Book Review: World Without End by Ken Follett

About:
World Without End by Ken Follett is the second book in the Kingsbridge series. Mr. Follett is a bestselling author who lives in England.

• 1024 pages
• Publisher: Viking
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525950079

My rating for World Without End – 5
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Thoughts:
I very much enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth, the authors first book in the Kingsbridge series and always wanted to read the rest of the series. My wife bought me World Without End by Ken Follett as a gift, which I immediately made time in my reading schedule for.

As in the first book, I loved the historical research and detailed portrayal of the Middle Ages in England. While the story is basically a soap opera set in a small town, the accurate (as far as I can tell) research and rich storytelling allows an interesting and well developed narrative to triumph.

Even though the book, like its predecessor, is very long it is still very entertaining. The whole book was very well written, it’s actually impressive that the author can keep up the quality of writing for 1,000+ pages.

This is one of those books where I found myself looking forward to reading, and dreading finishing it. Usually it’s difficult for me to read on the weekends (kids, going out, etc.), but I found myself turning off (more likely tuning off) the TV and reading.

This book is easy to follow, while the cast is big it’s not hard to remember who’s who (Mr. Follett seems to be aware of this issue and reminds the reader every once in a while the history of the character). I look forward to read the third novel in the Kingsbridge series.

Synopsis:
The book is over 1,000 pages. I’ll do my best to give a quick synopsis but it certainly does not encompass the scale of the story.

In 1327, four children run into the woods surrounding the town of Kingsbridge, England on All Hallows Day. The children are Merthin, his brother Ralph, Caris and Gwenda witness a knight killing two men-at-arms in self-defense. Everyone runs with the exception of Merthin who helps the knight, Sir Thomas Langley, hide a secret before seeking refuge in the local monastery.

Each of the friends finds their own way in life based on their station in life and skill. Merthin becomes a carpenter with an eye for detail and seeing diagrams in 3D, Ralph joins the army, Caris seems to be interested in medicine (which only male monks practice) and Gwenda tries to win the heart of a local farmer.

Buy World Without End from Amazon.com*
More Books by Ken Follet

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I got this book as a gift.
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