|
World Without End | 
| Manufacturer: Dutton
Category: EBooks
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $25.01 (71%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  390 reviews
Sales Rank: 211
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1024
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
ASIN: B000W93CHC
Publication Date: October 9, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most-anticipated sequel of the year, World Without End.
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--"it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you" (Chicago Tribune)--and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.
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. Questions for Ken Follett  Amazon.com: What a phenomenon The Pillars of the Earth has become. It was a bestseller when it was published in 1989, but it's only gained in popularity since then--it's the kind of book that people are incredibly passionate about. What has it been like to see it grow an audience like that? Follett: At first I was a little disappointed that Pillars sold not much better than my previous book. Now I think that was because it was a little different and people were not sure how to take it. As the years went by and it became more and more popular, I felt kind of vindicated. And I was very grateful to readers who spread the news by word of mouth. Amazon.com: Pillars was a departure for you from your very successful modern thrillers, and after writing it you returned to thrillers. Did you think you'd ever come back to the medieval period? What brought you to do so after 18 years? Follett: The main reason was the way people talk to me about Pillars. Some readers say, "It's the best book I've ever read." Others tell me they have read it two or three times. I got to the point where I really had to find out whether I could do that again. Amazon.com: In World Without End you return to Kingsbridge, the same town as the previous book, but two centuries later. What has changed in two hundred years? Follett: In the time of Prior Philip, the monastery was a powerful force for good in medieval society, fostering education and technological advance. Two hundred years later it has become a wealthy and conservative institution that tries to hold back change. This leads to some of the major conflicts in the story. Amazon.com: World Without End features two strong-willed female characters, Caris and Gwenda. What room to maneuver did a medieval English town provide for a woman of ambition? Follett: Medieval people paid lip-service to the idea that women were inferior, but in practice women could be merchants, craftspeople, abbesses, and queens. There were restrictions, but strong women often found ways around them. Amazon.com: When you sit down to imagine yourself into the 14th century, what is the greatest leap of imagination you have to make from our time to theirs? Is there something we can learn from that age that has been lost in our own time? Follett: It's hard to imagine being so dirty. People bathed very rarely, and they must have smelled pretty bad. And what was kissing like in the time before toothpaste was invented?
Product Description
"Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most-anticipated sequel of the year World Without End. 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 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."
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 385 more reviews...
Formulaic Follett but altogether fine reading September 8, 2008
A two hundred year later sequel to Pillars of the Earth. Entertaining and adventuresome but the Sisyphus approach he uses gets to be a bit predictable--one of the various protagonists ALMOST prevails and then gets knocked down. You always know that the right people will prevail at the end, and they mostly do. The historical angles are great and reflect solid research. If you enjoyed Pillars of the Earth, you'll enjoy this one, too.
Maybe not Pillars, but still good quality September 7, 2008
When I read "Pillars of the Earth" a couple of years ago, I immediately ranked it in my all-time top 10 -- a five star. My wife then read POTE and enthusiastically endorsed it, too. So, when "World without End" came out last year, she immediately bought it, finished it within a week and said it was better than POTE. Hmm, I thought. I have finally gotten around to reading WWE and, although it is a delightful story, I didn't find it to be in the same league as POTE.
WWE's major shortcoming is that the Plague -- which doesn't just come around once, but over and over -- wipes out too many characters, both the good and the bad, and therefore eliminates all kinds of potential story development along with it. So, what we're conveniently left with in the end, is that our white-hat lead characters are the only ones left standing. This sort of writing is a little too lackadaisical for me.
On a lesser note, what is with Follett's preoccupation with sex? It certainly isn't titillating and, in my opinion, is excessive. Anyone beyond their early 20s has outgrown this stuff.
All in all, though, WWE is another very good Follett story that should appeal to both men and women of various ages. By all means, read it. Don't be put off because it isn't five stars.
 a wonderful read September 2, 2008
This was even better than Pillars of the Earth. A gripping tale with well developed characters and plot. It's an interesting look into life in the 14th century.
Compelling August 28, 2008
Listening to this audiobook on a recent 18-hour solo drive, I gained an understanding of what daily life was like in Medieval times through this fascinating story. I was drawn into the lives of the characters to the point that I was anxious to get up early on day two of my trip just so I could find out what was happening. Wonderful story, skillfully told. I will read more Ken Follett in the future.
 Trite without End .... August 24, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I dislike being so very negative, but this book really has no redeeming features and I often found myself wondering if a very inadequate ghost writer had actually penned it. Propelled by all the hype, WWE was chosen as summer reading fare for our book club, else I never would have finished it. Insulting to the reader's intelligence, it is nothing more than a soap opera of the worst kind. Another reviewer suggests that it could have been redeemed had it been subjected to the sharp knife of a good editor. I say forget the sharp knife and use a kitchen mandoline to shred it into julienne strips. The recycling bin is where it belongs. Life too short to subject yourself to this type of shallow, poorly written fare.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
