angerball
Active Member
I had been eagerly awaiting this book, ever since it was announced, about two years ago. Pillars of the Earth was one of my favourite novels, and introduced me to the historical fiction genre.
Though it is marketed as the sequel to Pillars of the Earth, World Without End could easily be read without having read the former. It is set two centuries after Pillars of the Earth, and any references to that book are made in passing.
The book is set in the town of Kingsbridge, and spans approximately thirty years of the 14th Century. It opens with four young children – Ralph, Merthin, Caris, and Gwenda – witnessing the murder of a man, in the forest. The lives of these four main characters remain entwined, and the book follows them over the next thirty years. There are numerous plots and sub-plots of the book and the scope is just epic, so it’s quite hard to summarize. There isn’t really any one particular plot, or common thread (aside from the characters) that flows from the beginning to the end.
I had a few grievances with this book, and I think that’s why it took me about a month to finish it. Towards the end, I found myself getting quite irritated with it. I wanted to like it so much, but a lot of it felt contrived and forced. It just seemed like the book was a bunch of endless plotting, without much story. It had the four different characters constantly going off in four different directions, without a central theme or plot to tie them together. It seemed like every new chapter started with one of the characters plotting to overthrow another, or manipulating and blackmailing others in order to achieve their ends. I can handle that once or twice in a book, but in this case, it was constantly one after the other, to the point where is just seemed silly and implausible. To be honest, I found myself rolling my eyes (
) towards the end of the book, every time another character came up with yet another elaborate scheme to achieve their ‘master plan’. The characters didn’t quite ring true either; they were one-dimensional, either completely devious, or completely wholesome minded. I felt like the characters were watered down versions of the characters from Pillars of the Earth, just with different names.
I know it sounds like I hated this book, but I would still recommend it; in my opinion, though, it doesn't even begin to compare to Pillars of the Earth (I know, it's unfair to compare it, but I can't help it. ). I did like the general stories, and sub-plots, but there were just so many (one after the other) that I got frustrated with it. I would have enjoyed it alot more, if there wasn't so much constant scheming.
I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else thought the same way (or if I'm just being picky!)
For me, I'd say 7/10.
Though it is marketed as the sequel to Pillars of the Earth, World Without End could easily be read without having read the former. It is set two centuries after Pillars of the Earth, and any references to that book are made in passing.
The book is set in the town of Kingsbridge, and spans approximately thirty years of the 14th Century. It opens with four young children – Ralph, Merthin, Caris, and Gwenda – witnessing the murder of a man, in the forest. The lives of these four main characters remain entwined, and the book follows them over the next thirty years. There are numerous plots and sub-plots of the book and the scope is just epic, so it’s quite hard to summarize. There isn’t really any one particular plot, or common thread (aside from the characters) that flows from the beginning to the end.
I had a few grievances with this book, and I think that’s why it took me about a month to finish it. Towards the end, I found myself getting quite irritated with it. I wanted to like it so much, but a lot of it felt contrived and forced. It just seemed like the book was a bunch of endless plotting, without much story. It had the four different characters constantly going off in four different directions, without a central theme or plot to tie them together. It seemed like every new chapter started with one of the characters plotting to overthrow another, or manipulating and blackmailing others in order to achieve their ends. I can handle that once or twice in a book, but in this case, it was constantly one after the other, to the point where is just seemed silly and implausible. To be honest, I found myself rolling my eyes (
) towards the end of the book, every time another character came up with yet another elaborate scheme to achieve their ‘master plan’. The characters didn’t quite ring true either; they were one-dimensional, either completely devious, or completely wholesome minded. I felt like the characters were watered down versions of the characters from Pillars of the Earth, just with different names.I know it sounds like I hated this book, but I would still recommend it; in my opinion, though, it doesn't even begin to compare to Pillars of the Earth (I know, it's unfair to compare it, but I can't help it.
). I did like the general stories, and sub-plots, but there were just so many (one after the other) that I got frustrated with it. I would have enjoyed it alot more, if there wasn't so much constant scheming.I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else thought the same way (or if I'm just being picky!)
For me, I'd say 7/10.
