#1 New York Times BestsellerIn 1989, Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. World Without End is its equally irresistible sequel—set two hundred years after The Pillars of the Earth and three hundred years after the … of the Earth and three hundred years after the Kingsbridge prequel, The Evening and the Morning.
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroads of new ideas—about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.
Three years in the writing and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End is a “well-researched, beautifully detailed portrait of the late Middle Ages” (The Washington Post) that once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.
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Book was too long.
A solid exploration of the medieval world. While some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional — especially the villains, there is enough plot twists and development of the main characters to maintain interest. Follett does a good job of creating a convincing picture of life in 16th century England. He portrays the brutality and abuses of the time quite well, though some of the main characters seem more modern than those times would allow. Not as focused on the technicalities of the cathedral construction of the time as the earlier volume, World Without End, still provides a good understanding of the issues faced by a master builder. An enjoyable read, especially for those interested in medieval times.
Superb read!
Well written. I love Ken Follet books. And this was an epic saga. I had trouble putting the book down, and it was 1026 pages!
A great historical story and very informative of that time period as is each of his following books in the series.
A great book by a great author. I like the earlier book on the series best but this one is still good.
Held me to the end!
Incredible storytelling
Plot is way too convoluted
A bit disappointing after such a good first book. This one reads like a soap opera.
Classic Follett. He takes you to a place you’ve never imagined and you are there until the final page is turned.
too predictable. I knew what was going to happen to the characters in the future and who would be responsible. Wasted my time.
Excellent story and informative, as well.
The characters are so engaging that I found myself lost in Follett’s imaginary tale. Reading its 1000 pages requires very little time.
The trilogy of books are truly stories worth reading.
I love his writing style and this does not disappoint!
Did anyone else feel like Ken Follett wasn’t the one to write this book? Let me start by saying I love his books. I can’t wait to dive in the minute I get one. Pillars of the Earth was fantastic! Then I get to World Without End and the writing style was completely different. To me I felt like this book was written by a woman. I am wondering if KF had a ghost writer to help him get it out quicker than he may have been able? It just wasn’t the same. It went from great historical fiction as the first one to a bawdy historical romance novel as the second one.
Ken Follett has generational story telling down to an art.
I love all his historical books. Looking forward to.his next!
Love it!