? Was it a man or woman? What happened to old King Edward? And what was the deal with the damn cat! I know he's supposed to symbolize something, and that it could be interpreted differently according to each reader, but I'm curious to know what the author intended the cat to mean. Ultimately, these minor mysteries are of little to no consequence and have no real impact on the story. Overall an excellent book and a must read for anyone who enjoyed Pillars of the Earth.

While I still am a very BIG fan of Follett -this books dragged for me and I am puzzled why as it has a long list of interesting characters but was too long. The bad guy, Ralph took 1000 pages to meet his well deserved demise.
I might been unfavorably comparing this book to the prequel, Pillars of the Earth which I found very fascinating.

Still, overall a very good read with dialogue that makes you feel that you know the characters and can have empathy for them.

Iskreno rečeno nemam puno šta da kažem o ovoj knjizi a što nisam reko o prethodnoj. Jeste da imamo nove likove i nove dogadjaje plus period dešavanja je drugačiji ali sve ostalo je na istom nivou. Odlično pisanje sa puno detalja o vremenskom periodu gde dobijamo naznake o početku stogodišnjeg rata kao i efekat koji je kuga imala na svet. Brrrr.

Ostalo je standardno puno muke, zlobe, bola, nepravde sa povremenim bljeskovima dobrote i sreće.

Sve u svemu odlična knjiga ali samo za fanove prethodne. Kome se ona nije svidela zbog spore i repetativne radnje razvučene na previše strana pa njemu se neće ni ova svideti. Meni dobro dodje da bi rekao da mi je drago što ne živim u tom vremenu nego ovom našem :P

Another sweeping epic involving the village of Kingsbridge!

Can't wait for the third in this trilogy to arrive (out some time this year!). For anyone interested in starting this trilogy, I would say that you are not required to read The Pillars of the Earth before reading this. Although they centre around the fictional town of Kingsbridge, they take place centuries apart, and very little knowledge from Pillars is needed for World Without End.

I drew my own parallels while reading. Here's what I saw:

Fourteenth century life resembles twenty-first century life in many ways. Mainly, social hierarchy is structured in a similar manner. Usually men hold positions of power; poor people often remain poor and subservient to the ruling class, and the powerful often earn more wealth at the expense of the poor.

I couldn't help but view Ralph to be very similar to Donald Trump in terms of his personality, his intelligence (or lack-thereof), and his style of rule. Throughout the tale, Ralph holds decade-long grudges against old rivals (Wulfric, namely) and even goes out of his way to ensure laws are created simply to punish this one man, with complete disregard of how it effects the rest of the people in the land. Sound familiar? He lacks emotional intelligence and is often outwitted by the people around him (Caris - a woman, which makes it even better - comes to mind) which he is too proud to admit, and which he covers up with an aggressive and tantrum-like attitude. I sometimes felt the only things that set Ralph and Trump apart were a few hundred years and a Twitter account. Of course, Follett wrote this novel well before Trump, but that's why good storytelling is so powerful - if done well, it has relevance for generations.

One thing I found interesting was the eventual rise and success of Caris. Initially, it seems as though nothing good can come of her life. Then, because of her own hard work, natural intelligence, and good nature, she rises to the top and becomes Prioress of Kingsbridge. However, even then, there are some powers that she is not allowed to wield simply because she is a woman. She holds a seat of power, but is still looked down upon by some (men, mostly) and it is always more challenging for her to hold the clout that is rightfully hers. I think this is interesting because it bears resemblance to life today. Woman often need to work twice as hard to reach a male-dominated position of power, and when they do, are often underappreciated.

George R.R. Martin is notorious for killing his characters, but Ken Follett also deserves such notoriety. In this novel, it was common for the first page of a chapter to announce the deaths of characters who were substantial at some point in the plot.

Something also of note, which also occurred in The Pillars of the Earth, is that Follett tends to leave some characters entirely forgotten. Certain men or women that appear early on and play significant roles end up disappearing for either a long period and show up later briefly alive or dead, or they are never spoken about again. I'm not sure why this is...perhaps Follett himself creates stories so long he forgets to bring them back into the story later on for continuity's sake?

One thing to gripe about: Ken Follett has a fascination with calling a man's penis his 'prick.' It's so annoying to me for some reason. It's a penis. A dick. A c*ck. Even a member. It should never be a 'prick,' in my mind. I feel that the word 'prick' is used often as a derivative to not sound so repetitive. But it should be omitted no less, it's just a terribly used synonym. Also the romantic scenes are sub par.

I would rate this somewhere between 4 and 5 stars (Goodreads, give us more star rating options!). On the whole, an immersive experience and enjoyable read.

4.5!

One of the best and sweetest endings I’ve ever read. Wow!!

My only comment is that the World couldn't end soon enough for me.