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No educational value. Too much like a soap opera. Could have been 300 pages instead of over 1,000.
It's just that I was disappointed in the quality. Instead of a cathedral, the focal point is a bridge. This is not to say that the book isn't entertaining - it is. I was pleasantly surprised to find "World Without End" in my local store, having no idea that a "sequel" to my favorite book had even been written. I suppose that "Pillars" would be hard to follow for anyone. Meaning, the same characters, plots and events, just different names and places. I found WWE to be quite similar to "The Pillars of the Earth" in it's characters, plot and events. Claris is Aliena, Ralph is William of Hamleigh, Godwyn is Philip, and Merthin is Jack.
Maybe at page 950 with no real end in sight Follet was compelled to wrap it up.Overall an excellent read.In my top 10 all time with Pillars. Amazing attention to historical detail, especially the way medevial buildings were constructed.I wouldn't say the characters were as well developed as they were in pillars and the line between good guy and bad was more nebulous but perhaps more realistic.The ending seemed a little rushed. Great follow up to pillars of the Earth.Very well written with no slow spots, which is amazing considering the book is over 1,000 pages. Not quite as compelling as P O T Earth but excellent nonetheless.
I read it because it was a book club selection.With that said--First, you don't have to have Pillars of the Earth to enjoy this book. For me, the main driver was the relationships, the psychology of the people, the politics, and the evolution of christianity. As I said, it may not be 100% fact, but regardless, it helps you to really think that the things we take for granted may have some roots in greed, abuse of power, randomness, desperation, etc., rather than some noble cause or thoughts.I would highly encourage you to read this book. This is not a book I would have picked up on my one. And it is a great book club book as there is so much that can be discussed. I would pick it up and find that I could easily read 50 pages and not even realize it.Third--While it took place in the 1300's, it didn't get completely lost in that time period. I now look forward to reading pillars of the earth.
I never felt as if I was missing something or didn't understand something because I had not read the first book.Second--yes, it is extremely long, AND I didn't want it to be over. It read like a fascinating tale where you couldn't find out what happened next.the book sheds a lot of light on things we don't question much today--religious traditions, laws, fines, hierarchy. And it didn't read like a history lesson. It ended nicely and tied up all loose ends. I do not know how much is based in reality--but I do know that it felt very plausible.
It is extremely long, I view it as a sequel to a book I hadn't read, and it takes place in the 1300's--not a time period i'm even remotely interested in. I was very interested in the theories that were woven through the book about how laws came about and how the church was shaped. However, I am sad that I am not continuing in the lives of these characters. That book was written first but this takes place about 200 years later so none of the characters are the same. It wasn't that I was felt hanging.
For someone not interested in the details of construction of buildings, bridges and machines there may be a few spots that lack interest but it is mostly about interpersonal relationships and intrigue.England invades France in retaliation for raids on coastal English towns. The story follows their lives and shows the interaction and trials of surfs, nobility, freeholders, business people and the clergy.This is a long book but very well written. It never drags at least for me. A continuation of Pillars of the Earth. The plague wrecks havoc with the population and the economy.This work gets my highest recommendation. It takes place in 14th century England.Numerous interrelated stories of the lives of various classes of people Four children, one a thief, one a bully, one a young genius and one a girl who wants to be a doctor go into the forest. This is the story of the people of the area of the great cathedral 200 years later. They see two men killed.
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