World Without End by Ken Follett

From the Amazon product description: World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas--about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race--the Black Death. Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.

This was a slow start for me but I ended up loving it! I haven't read Pillars of the Earth but I understand they are similar but not necessarily related - does that make sense? You can read and enjoy one without having read the other but they do overlap. I don't know that I would have managed this one in print - it is a chunkster! - so I am happy for audio! Follett weaves such a great soap opera with these characters. The bad guys are deliciously wicked - using their power for sex and manipulation. I do feel sorry for the women they have so few freedoms but a poor woman at this time in history was really in a tough spot - so dependant on the men around her.


This book counts toward the 2010 Audiobook Challenge hosted by the bloggers over at Royal Reviews. Click on the button to see my progress.



This book counts toward the Year of the Historical 2010 Reading Challenge hosted by lurv a la mode. Click on the button to see my progress.