5 comments about Man from St Petersburg.

1. 
   I've enjoyed Ken Follett's past books, and being interested in this time period specifically I thought this book would be a natural for me. Not so...
   I found most of the characters unsympathetic to just downright pathetic. Feliks was the best of the lot, but I wasn't sure what the author was trying to tell us about him. One moment he's a hardened revolutionary who would would gladly kill a policeman, the next he's torn bewtween his ideals and love--next he's risking everyone he loves in a hare-brained scheme that seemed very overcooked (pun intended)...
   The story could have been better. I wanted to like and care about the characters, but I found them wanting, especially Lydia...
   Overall good writing style, but poor plot and contrived characters.



2. Like being trapped in a Russian novel headed nowhere. The daughter, eighteen years of age in the book, set in the years before WWI, has the mind of a six-year-old. For instance, she didn't know "where babies come from" or the gestation period of a human fetus. Such intelligence does, however, make her perfect fodder for the sophomoric sawhorses of socialism, so obviously embraced by Mr. Follett in the telling.
   The protagonist, I suppose, is Feliks, the irresistable (to the ladies)Russian anarchist and murderer. (Decades ago, humorist Stephen Leacock played this same situation for laughs in "Sorrows of a Super Soul" from his "Nonsense Novels." Would that Mr. Follett had done the same.) Feliks, for a repeat murderer, is quite the handsome "man of the people", though it isn't developed why he keeps murdering so many of them. But, the daughter (turns out it's his) and her mother cannot resist him. The mother, whenever in the immediate vicinity of Feliks, becomes a quivering mound of corsetless lust. The daughter is totally smitten by Feliks' ever-spouting socialist dogma. Meanwhile, Feliks is plotting to kill Prince Orlov, a lifelong friend of mother and daughter.
   I'll give away the ending, since I don't want anyone to waste their time reading this clunker. Feliks kills the nice, young Prince Orlov, and dies while saving his daughter from a fire that he started. The end.



3. Thankfully we have a nearer to contemporary novel to compare this one to:The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Classics)
   by Joseph Conrad. The police were more of an after the fact bunch than a proactive on top of the job bunch in this novel.
   International trading of the sort in this treaty was more behind very closed doors?
   The novel makes a very good one of bringing in the Irish, women's rights
   besides the European anarchists.
   The result is pretty much an after the fact / hind sight sort of novel
   that is an historical romance.
   The connection of the British Royals with the Russians
   seems to have more made on it than
   historically was the case?



4. Like all the books of Ken Follett they start slowly but after awhile you can't stop reading.



5. Bravo.
   
   Have you ever found yourself rooting for an assassin? Well, fasten your seatbelts.
   
   Follett has created a wonderful character in Feliks. He's a lover of Alexander Pushkin's literature, lover of culture, art and history - as well as a fabulous lover in bed - he bleeds passion for his love and for his cause. But Feliks is also a hardened criminal. Often misunderstood. Shipped to Siberia and tortured all because he fell in love with a girl of a higher social status.
   
   Follett sets this tumultuous novel as Europe is on the brink of WWI - The summer of 1914. Germany had already been preparing for war, both to the east and to the west. Defeat or victory appears to lie within the hands of the Russians. The Russians sends the Czar's nephew, Prince Orlov, to England to investigate and negotiate a treaty in secrecy.
   
   But a group of anarchist, with spies in the Russian Secret Police, finds out about Prince Orlov's secret meeting. The anarchists feel the Czar is trying to drag innocent Russian peasants into fighting a war they neither care about, nor believe in.
   
   So to prevent disaster, the anarchists send the infamous Feliks Kschessinsky to assassinate Prince Orlov. But when Feliks arrives to England, he finds secrets from his past that threaten to get in the way of his mission.
   
   As the lies, deceit, betrayal, adultery, abound, you will be given a front-row seat to the decisions that unleashed WW1 and a look into the lives of the people who called the shots.
   
   There were other characters there weren't as fleshed out, namely, Prince Orlov, the man who Feliks is trying to assassinate. If I knew more about Orlov, his fate would have mattered to me more - but since I know nothing about him, except that he's the Czar's nephew, I could care less about what happens to him. That was the only minor flaw I found with the book.
   
   So while the novel was MASTERFULLY plotted and wonderfully paced, the writing did become a bit dense and dry at times. But that's just nitpicking.
   
   Feliks Kschessinsky is a Great Romantic Russian Hero that you may remember long after reading The Man from St. Petersburg.

5 comments about Night Over Water.

1. This novel takes place in 1939 just after England has entered World War II. It's told from multiple points of view, all from people who will take a flight aboard a Pan-Am Clipper (a truly luxurious (and historically accurate) airplane in the second 2/3rds of the book. This is sort of like a "Murder on the Orient Express" set-up although more thriller than who-dunnit mystery. Passengers include business people, aritocratic families, a debutante, a film star, a petty thief, etc. They all have reasons for being on this luxury plane ride across the Atlantic, some of them because they want to be there and some because they have to be. The thriller/action part of the plot surrounds the lead engineer of the plane who is forced to sabotage it in order to save his wife who has been kidnapped in America. Follett leaves the reasons for this unclear at first as well as who the kidnappers are but uses it to build the suspense. In the end it turns out to be quite a complicated plot but I won't spoil it for you.
   
   This is a well-plotted novel; the suspense builds as we make our way through the story and we get to see events from several perspectives. Mr Follett does a great job building his characters and even though there are quite a lot of them, it is easy to follow the action because we know them so well. And he does a fantastic job of establishing the atmosphere. The descriptions of the scenes and especially the dialog of the characters really brought me in to the era. Sometimes it was like I was watching a Humphrey Bogart movie. I count this among the very best of Ken Follett's work and highly recommend it for fans of WWII era historical/thriller fiction.



2. As a lover of history and aircraft, I knew this book would appeal to me. Follett recreates the luxury of flying on the PanAm Clipper beautifully. I appreciate the time taken to build up the backstories of several of the passengers, as well as engineer Eddie Deakin, who faces a heart-wrenching decision when his beloved Carol-Ann is kidnapped. I looked forward to diving back into the suspense and love every time I had to put the book up. The ending maybe is a bit too pat, with coincidence playing a big part, but for the enjoyment of the ride, I can forgive that. Just sit back and fly back into the elegance of 1939 air travel!



3. Follett nails the setting and the bulk of the narrative in this enjoyable story of intrigue, set in World War II and taking place on the legendary Pan American Clipper. I do think the ending was a little weak in comparison to the strong introduction and the body of the narrative. The falling action, seemed to stumble (no pun intended in that metaphor), and it almost appeared as if the loose ends were hastily tied up in order to meet a pre-imposed length requirement. It felt like the author abruptly ended the story instead of letting the narrative resolve in a more logical and relaxed fashion, and so I found myself wishing the author had handled the ending differently. But, I still liked the book as a whole.



4. I bought this book expecting to learn something about the PanAm clippers - and, to be fair, I did. But as a novel this is complete, transparent, uninvolving, boring junk. I don't know why I bothered to finish it. Follett undeniably has talent. Pillars of the Earth was good, if in need of a good editor. Night over Water is just plain awful.



5. I read a lot of books but do not often write reviews. Mostly only after being completely disappointed and trying to be benevolent towards my fellow reader...warning them against wasting time. Time that I'll never get back.
   The author has written some real stellar works (Pillars of the Earth, Eye of the Needle, which many other reviewers note, plus Triple which was left off reviews but I found to be a nice read).
   This book, Night over Water, is easily one of the worst books I've read in the past couple of years. What an embarrassment to the author...really, Mr. Follett...you need to come forward and admit that you didn't actually write it. It's pathetic. Other readers commented on one dimensional characters, obvious plot lines, predictability, etc. but trust me, it's much worse than that. This book reads exactly what I would presume a drugstore romance novel might be. Just awful, shallow, and incredibly unrealistic from start to finish.
   OK, so maybe in the late 1930s there were a lot of 40 year old millionaires out there but there's no possible way people in such situations act as they do on this flight into the point of no return. Well, unless they're on the set of a soap opera. Several places in the story I was inclined to toss it aside...but then gave it another chance as the plot shifted (albeit a gnat's breath) but then when the sex scene happens in Newfoundland near the end, that was the final straw. That was just too stupid. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a sex scene. But this was cribbed right from a tv soap opera or a Harlequin Romance. Very amateur. That was as far as I got folks...I have no more time to waste on this crap.
   By the way, my title has to do with a couple of words that were strung together repetively in the story. Another tip off that this was not actually written by the author of Eye of the Needle; not his style. (Please please please Ken tell me I'm right!)

2 comments about The Pillars of the Earth Unabridged on 32 CDs [41 Hours].

1. I enjoyed this book in audio format. I really love John Lee as a narrator. Pillars has been on my list for a long time, so when I saw that Mr. Lee narrates, I went for the audio version. For audio, I am learning that there are 2 components: the story and the narration.
   
   I give the story 4 of 5 stars. It is a good work of historical fiction that sometimes gets mired down in politics that I didn't find that interesting. I also really didn't like the introduction where Mr. Follett tells us that many people have told him that this was the best book they had ever read. I think that just sets the reader or listener up for gigantic expectations. And, it would be very easy to skip the intro, so I would actually recommend that, and then go back to it if you want to hear about it after you are done reading the book. If I had read the book in print, I would have skipped the forward. It's unnecessary and (in my opinion) overlong.
   
   I think the overall book could have been tightened up a bit. Sometimes the story meandered into too many different directions. There is also a LOT of gory violence and I realize that is part of the times, but for me, sometimes it was just too graphic. If graphic violence is your thing, though, then you will like it.
   
   Plus, the stories repeat themselves a bit much. The bad guys rape and pillage, the good guys put their lives back together, the bad guys rape and pillage and on and on.
   
   And on.
   
   But, the characters are very well fleshed out and the narration really makes that happen for me in a way that print cannot.
   
   I love long books, but I prefer them to move forward as opposed to a circular fashion.
   
   The narration is flawless. I will always be a big fan of John Lee and will continue to seek him out as a reader. I hope Mr. Lee continues to narrate great books. Listening to him is a complete pleasure. 5 of 5 stars for him!



2. I absolutely loved this book. The narration is superb and the story is absorbing. A brief review I read about this book (before purchasing) described it as a history of church building. This is not what the book is about-- although the dream of building churches is a central feature of the story. This is a spectacular novel from the get-go. I did not love the introduction, either (as another reviewer writes), but I would indeed tell Ken Follett this was one of the best books I have ever read.

5 comments about Lie Down with Lions.

1. Follett's masterful story of intrigue and complicated romantic relationships is set during the time of the Russian conflict in Afghanistan. The insight is even more relevant today as we have replaced the Russians. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of the tribal infrastructure and outlook. If you saw the poorly produced TV series, don't hold it against this book. It's the real deal and worth the read.



2. I've read several Follett books now, and this one was just ok. I'm not sorry I read it, but it's not something I'll keep or really recommend.
   
   The Russian/Afghan conflict is an interesting one, and the CIA vs. KGB element is historically interesting. The spy story stuff and technology and hierarchy/strategy makes the story worth it. But the love story is not really convincing -- he doesn't really spend enough time developing the relationships involved for any of them to really pull at your heartstrings. The sex scenes, like in all Follett, are just awful! I really wish he's leave them out of his stories -- he so clearly likes writing them, but he's really bad at it!
   
   Overall, I wouldn't rush out to get this one, but if you run across it, it's worth reading. Solid 3 stars....



3. This is a spy novel written at the height of the Cold War. When this novel was written, I never thought that world communism would die in my lifetime, but here we are. This novel was written at a time when the world truly stood at the nuclear abyss, and it is no less relevant as a consequence of the less defined times in which we live.
   
   The story is very straightforward. The Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan, and the US Central Intelligence Agency sends its most storied field agent to that country to aid the resistance against the Russian invasion. This is a moving story of love and espionage. Agent Raleigh Ellis is unforgettable, and his lost love is the nexus of this very excellent novel. Highly recommended.



4. Ken Follett is such an exceptional writer. Spies and action is not usually my kind of story. I read this book because I love Follett's writing.
   I couldn't put the book down. It is an exciting page turner with rich characters, love and action. In my mind, I could picture the mountains of Afganistan and the difficulties of living in this primitive country.



5. I have enjoyed everything that Ken Follett has put out . . . this recent purchase is no exception.
   
   My wife is a member of a women's book club and I recommended "Lie Down with Lions" as a possible selection for them to read and review . . . fortunately, for me, Ken Follett came through again . . . they loved it . . . found it not only interesting but educational as well . . . my primary choices are historical fiction based on fact . . . this book truly fit the bill . . .
   
   Thank you!
   
   Carlton "Chuck" LeDrew

5 comments about On Wings of Eagles.

1. After reading _The Pillars of the Earth_ and its sequel, I was doing a little Web research (Wikipedia) on the Perot rescue and found out that Ken Follett had written a book about it: "What luck!" I thought.
   
   I thought wrong. The format of this book is so dry and dull it was almost unreadable. I forced myself about half-way through just to get the information, and by that time, I couldn't give up on it, even as a loathed every page.
   
   The plain fact of the matter is that this story is just NOT that interesting. It's a big tease. Nothing ever happens. In the end, the same result would have come to pass even if Perot hadn't sent the rescue team. And also, so much for Perot being a big capitalist hero: He was in Iran setting up a socialist welfare state for Iran, much like he helped establish here in the U.S.
   
   The story of Perot's "rescue" of his socialism-enabling employees is worth of an extended magazine article, but not a full-length book. And no matter the length or format, Follett's approach to "non-fiction" novel writing (which he says this isn't) is mind-numbingly boring.
   
   Avoid this volume at all costs.



2. The book was in excellent condition for an older book. Was very pleased with this transaction, thank you.



3. Ken Follett's engaging prose flows effortlessly through most of this book but at times it becomes unaccountably prosaic. As some reviewers have suggested, there seems to be quite a bit of the voice of Ross Perot here.
   
   Quibblers suggest that nothing heroic was done to rescue two imprisoned hostages (for that is really what they were: hostages). Anyone who has ever worked for a powerful company, especially overseas, knows he or she is at the mercy, if you will, of the man or men in charge. And up till recently, those in charge were always men. Spouses played supporting roles. But just because there is the possibility that the men who were rescued by the team that Ross Perot put together might have gotten out anyway--and, especially after reading this book, I would never assume that--is not to say the rescuers were not heroic. Perot himself deserves praise for sticking by his employees, at substantial personal cost.
   
   In 1978 Iran was in a violent state of revolution. Americans at that time were particularly detested by the Iranian populace, who associated them with the hated strong man, the Shah. The Shah was deposed and Americans wanted to leave Iran and then soon realized they HAD to leave Iran. For some reason two employees of ELS, Ross Perot's data processing company, were imprisoned by an Iranian official named Dadgar. Perhaps Dadgar thought that one of the men, William Gaylord, was the chief of the Iranian operation, William Gayden, and it was a case of mistaken identity. The prisoners were not formally charged. Once they escaped, they made their way to the hotel where some of the rescue team were staying. Perot had put together, under the impressive leadership of former Green Beret Colonel Arthur ("Bull") Simons, a formidable group.
   
   From then on during their journey out, ultimately via a remote road in northwestern Iran, the situation was even more hazardous and often terrifying. Another team of employees met them across the border. These second-team men had also undergone discomfort and difficulties just to get to the frontier from the Turkish side and to prepare their part of the rescue.
   
   Even with the whole country in turmoil, Dadgar's people pursued the two men relentlessly, like a latter-day Javert. It seems a strange, and oddly personal, vendetta. The government under the Shah had hired Perot's data service company EDS to set up a base so the country could have socialized medicine, but that year the government apparently ran out of money and ceased to make payments. EDS finally demanded the tardy sum and refused to do any more till they got it. That's when the trouble accelerated. Dadgar alleged or at least implied that EDS had been dishonest. Almost at random, it seemed, Dadgar tossed the two EDS employees in prison, and they became the focus of the Iranian's rage with the firm.
   
   One of their biggest problems the rescuers had was the hostile terrain in the primitive mountainous area they had to cross. Another was the anarchy of the tribal people they encountered. Each tribe answered to its own head man and it seemed there was no guaranteed safe-conduct no matter who they got to sign their documents. The Americans did skirt the law but the book states they tried to keep this at a bare minimum.
   
   Their story as told in the book is a bit longer than it needs to be and under a lesser writer might become tedious, but in fact it is riveting all the way. The wives and families seemed to be incredibly stoic, even when they did not know exactly what was going on. It might have been more natural to see them fall apart occasionally and at least one couple eventually divorced. The women, as much as their husbands, deserve honour and respect. It's hard to explain, but even though this happened thirty years ago, the wives seem anachronistic, perhaps because they are defined through masculine prisms.
   
   Finally, at the very end of the book, Follett tells us that more American hostages were taken in Teheran in November, 1979 but he chooses--or Perot chooses--not to mention the six American hostages who made their way to the Canadian embassy and hid inside the homes of the ambassador and immigration officer John Sheardown. The courageous Canadian ambassador, Kenneth Taylor, with the cooperation of the Canadian politicians of the day to whom he answered, issued these hostages false Canadian passports so they could escape their siege in Iran. True, they did not have to break the law--at least not Canadian law-- because a special act of Parliament was passed in the first secret session since World War II, in order to issue these documents. At that point they were assisted in this endeavour by the CIA.
   
   Theirs is still a hair-raising adventure. Without taking away from the bravery and panache of Perot's men, we wonder what Ken Follett's brilliant pen would have made of this event, dubbed "the Canadian caper," which called for a different kind of courage, but one that was just as real.
   
   The doughty and indomitable businessman Ross Perot generously went through a great deal of his own time and money to save these men. Likewise, Ambassador Taylor might have been forced to sacrifice his own career. Both men put everything on the line. There was every possibility that things could have ended disastrously in each case,but both men were not afraid to take a chance.
   
   



4. As others have already noted, this is not a typical Follett book. It is an interesting read, however, for anyone who wants to get a first-hand perspective of what Iran was like during the revolution.
   
   My sense is that some aspects of the tale, especially all of the narrow escapes and the doggedness of the Iranian official who was cast as the villain, were embellished quite a bit to make the book more interesting.
   
   It isn't the most engrossing of reads, but I've seen worse. If Follett had been given a free hand in how the final product was presented, it would have been much better. Perot's fingerprints are all over the place, particularly in the overly glowing descriptions of EDS employees.



5. When I noticed this book was a true story based on facts I was afraid it could be boring!! So far, Ken Follet has not written s boring novel or non fiction product. It was a true page turner from the beginning of the saving of two American citizens from the clutches of the Iranian terrorists. He has presented the true life characters as though he had an insight to each of their individual feelings and thoughts. Amazing! I still have a few more Follet books to read and I shall enjoy all of them

1 comments about Ken Follett Unabridged CD Collection: Lie Down with Lions, Eye of the Needle, Triple.

1. Eye of the Needle (Too much sex talk)
   Lie Down w/Lions (Too much sex talk)
   Triple (I hated it, I stop half way through)

5 comments about A Dangerous Fortune.

1. The book smokes; it is non stop action with plot twists. Character developement is superb. Not a wasted paragraph of description. This is first class writing and story telling.



2. This took a bit longer to arrive than I anticipated but the condition was as promised and I am already enjoying it.



3. We listened to this story and enjoyed it from the very begining, the character development was supreb.



4. As always, Ken Folletts books are full of well developed and interesting characters and a compelling story.



5. I have both read this novel and listened to the audio-book. I loved both. This is not a highbrow work of historical fiction. It's a page-turner that feels like a soap opera. It's an engaging one, though, that is consistently fun from start to end. It centers around a family of bankers in 19th century London, starting with the death of a school boy, and takes is through a generation of family and financial intrigue, and romance. You love the heroes and hate the villains. Very little gray, here. It felt like a bit of a guilty pleasure to me, but it was a ton of fun.

5 comments about World Without End [UNABRIDGED CD] (Audiobook).

1. The book was great, a real page-turner. However, several of the discs were damaged so I had to finish the book on the Internet.



2. This is the 1st Ken Follett novel I've read or listened to, but it won't be the last. Ken Follett weaves a story of a world of early 1300's Britain where injustice and hypocrisy is rampant and often institutionalized. Through the hearts and minds of 5 characters primarily - 2 of them qualifiably evil - we feel the weight of this medieval world's consequences in each of their trials and tribulations, and that is the great strengths of this epic novel.
   
   It took about 1.5 cd's for me to get into the story - but by the time I put in cd #3 I was absolutely hooked. John Lee adroitly re-tells the story using English accents for each of the characters which sound authentic. Through his re-telling, I felt the urgency of the merchants of Kingsbridge to have Godwyn elected as the Prior - and their surprise when the result wasn't what they expected. I felt the anger and disbelief at the injustice Gwenda had to suffer at the hands of her Father and Sir Ralph Fitzgerald. I felt the resentment Murthin had toward his master - Elfrik - with whom he was completing an apprenticeship to become a great carpenter. I felt the frustration of the merchants when the Priory asserted its will over the townspeople so that the monks could enrich themselves over the short term at the expense of the town's long-term success. I felt the incredulity of the triumph of superstition and how monks used it to keep the townspeople of Kingsbridge within their grip. That is just the tip of the iceberg - and only the 1st half of the book.
   
   The 2nd half shakes up the 1st half of the book - which could be accurately described as the way thing were - and outlines how each of the aforementioned characters overcomes their individual hardships as a result of that fact - with some exceptions. The plague hits with a vengeance, and through the turmoil we watch through the minds eye as change happens in all of the old institutions. I don't want to give any more away, accept to say that by the time I reached the end of disk #36, I was thoroughly satisfied:)
   
   I found myself drawn to these characters and to the detailed view of the backdrop of period of time the book was written about. The book on a historical level brought to light the injustices that Serfs had to live with, the hardship of women who wanted to advance beyond the life of serving husbands and raising children, the subjective treatment of the "merchant" class and the self-indulgent and irresponsible nobility and a similarly corrupt clergy, and the ultimate triumph of a new order with the help of one of the most terrible disasters in our history - the bubonic plague.
   
   Don't let the length put you off as this is fast and easy reading for all adults - just be aware that there is some "mature" content within, as Mr. Follett puts the authenticity of his characters and his world as top priority, and he achieves that with amazing results.
   
   This is a must read - I would say - for anyone with even a remote interest in the medieval period or those who just enjoy a good epic novel you can really sink your teeth into. In book format or on CD, I would put this one in my top 10 all time favorites. 5 stars easily!



3. As I write this review in September 2009, there are only 5-star reviews. Nothing less. There's a reason for that. World Without End truly IS that good.
   
   The other reviewers speak of the narrator, John Lee, who also performed on Mr. Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, which by the way is being made into a TV mini-series and is a book related to World Without End, though both books can be enjoyed separately, i.e., don't think of the two books as a series. I have listened to hundreds of audio books. It is clear to me why John Lee was chosen to do the narration, i.e., he is one of the best; a true professional actor-quality narrator.
   
   You can read the two books (The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End) in any order, though I did Pillars first since it was released first, which I thought was unbelievable...until I read World Without End...and I'm not sure if I have the words to explain how much I enjoyed it. If you have not started either one yet, go ahead and get the audio of Pillars first and then follow it up with World.
   
   Because I have many books to read, both for enjoyment and technical, I chose to listen to the book, instead of reading it. And, I really feel that you will enjoy the audio of this book. Whether you read the book or listen to the book, prepare yourself to become transported hundreds of years back in time when, if you were not of noble birth, you had a very difficult time, indeed. Also, if you have any emotions at all, prepare yourself to laugh, cry, want to scream, and even want to kill. Mr. Follett opens our eyes to many issues in this book. His research, as always, is well done. World Without End is a powerhouse of a book, and I personally feel that this book places Mr. Follett in the select group of the truly great authors of all time.
   
   I could go on and on about this book. But, why waste any more or your time. Mr. Follett's the author; not me. With great enthusiam I give my usual signature to this review. DAYTON SAYS: BUY THIS AUDIO BOOK.



4. Follett is amazing. Pillars of the Earth was a tough act to follow, but he certainly equaled it, if not topped it. Extensively researched, beautifully written and expressively read, this audiobook is hard to beat for overall quality.



5. I love Ken Follett storys, especially Pillars of the Earth, but this story just dragged on forever. I listened to the book on CD. I do agree that the reader did a very good job on the voices, but I found my mind wandering at times because there were parts that were just too wordy and did not hold my attention. The only reason I listed to the end is because I wanted to find out about the letter referenced in the beginning. The story was OK, but could have been told in half the time.

5 comments about World Without End.

1. I purchased this book based on all the positive reviews. What a disappointment. This book is contrived and pointless. The characters are unbelievable and the plot is juvenile. It is 700 pages too long. If you are looking for an immoral, pro abortion, Catholic bashing book then this is for you, otherwise don't waste your money.



2. The first book, Pillars Of The Earth, had sweep, epic drama, noble characters, mystery. But this book celebrates pettiness: petty politicking, thievery, ego, sexual peccadilloes. The character of Godwyn, the small-minded prior, is particularly unpleasant. After 5 or 6 hundred pages the book became a skim-as-fast-as-you-can slog.



3. I have read a dozen or so Follett books. Some of them are stinkers. The best is probably Pillars of the Earth. World Without End is the sequel as you know. It takes place a couple of hundred years after the 1st book. And other than the local and distant relations, your basically dealing with a new set of characters.
   
   What is not new (and what Follett's readers will be glad for) is that Follett revisits the writing style of Pillars. He takes the struggle, the soap opera never ending episodes and re-uses the format to great effect here. This time he has at the core a young to middling couple. He follows their lives from childhood to old age. As time passes, he follows the progress of the town and the lives of many other characters as well. Its all very good. Each chapter has a bit of drama that keeps you engaged.
   
   I dont think you can go wrong here for a good old fashioned page turner.



4. I was looking forward to reading this book, as I quite enjoyed Pillars of the Earth. However, I was pretty disappointed with it. It is effectively the same book again, but with different character names.
   
   It also is about 500 pages too long. There are plenty of pages, but nothing much really happens in them. The characters are fairly two dimensional and I didn't really care much about them by the end. In fact, I skim read the last half and the last few hundred pages felt like a chore to read. I actually had to force myself to finish it. I just skipped over the sex scenes as they were boring and repetitious.



5. Do not expect to find high literature here. But expect to be very entertained. Ken Follet's sequel to the tighter and more cared for The Pillars of the Earth is an endless medieval soap-opera.
   
   Set on the backdrop of the English cathedral city of Kingsbridge in the early 14th century the heroes have to avoid poverty and starvation, weather an ongoing war and survive both the ever-returning plague and their cruel overlords. Fortunes are made and lost, love is reciprocated or shunted, offspring is fathered by strange bedfellows. Life and death are intermingled - but life always finds a way to go on. Even in those harsh times.
   
   This is a long book. It could use a heavier-handed editing but I doubt it would make much of a difference. Sure, there are themes that keep repeating (the greedy and ever scheming monks of the priory make underhanded attempts to steal, bring down or even kill the independent Caris again and again; Merthin the prodigy builder having to fight the self-serving conservative establishment to implement his innovative designs; the villainous Ralph in an insatiable vengeance-trip against a peasant boy who once broke his nose). After the third time you go through the same story-arcs you grow a bit tired of it. And yet you cannot stop reading on.
   
   Is there a happy end? Well, I shall not spoil it for anyone. However, whether there is one or not, brace yourself for a long journey. You shall enjoy it too.
   
   RECOMMENDED.

5 comments about The Pillars of the Earth.

1. I'm sorry. I couldn't get past the first 50 pages, and there are way too many pages.



2. Strong historical fiction like Pillars of the Earth is highly entertaining and very enlightening. Ken spent years studying how cathedrals were built throughout medieval England. He then spins a gripping tale (it took him three years of writing) of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence (the most revolting parts of the novel that shows just how brutal life was in those times), and architectural beauty. The story shows how the human spirit, love, loyalty, and friendship can shine through during times of war, religious strife and power struggles which tear lives and families apart.
   
   In the fictional town of Kingsbridge we experience firsthand the ups and downs of life in a typical British town during early medieval times of the 1100s. The book provides deep appreciation for what builders and artists accomplished with very basic technology over decades (generally more than 30 years) to construct towering cathedrals that still stand majestically many centuries later. It also shows just how good we have life now!
   
   An eight hour TV mini-series is currently in post production based on this epic novel (400, 000 words). Early video clips and Ken's blog updating this work in progress really make this look like a "must see" once it's available.



3. After reading all the amazing reviews of this book, I got it for my Kindle, thinking I'd been missing out on a great read all these years. I was expecting a great work of literary fiction. About a quarter of the way through, I started to realize what was bothering me about this book. It's like a modern day soap opera set in the Middle Ages. Usually when you read a book or see a movie set in a certain time period, the author will make an effort to set the tone with dialogue that fits that period. Not so in this book. As another reviewer noted, if you didn't know any better, but for the descriptions of the harsh conditions, you would think it was set in modern day NYC. Modern lingo, hot sex scenes, etc. Middle ages for the masses, I guess. You get to know the characters on the surface due to the time span of the novel, but it's glossy. You don't feel like you really get to know them inside and out. Now that I'm over half way through, I'll keep reading just to finish because it is mildly interesting, but I feel a bit like I'm wasting time reading a Harlequin romance or something.



4. I usually don't write reviews, but I'm annoyed by the few bad reviews that this book has received. Like everything else, people love to criticize what others have done rather than doing something themselves. As a former history grad student who studied medieval and early modern England extensively, this book paints a clear, interesting, and largely accurate picture of how nasty the politics of the period and the problems of civil war could be for an average person or even someone with an above-average position. It paints a beautiful, lively picture of the period, which is much more than many more academic histories acheive. It also provides a great introduction into the terms of cathedral architecture and an approachable explanation for why cathedrals were built the way they were in the period.
   
   As far as the criticism of it as a medieval "soap opera" goes, the book has a lot of drama and the episodes do occur in a fashion that might seem unbelievable; but, in historical reality, the book's exploration of lawlessness that would have occurred during a civil war, the liberties that nobles were able to take with their serfs, and the pettiness of the politics explored by the characters does not seem inaccurate. And as far as the drama goes, it's not a cheesy soap opera and, even though some of the results may be predictable, the way the book arrives at them are rarely so.
   
   Anyway, how many of us want to read a book where nothing happens? Some epic literary classics go hundreds of pages without any action and drag on and make you quit in the middle; you read 500 pages, convinced that the book will get better at some point simply because of its reputation, but it never gets better and you're stuck wondering why you gave it so much time and how on earth anyone could stick with it for another 600+ pages (speaking from experience). This is not that sort of book. It introduces the characters quickly and grabs your attention from the frst couple of chapters. The snobbier sort of intellectual claims that the slow-moving epic is the best kind of book; that we should all basically torture ourselves in our spare time reading something horribly boring just because that's what smart people are supposed to like. But you don't have to be a non-intellectual to enjoy this book. It does not appeal to the "lowest common denominator" as some of the hyper-critical, puffing, or demeaning reviews claim. Rather, it opens up a little-known period of history to a wider audience. And it's vastly entertaining. The author does a great job of interspersing the episodes with interior commentary in the characters' own minds and drawing the characters with various flaws and good points, making them complex, while still understandable.
   
   I've already lost several hours of sleep because I couldn't put the thing down. And the fact that I only have about 250 pages left in it makes me a little sad. I've truly enjoyed it and found it a very satisfying read, even though I don't read a lot of modern fiction. Please, if you're looking for an excellent, entertaining work, completely ignore the insults levelled at the book and, by extension, anyone who enjoys it, and just enjoy the work as an evocative and vivid piece of fiction.



5. Some may be too critical of this book and its historical errors, but it is not a history. Don't read it as such and you will enjoy it. The characters are well filled out and you come to like the characters and actually care for them or really despise them unlike many books I've read where you don't really care. This review will be kept short because all you need to do is read and enjoy, don't be too critical.