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World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2)
World Without End - Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2
Author: Ken Follett
In 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. Critics were overwhelmed and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel. World Without End takes place in the sam...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780451224996
ISBN-10: 045122499X
Publication Date: 10/7/2008
Pages: 1,014
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 203

4.2 stars, based on 203 ratings
Publisher: New American Library Trade
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Ladyslott avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
This book is being touted as the long awaited sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, which was published 18 years ago. Although it is set in the same town as the original book and some of the characters from the past are mentioned this story occurs 200 years after the events in Pillars.

Four children witness a murder in the forest near their home. They never tell anyone of what happened that day and never discuss it among themselves. The four children, Merthin and Ralph brothers of a disgraced knight, Caris daughter of a rich merchant and Gwenda the destitute daughter of a thief, live vastly different lives but their paths are always entwined with each others. Over the course of 34 years we follow these four through their loves and losses and learn to care for some and loathe others, but always we are wrapped up in their story.

Although I think Pillars was a better book, I think this one is not too far off the mark. We have a lot of the same themes that were visited in that tale here: Star crossed love, wicked nobleman, ambitious monks, hard working poorly treated peasants, murder, death, betrayal, and the Black Plague. Through it all you root for some people to overcome the obstacles thrown in their way and wait for others to get payback for all the evil they do.

Once again I learned many things about life in those Dark Ages and was fascinated by all the detail Follett put into his work. This is a huge book, over 1000 pages, yet I managed to read it in about a week and a half, about 500 pages over the past two days; I just had to know how it would all turn out.

If you loved Pillars I don't think you will be disappointed.
katknit avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 355 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
Historical purists will not be pleased. Neither will readers who make their selections based on the length of a book, or people who object to a little sex in their reading (World is hardly pornography), or religious fundamentalists.
But those who enjoy ripping epic adventures, historical settings, compelling characters, and plot twist after twist, should have a fine time in World Without End. Yes, it mimics its predecessor, but that is precisely what I, for one, was hoping for. Jumping back into Jack the Builder's city after 200 years was a joy. Few writers on the scene today are capable of creating such appealing protagonists and such hateful villains. Few are capable of filling 1000 pages with heartfelt conflict, human mistakes and foibles, or gut-wrenching turns of event. Follett can do all of this, and has proved it again in World.
The treatment of the bubonic plague in World is worthy of comment. Rather than focus upon the horrific physical element, Follett has chosen to represent the vast psychological, financial, and societal consequences of this most devastating of diseases: the breakdown of mores, conventions, and behavior, the inability to produce enough food, the utter uselessness of mere wealth, the failure of the religious establishment to meet the needs of its flock. It is difficult today to imagine that time, and the narrative here helps.
Circumstances change, but human nature doesn't. Here's hoping Mr Follett has another Kingsbridge novel in him, set perhaps during the religious and political upheaval that characterized the Tudor era.
Phunter avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I've been telling people for years about Pillars Of The Earth - it was a remarkable work. Among the many aspects of the story, I enjoyed the description of the development of Ecclesiastical architecture - fascinating stuff! It was a great tale, well told. World Without End is a gripping sequel and while it pays homage to its predecessor, it stands by itself as a story. It didn't quite capture my imagination as much as POTE probably because there were so many similarities to the plot. This time the building centered more on bridge building - again, interesting from a technical aspect. There was also a lot more gratuitous sex thrown in - some of it was necessary to the plot but some of it seemed to be added just to spice things up and really didn't need to be there. All in all it was a pretty good read.
For those who enjoy a good epic historical tale, I'd highly recommend Stephen Lawhead's 'Byzantium' - a marvelous tale (based on historical fact) of an Irish monk's journey to Byzantium. His King Raven trilogy (Hood/Scarlet/Tuck) retelling the legend of Robin Hood from a different historical perspective is also excellent!
reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as Pillars of the Earth. This is a stand alone book, and not truly a sequel to Pillars. The book follows the town of Kingsbridge during the 14th century England and includes a vivid portrait of the devastation of the plague, the trials of the serfs/peasants and the hostility of the ruling gentry, and the lack of sanctity of the church. This is a social novel that depicts the conflict between serfs/nobility; men/women; clergy/guilds and the rise of the middle class. The novel is extremely long (1,000+) pages, but if you like historical fiction, or Pillars, then this is worth a read.
reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 141 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
A wonderful sequel to "Pillars of the Earth" which involves the descendents of Tom and Jack Builder. A huge book, a cast of thousands it seems, yet I skipped very few pages in it. This book again depicts the Catholic Church as not only the only institution in the Middle Ages which dispenses care and comfort, but also as a greedy and villaneous force for its own welfare. It very clearly shows why the Protestant Reformation took hold so rapidly in Europe and England as a reaction to the behavior of the clergy of the Catholic church. Genny
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reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on
I enjoyed this book very much. I had read his earlier book Pillars of the Earth as well.
reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 18 more book reviews
Really enjoyed this book as I had read the first one, Pillars of the Earth, & this continued 200 yrs. later. Hope there will be another following.
reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 15 more book reviews
couldn't put it down great book!!!
xyzit avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 6 more book reviews
This is a big book and an AMAZING big story.Actually it read as stories IN stories.All related and all fascinating.It's a 1046 page book but manageable in paperback edition.Keenly period detailed a wealth of information on the daily"how to 's" .Historical fiction has never been this good before.It's literate, informational and compelling,But it's an easy read,all the intrigue and gossipy by turns it IS a page turner.At 1046 pages I still wanted more and was sorry to leave these people and this place.
thyme4me2 avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 11 more book reviews
Great follow up to Pillars of the Earth, engaging characters, interesting story
tylerhitchcock avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Not quite as good as Pillars of the Earth, but almost.
reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 2 more book reviews
I came across this book by accident. It was on the shelf I had run out of books to read...I wouldn't say that I couldn't put it down...but it was a pretty interesting read. I haven't read many books form the twelfth century, so this was pretty awesome and an eye opener. I haven't read Pillars yet, but now I'm pretty excited to pick it up.
paigu avatar reviewed World Without End (Pillars of the Earth, Bk 2) on + 120 more book reviews
Entertaining! The characters are a bit too larger-than-life (as an example, the main female, Caris, warps from merchant wonder to (almost) town alderman to nun/Mother Superior to founder of hospital/modern medicine (sic) all within the 40-50 years of her life. Wow!) but you can't help but like them. Even the evil characters are enjoyable because their evildoing are written with such light humor. Of course, life back then was probably much tougher and harsher than what is described in this book, plus not sure if the timing of the historical events are entirely accurate, but this was not meant to be a history reference book.

P.S. This book should be retitlted "Book Without End" 1000+ pages, whew!


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