#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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I enjoy historical novels that help me understand the way the world operated then, without being dry. I enjoyed this book very much.
Outstanding story. Love reading stories with medieval setting.
One of my favorite series…
Love this book. Read it 3 times.
Very long book, but kept me coming back until I finished. I liked the look into one woman’s life in a time long past. The role of the church was center to the building a community. The humanity “good” and “evil” created and destroyed. I am glad I read this book.
I have read all of of Ken Follett’s books ! And I keep them in my library Lend them to my friends . Look ahead to see when a new one is coming out , and pre- order!
One of the best series I have read looking forward to book 3
Lots of history written in an entertaining way. I never really thought about the world 1000 years ago.
A good read. Learned stuff about WWI I didn’t know before in the context of a pretty good story.
My favorite book
A fantastic series- so educational but wonderfully fictional too!
Great story teller
One of my favorite books of all time. The only one that exceeds it was Pillars of the Earth which was the first in this series. I love how Follett writes historical fiction … the depth and continuity of the multiple characters, the description of life during that time, the references to historical events all add to the enjoyment of this book. Highly recommended!
Almost as good as Pillars of the Earth, one of my all-time favorites!
Love this author!
I found this series of 3 books to be totally fascinating. They described great historical information as well as fascinating stories.
A truly classic book.
After awhile I thought of this book as “Book Without End”. I’m not sure why I finished it since I’d been fed up with it since somewhere in the middle. I guess that for some reason I wanted to find out what happened. My main complaint is the same one I have with all of Mr. Follett’s books: too much really explicit sex. In the case of this book, my second complaint was with one of the main characters who seemed like she had somehow time-traveled from the 21st century to the time of the book with all her modern feminist sensibilities intact.
I liked his first book that covered an earlier period (but with the same main complaint).
Book was very slow moving. I finished it but would not recommend it.
This author is always a very good read.