Well, Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite books and I was looking forward to completely enjoying this without reservation. But way back when it first came out, I stumbled onto an online discussion that cited a passage with anachronistic vocabulary, which bothered me. It was very anachronistic. So it was a single passage, but it added some reservation to my anticipated complete enjoyment. And then I got to page 15, and there's this conversation that no two people would ever have under any circumstances that served only for the author to show off some detail about the time period. That doesn't bode well, at least not on top of sloppy word choice. Finally, there's a character in this book that might as well be a character from Pillars, which makes me worry that other character types will be recycled. PLUS there's a major plot point hinged on the kind of intrigue that drove the motivations of some characters in Pillars--derivative! derivative! So I have four things in my conscience mind to have to suppress as I am reading. Fortunately, I have been able to do so, at least through the first part of the book.

I am sad that people who are sort of shabby and bumbling are the descendants of people who were just fantastic in Pillars, but I accept that family fortunes rise and fall. I think it will color my feelings about those Pillars characters next time I read the book, but not necessarily my feelings about the book.

UPDATE APRIL 5:
Uh-oh. I had really hoped the Great Mumbo Jumbo Kerfuffle of Aught-Seven was an anomaly, but I just encountered the word "sexy" in a character's thoughts and I'm not even at page 100 yet. Is two a pattern?

UPDATE April 12:
The book tanks. It becomes extraordinarily boring around the plague and then it just doesn't pick up again. The second half of the book is like a checklist of all the social changes that the plague triggers. The characters turn into mirror images of the characters in Pillars, and some of them in that book were a little silly. The final scene between Gwenda and Annet is just goofy; there is a rebellious teenage girl running around with a bad crowd; I skimmed the last 200 pages while fooling around in a chat room.

I will forget I have read this book. I was sad for a while to see what became of Jack and Aliena's descendants, but it doesn't matter. The book is inconsequential.

Also lesbian nun sex.

n  “The hospital was full again. The plague, which had seemed to retreat during the first three months of 1349, came back in April with redoubled virulence. On the day after Easter Sunday, Caris looked wearily at the rows of mattresses crammed together in a herringbone pattern, packed so tightly that the masked nuns had to step gingerly between them. Moving around was a little easier, however, because there were so few family members at the bedsides of the sick. Sitting with a dying relative was dangerous–you were likely to catch the plague yourself–and people had become ruthless. When the epidemic began, they had stayed with their loved ones regardless, mothers with children, husbands with wives, the middle-aged with their elderly parents, love overcoming fear. But that had changed. The most powerful of family ties had been viciously corroded by the acid of death. Nowadays the typical patient was brought in by a mother or father, a husband or wife, who then simply walked away, ignoring the piteous cries that followed them out. Only the nuns, with their face masks and their vinegar-washed hands, defied the disease.” n

Kingsbridge #2: World Without End by Ken Follett. What a book, what a ride. While this is the second book in the series, it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. The connections to the first book, which took place 200 years prior, have to do with the town itself. Yes, our main characters here are largely descendants of the characters of the first book, but that’s about it.

World Without End takes place in 14th Century England. An unfortunate time to be alive no doubt. Europe was ravaged by war and pestilence, and Follett covers it all spectacularly. We start out in a similar way as the first book; a group of kids (who will become the main characters that we follow throughout their whole lives) witness a knight kill two men who are chasing him. He then buried an earth shattering secret in the Earth, swears the kids to secrecy and enters the priory to become a monk where he will be safe. The kids keep their end of the bargain, and we begin to follow them individually as they grow. Like Book I, Follett plants the seeds of a central mystery in the first chapter, and if you want answers you must read on. We have a knight, a builder, a peasant laborer and a woman who wishes to become a physician. The different directions all of these characters take allows Follett to show us all different aspects of life in the 14th century, and all of their lives are forever tied together. From here, we watch our characters interact with some of the biggest and most terrifying events of world history. The Hundred Years War has begun, the Black Death comes, and the world is changed forever.

The characters in this book are wonderfully done. We have good, bad, and characters who aren’t so cut and dry. There are characters I was rooting for throughout the whole novel, as well as a few that were absolutely awful; some who will make your skin crawl. Hate is a strong word, and a strong feeling, but there are some characters in this book that you will hate. Follett does this so well; your heart breaks for the characters you love as they get knocked down by these truly awful villains, but they never stay down long. The ups and downs throughout the novel really tap into our emotions. We are right there with these characters as they are forced to make all kinds of decisions that will impact the people closest to them, and as they struggle with the questions of morality that we have all faced in one way or another throughout our own lives.

n  ”My father hated people who preached about morality. We are all good when it suits us, she used to say: that doesn’t count. It’s when you want so badly to do something wrong—when you’re about to make a fortune from a dishonest deal, or kiss the lovely lips of your neighbors wife, or tell a lie to get yourself out of terrible trouble—that’s when you need the rules. ‘Your integrity is like a sword,’ he would say. ‘You shouldn’t wave it until you’re about to put it to the test.’”n

Follett’s writing, as I’ve said before, is simple yet undeniably effective. The readability of his novels is among the highest I’ve encountered. It picks you up and carries you through the story with zero distractions. You won’t stop to reread a paragraph to ogle the flowery prose, and that’s okay. This writing is a certain kind of simple that is remarkably difficult to replicate, and I would argue it’s even rather rare to be able to write in a way where you almost forget you’re reading. It is pure storytelling, and Follett is as good as anyone I’ve read at telling a truly engaging story and keeping you turning the pages. This book is anywhere between 1000 and 1200 pages (depending on your copy) and it never gets boring. It is never a slog. And nothing is wasted. This shows me how skilled this man is.

I’ve tried to stay away from too many specifics in my review; the book needs to be read and experienced, and “the less you know, the better” certainly applies here. However, I need to mention how Follett handles one of the major events of the book—The Black Death. I’m writing this in 2021, nearly 15 years after this book was written, and there are aspects of this book that are shockingly relevant. I’m not just talking about pandemic disease; this is something that has been written about a lot by a variety of authors across genres. Follett decides to make medical “science” of the time a major focus, and it brings up questions of where diseases come from, how they spread, and how they’re best treated. Monks were the main “doctors” of the time, as they could read Latin and were trained in the teachings of the Romans - physicians like Galen, who wrote about balancing the humours to treat disease. If you know anything about this, you know how terrifyingly ineffective it is, as the basic idea they based their entire treatment regimens on was just plain wrong.

This is the school of bleeding a sick patient, placing rotten meat over wounds to “encourage the body to bring forth pus”, and of course, the fundamental medieval belief that disease was ultimately a punishment from God. That is not to say however, that there were not people at the time who were doing remarkable things to further medical care; there certainly were, and Follett gives us a front seat view of this. Yes, the idea of masking to slow the spread of disease is covered (a debate that we know all-too-well in 2021), as well as separating the infectious from the injured, keeping clean hands and cleaning wounds, the idea that disease is spread through the air, and much much more. The battle between the more progressive medical workers of the time and their struggle against and rejection of the old ways and the humour theory of disease is an aspect of this novel that I found absolutely fascinating. And I think you will too. Yes, you.

The freakshow-esque and hysterical nature that began to overtake once normal people and even whole towns as the Black Death went on and on, and continues to get worse and worse is covered as well. Humans react to this large-scale death in all kinds of ways. This was just as true in the 14th century as any other time; some people gave into their most carnal desires and had parties and orgies. Some lost their minds with fear. Some became fanatically religious, and took to the streets, marching across England in large groups whipping themselves, recreating the Passion of Christ on their own bodies, carrying crosses and scourging their backs with sharp whips (the flagellants), and some tried to hold the fabric of their fast-collapsing societies together. It’s all here.

Ok, it’s time for me to stick a cork in it. There are so many more things to say; I have barely even begun to scratch the surface on why this book is such a colossal achievement. The same is true for Pillars of the Earth, and I consider these books equals. Follett once again combines small, dramatic human stories with big picture events, and shows us how we all fit into the history of human civilization, then and now. Do yourself a favor, and read the Kingsbridge series.

5/5

La storia del priorato di Kingsbridge e di alcuni dei suoi abitanti due secoli dopo gli eventi narrati ne I pilastri della terra a partire dal 1° novembre del 1327 per arrivare al 1361, seguendo le vicende di quattro ragazzini attraverso le varie fasi della vita e la Storia con la S maiuscola. Sono infatti gli anni in cui in tutta Europa imperversa la peste, e una di quei quattro ragazzini, Caris, vorrebbe diventare medico, anche se si dovrà scontrare con un mondo in cui la medicina è esercitata solo dagli uomini, in particolar modo da frati ignoranti e contrari a ogni innovazione e, soprattutto, pronti a tacciare di stregoneria chiunque non la pensi come loro e cerchi rimedi alternativi alla preghiera o ai salassi per curare le malattie.
Merthin, come Jack il costruttore - di cui è discendente, a quanto pare - viene mandato dal padre - un barone impoverito che è costretto a diventare converso del priorato - a fare da apprendista al mastro costruttore Elfric. Merthin ha grandi ambizioni e, soprattutto, una mente da grande architetto, al contrario di Elfric, con cui si scontrerà per vari motivi.
Suo fratello minore Ralph, invece, viene mandato a fare da scudiero al Conte Roland.
Gwenda è la figlia di un uomo che vive di espedienti e che ha insegnato ai figli fin da piccoli a borseggiare i ricchi mercanti di Kingsbridge. Gwenda è stanca di vivere così e vorrebbe lavorare onestamente.
I quattro ragazzi si trovano ad assistere a un evento nella foresta che segnerà le loro vite: l'amicizia tra Caris e Gwenda, l'amore tra Caris e Merthin e una vita di violenza per Ralph, che riuscirà a sfuggire più volte alla forca per pura fortuna, e che continuerà l'ascesa nella nobiltà fino a diventare conte malgrado tutto, come William Hmleigh ne I pilastri della terra.
In effetti, ci sono molte somiglianze tra i personaggi del primo romanzo della serie e questo, come se la storia facesse il suo corso e poi ricominciasse daccapo.

Un avvincente romanzo storico ambientato nel XIV secolo nella città immaginaria di Kingsbridge. Il libro segue le vite intrecciate di quattro personaggi principali: Merthin, un talentuoso costruttore; Caris, una donna determinata che sogna di diventare medico; Gwenda, una contadina che lotta per sopravvivere; e Ralph, un nobile ambizioso e spietato. La trama si dipana attraverso decenni di eventi drammatici, tra cui la devastazione della peste nera, la Guerra dei Cent'anni, oltre che conflitti sociali e religiosi, e ovviamente intrighi politici. Attraverso le loro storie, Follett esplora svariati temi come l'amore, la lotta per il potere, la resilienza umana e il progresso scientifico.

Rispetto a "I pilastri della Terra", "Mondo senza fine" si distingue per la sua ambientazione successiva di circa due secoli e per l'evoluzione delle tematiche trattate. Mentre "I pilastri della Terra" ruotava intorno alla costruzione della cattedrale di Kingsbridge nel XII secolo e sull'architettura gotica, "Mondo senza fine" espande il focus alle sfide sociali e mediche del Medioevo, in particolare la risposta alla peste nera, oltre che trattare il completamento della famosa cattedrale iniziata nel primo volume e la costruzione di un ponte, fondamentale per i fiorenti commerci della città di Kingsbridge. Entrambi i libri sono profondamente radicati nel contesto storico e mostrano l'abilità di Follett nel creare personaggi complessi e realistici che devono navigare un mondo in costante cambiamento.

Personalmente, ho trovato "Mondo senza fine" leggermente meno avvincente de "I pilastri della terra", ma comunque molto piacevole. Nonostante la lunghezza di oltre 1300 pagine, questo romanzo mantiene l'intensità narrativa e l'attenzione ai dettagli del suo predecessore. La forza dei personaggi e la loro capacità di adattarsi e innovare in un'epoca di grande incertezza e trasformazione sono particolarmente affascinanti. Tra tutti risalta indubbiamente il personaggio di Caris, Caris è la figlia di Edmund Wooler, un mercante di lana, e cresce con una mente curiosa e un forte desiderio di conoscenza. Sin da giovane mostra interesse per la medicina, una disciplina dominata dagli uomini e spesso associata a pratiche superstiziose. Questo interesse la porta a scontrarsi frequentemente con le autorità religiose e sociali, poiché la sua visione progressista e il suo desiderio di migliorare le condizioni di vita della comunità sono visti come minacce all'ordine costituito. Estremamente determinata, nonostante le numerose difficoltà, tra cui la peste nera, le accuse di stregoneria e le rivalità politiche, Caris continua a perseguire i suoi sogni. La sua relazione con Merthin, il brillante costruttore, è centrale nella sua vita, ma Caris lotta costantemente tra il suo amore per lui e il desiderio di indipendenza e realizzazione personale.

Ancora una volta Follett si dimostra un grande scrittore nella sua capacità di creare antagonisti a dir poco perfetti: Godwyn, Philemon e Ralph sono così malvagi e odiosi da suscitare nel lettore forti sensazioni di disprezzo oltre che una violenta sete di giustizia.

The second in the seemingly endless series of historical novels about the fictional hamlet of Kingsbridge is, like the first book, just an excuse to explore the life and times of rural England at a given time in the past. This time around, we're immersed in the 14th Century so we have a front row seat to the Hundred Years' War (including the Battle of Crecy) and the Black Plague, which is a bit unsettling as we find ourselves currently immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the characters are distant relatives of the characters in the first book in the series - The Pillars of the Earth - and some of the events of that book are referenced in this book, however it is not necessary to read that book before reading this one. Like the first book, the plot and characters are still somewhat flimsy but they are a bit more fleshed out this time around, and some of their mannerisms and actions are probably more suited to our time period and not their own, but it's all good fun if you don't take it too seriously.

Another absolute epic from Ken Follett and a stunning second book in the Kingsbridge series. Whilst the formula feels fairly similar to that of The Pillars of The Earth, it works brilliantly. An easy 5 stars.

Ενα ακόμα "βιβλίο-τούβλο" το οποίο παρά τον όγκο του διαβάζεται απολαυστικά για τις ελεύθερες ώρες. Δίπλα στα κορυφαία βιβλία που κοσμούν τη βιβλιοθήκη μου, συνυπάρχουν και τα βιβλία του Κεν Φόλετ. (Τα έχω σχεδόν όλα..). Γιατί κι αυτά με το τρόπο τους είναι μια αναγνωστική απόλαυση.....

5 EPIC STARS
I didn't believe I would like this book as much as the first one, The Pillars of the Earth. But Mr Follett has created the most vivid characters that I laughed with, cried for and rejoiced in. Another amazing book!

"L'essere umano è fallibile, quindi è meglio non basarsi sul ragionamento. Non si può sperare di comprendere il mondo: l'unica cosa da fare è contemplare ammirati la creazione di Dio. La vera conoscenza deriva solo dalla rivelazione. Non dovremmo mettere in discussione la saggezza ricevuta".
Nonostante sia un mattone di 1.400 pagine, il libro è scorrevolissimo e si legge tutto d'un fiato (o quasi). Da sempre sono un amante del periodo medievale, quindi (è facile intuirlo) ho trovato tutto ciò che volevo sia in "I pilastri della terra" che in "Mondo senza fine"… due libri che sono uno il seguito dell'altro: "Mondo senza fine", infatti, segue di due secoli le avventure e la storia degli abitanti di Kingsbridge già magistralmente raccontati in "I pilastri della terra".
Inutile fare una recensione vera e propria (tanto i libri di Ken Follett sono tutti dei successi), di seguito mi limito soltanto a descrivervi le mie impressioni.
Ho trovato bellissimo e spettacolare il modo in cui l'autore descrive il periodo storico di questo libro (l'Inghilterra tra il 1327 ed il 1361)… periodo impregnato di superstizione mascherata da religiosità estrema; ma anche periodo di complotti, intrighi (e in questo libro ne troverete uno quasi in ogni pagina) e tradimenti a non finire.
Fantastici tutti i personaggi: sia i principali (Gwenda, Caris, Ralph e Merthin il mio preferito) che i secondari, tutti splendidamente caratterizzati durante la loro crescita.
Unica nota dolente, se così si può definire, è il finale abbastanza veloce e prevedibile… visto che si tratta di un libro di 1.400 pagine, qualcuna in più ci poteva anche stare. Ma va bene comunque così, il voto pieno non si discute.
[https://lastanzadiantonio.blogspot.co...]

I read and loved the first Kiingsbridge novel Pillars of Earth. This novel takes place in the same town 200 years later. Follet has created another true masterpiece here. Over 1000 pages long and yet I still did not want it to end. I find his writing to be exquisite, his characterizations to be complex and real, and his story pacing to be non-stop. His novels will appeal to fantasy fans, history fans, and all fans of great fiction. I truly loved this novel and highly recommend it.

"Las mujeres nos hallamos a merced de los hombres, que son nuestros amos y señores, quienes tienen el deber de decidir sabiamente nuestra suerte, por lo que sólo nos queda rogar para que la voz de nuestro corazón no sea del todo ignorada. Un tipo de petición que suele ser escuchada."


Casi dos décadas después de la publicación de Los pilares de la tierra I, Ken Follett nos lleva nuevamente a la ciudad medieval de Kingsbridge, 153 años después. La vida de cuatro personajes en medio de años de guerra y de la peste, constituye el eje de esta magnífica historia de amor y odio, de ambición y venganza. Siendo tan adictivo y entretenido como el anterior.

He disfrutado de cada una de sus 1000 páginas, es un libro que hay que leer de a poco, para ir desentrañando la trama, los misterios y las intrigas. Me ha gustado ver lo bien que se entrelazaban las historias de los personajes, como en su antecesor también están muy bien desarrollados. La capacidad narrativa para tejer historias de Ken Follett, sin aburrir al lector, es extraordinaria.

En esta segunda parte, el autor nos ofrece un retrato más humano donde demuestra el lado temeroso de los personajes por desear sobrevivir y luchar contra viento y marea de la enfermedad que asoló a gran parte de la población europea: la peste negra o "la moria grande".

Está garantizado enamorarse de esta historia. Es una joya absoluta que reluce en donde a la vez nos muestra lo feroz que puede llegar a ser la ambición humana.


100% recomendado

"La integridad personal es como una espada: no debería blandirse hasta el momento de ponerla a prueba."

In so many ways, this book is incredibly similar to the first book. From the characters to the plot to the way the story unfolds to the resolutions of certain storylines. What that means is that my praises for Pillars of the Earth are largely going the be the same here, and my criticisms of Pillars of the Earth are virtually the same here.

I'll give Pillars of the Earth an edge, because in a few ways it does some things better, but these books are neck and neck in my opinion.

First, Pillars of the Earth has a stronger cast in my opinion, and as such some of the cast here feels like retreads. Ralph feels very similar to William (both are excellent villains though), Merthin is a lot like Tom Builder, and Caris in some ways reminds me of Aliena. I assume that over time, the Pillars cast will stick with me more, but the cast here is certainly memorable.

What this book has in its favor is its terrific solutions to problems. There were so many times where I thought "How on earth is Follett going to get them out of this situation", and some of the time I was dead on right, and some of the times I was pleasantly surprised.

The biggest boon for Follett is that his books are incredibly readable and enrapturing. Much like with book 1, I devoured this in only 3 days. It takes a lot for me to read a 1000 page book, and the fact that this resonated with me so much proves that Follett knows how to write an exciting and readable book.

The middle portion of this book was by far the best part, but in order to explain why I need to get out my biggest complaint about this book (and Follett in general).

Follett has this really wierd and obsessive focus on sex in his books. Other than Prior Phillip in the previous book and Wulfric in this book, there is not a single character in this book who follows the precepts of marriage and Christian ideals about chasity and sexuality. And Follett includes this so much in the book, particularly in the beginning and ending of the book. Surprisingly, for the middle portion (maybe pages 400-850ish), Follett practically avoids this altogether, and it was most interesting here. And it proves he has the ability to write stories without all that stuff, but he included so much in the beginning and ending that it made it nearly unreadable.

I still vehemently believe that Follett misunderstands Christianity and its precepts. One character proceeds to committ egregious sins in this book, he says "It doesn't matter, God will forgive me". It is such a frustrating and complete misreading of Biblical ideals. We don't actively sin because we know that grace abounds, but rather we make an attempt to not sin and to follow Gods laws and commands. Our hearts change in Christianity because of our relationship with God, not just because of actions we've made or confessions made to a priest. And this is only one of a number of places in this book that Follett so clearly misunderstands Christianity and paints it in such a negative light. And Godwyn is a terrible example of how the Clergy can and should behave.

Ok, off my soapbox.

To throw in a few praises, this book deals excellently with the ideas of the Plague and how it affected people. It also starts to deal with the Hundred Years War, which I found really fascinating. And the building of the bridge and the castles and the hospitals and everything else in the book was fascinating. There is a character who figured out a way to make more money by dying their wool and I was completely intrigued with the implications and seeing how that affected the market.

Overall, this is an excellently crafted book with one of the most fascinating plots and ideas I've read. And Follett just has this ability to hook the reader and keep them reading. I have my criticisms, but the enjoyability of this book is ridiculously high. I'll give the book a 9.3 out of 10.

Will probably give it a while before I read another Follett book, as Column of Fire is long and I need a break from Follett's worldview and excesses in his books.