Customer Reviews
Another Follett masterpiece - By: Mr. Tony Griffiths, 20 Nov 2008 
Having read my copy of "Pillars of The Earth" at least 4 times, I just had to get the follow-up.
Stainding over 1000 pages, its not a tome to pick on a whim, but its another superb travel through historical England. (Don't panick if you still haven't experienced the magnificent "Pillars", as the characters are a few generations on).
Any fans of historical fiction will love this tale of love, deceit & heart-ache. Throwin some meaty action, add some pestilence & suffering, & you're left with a book that will keep you enthralled & captivated.
I loved it. 5 stars once again for Follett!!
Excellent Novel - By: J. B. Grace, 09 Nov 2008 A book of this size can appear daunting at the start. However from the opening pages it gets you hooked & takes you on a fantastic journey with well crafted plot & great characterisation. It has left me with a thirst to read Ken Follet's first book "The Pillars of the Earth" & I would recommend "World Without End" to any reader.
Rather good - By: Badgergirl, 27 Oct 2008 
I saw this bookin hardback & thought it sounded interesting but hardbacks are not good for the daily commute! The paperback is still hefty & I've never read a book this length before but I really enjoyed it. I hadn't read the first book - & for anyone swithering I would say you don't have to, to enjoy this one. Yes it is long but I don't feel it ever dragged. A couple of times he would reiterate points from earlierin the book which was annoying but also occasionally useful. The descriptions were great, conjuring up vivid pictures of lifein that period of time & I felt the characters were well drawn. As it came to an end I was very satisfied. It's a good old yarn & I would recommend it. Am very tempted to read the first book now - once I have the strength backin my arms!
Marmite Book: you'll love it or hate it - By: Josi Martin, 22 Oct 2008 
I tried to get into this as I love historical murder mysteries & it sounded as if it was well written.
I wouldn't actually criticise the writing (as Ken Follett is a very good writer) but I suspect this particular work of his is a bit like marmite: you'll either love it or hate it. Personally I couldn't get into it enough though I tried a couple of times & I know one of my friends couldn't either. It may well be very enjoyable for those who enjoy the protracted sweep down generations style story (possibly Catherine Cookson fans might appreciate this more than I did?). Or at least the bit I did read before I gave up due to lack of interest generated - sorry Follett fans, I know he's a good writer but this tome is for a distinctive market. Those who enjoy such sweeping stories may well love it though.
It's a hefty size book & the only writer I enjoy, who also does such a large size novel, is C.J. Sansom (as I find his/her books tightly paced & well plotted but they doesn't generally go across time periods as wide as a generationin each book).
If anyone is interestedin Sansom, I would warn that his/her books are mainly basedin Tudor times. From my own experience, people enjoy different time periods & those who like the medieval period (to have shown an interestin this) may well not like the tudor period. Forewarned is forearmed.
Very good read, though not as good as Pillars - By: John Hopper, 16 Oct 2008 A page turning saga like its predecessor, though this is not really a sequel to Pillars of the Earth & one could read it as a standalone novel. Indeed, many of the characters & situations echo thosein that book, soin some ways it's like a 14th C reimagining of Pillars. It is probably too long, but Follett's writing here is almost as gripping asin Pillars. However, unlike its predecessor, I did get rather tired of the never ending soap opera of gloom & doom, a bit like a Medieval Eastenders. The level of violence & body horror seemed a bit gratuitousin places as well. Some of the characters (e.g. Merthin) have unusual Christian names & I wondered what the research evidence for this was. There were also some simple mistakes (a reference to Florence having a doge - that was Venice). Allin all, a good read, though not up to the standards of its predecessor.
