A Column of Fire shares a major plot element with Follet's Winter of the World. Though set in respectively the 16th Century and the 20th, both novels have a rich commoner woman (Margery Fitzgerald in the one book, Daisy Peshkov in the other) marrying the scion of a titled English aristocratic family. In both books, the character finds herself trapped in a loveless and unhappy marriage, overshadowed by her husband's powerful autocratic father, and must try to make the best of it; starts a secret affair with a man she truly loves; and is able, after many tribulations, to escape the unhappy aristocratic marriage and happily marry her true love. I found myself not caring at all about most of these characters or their lives for that matter. I didn’t know enough about them and when the story started moving they were never really built upon. Rollo Fitzgerald was awkwardly absent for large parts of the novel after initially being set up as a very important character. There were large transition periods between the characters’ lives that we seemed to miss and the story never fully came together as it needed to. Moreover, and most significantly, there was no sense of Kingsbridge community spirit. So that meant when danger did hit Kingsbridge, I yawned. Follett is a master of historical fiction, with meticulous research, adept storytelling and an ability to capture the reader’s interest with colorful, smooth language. As captured in his previous books in the Kingsbridge series, Follett’s characters are lively, full of emotion and relatable, making the book’s length of no great concern for old fans or new readers alike. A Column of Fire follows the 1558 romance between Ned Willard and Margery Fitzgerald, continuing on through half a century of political intrigue and turmoil. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland - A Catholic, briefly Queen Consort of France, niece of Scarface and Cardinal Charles, called Mary, Queen of Scots.

Three great sixteenth century leaders understood the need for religious tolerance, and interestingly they were all women: our Queen Elizabeth I; Caterina dei Medici, who was queen of France and then Queen Mother; and Marguerite de Parme, governor of the Netherlands. In an age of relentless bigotry, each of them tried to persuade people of rival religions to live in peace. For that they were hated. Their efforts were only partly successful. Each of them was undermined: Elizabeth by repeated plots to assassinate her, Caterina by the ruthless Guise family, and Marguerite by her half-brother King Felipe II of Spain. I admire their idealism, courage and persistence in the face of bloodthirsty opposition.It turns out that Kingsbridgers are responsible for all the unsolved crimes of the age (except those carried out by Pierre, bastard son of a bastard priest fathered by a “nobleman” - that’s his “excuse”!) When Pierre has the name of every Protestant in Paris, the Duke of Guise instigates the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, a brutal slaughtering of Protestants. Sylvie is the only survivor. She becomes impoverished and considers turning to prostitution to survive. With this book he covers the years from 1558 and 1620, considered one of the most turbulent and revolutionary times in history.

If you want to know who committed all the unsolved crimes in history, look no further than Kingsbridge. The descendants of people we met in the first two volumes are let out on the wider world to behave as if they were clones of their antecedents, as if being a baddie were inevitable- biology as destiny! From producer/writer/director Edward Burns, this dramedy set in 1984 revolves around three 20-something best friends setting out to pursue their dreams and seek out their place in Ronald Reagan’s America. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost. We hanged him in front of Kingsbridge Cathedral. It is the usual place for executions. After all, if you can’t kill a man in front of God’s face you probably shouldn’t kill him at all.”..."

International bestselling author Ken Follett has enthralled millions of readers with The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, two stories of the Middle Ages set in the fictional city of Kingsbridge. The saga now continues with Follett's magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire. Author Ken Follett has crafted an engaging—and often absolutely gripping—story about the violent and brutal birth of Protestantism in England, France, Spain and the Netherlands in the 16th century. The book, which is the third in the Kingsbridge series and preceded by "Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End," is peppered with real-life people who actually shaped these events, as well as fictional heroes and villains. (A helpful list at the end of the book explains who was real.) Largely, this major fault of the book was its scope. It was too expansive, too spread out over a large geographical area, for the reader to really get involved in the characters. It ventured too far outside of Kingsbridge, which is where the heart of this series is.

The Kingsbridge series has been nothing but a masterpiece in storytelling, and historical enlightenment! In this latest entry, Follett focus his attention in diverging European religious and political ideology in a devilish entertaining way. At the height of European transition fro

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This series makes me sigh as It wraps around me much like a caterpillar In a cocoon. It is fabulously rich in character and plot development and leaves me longing for the next big book you write -especially during the 16th century. Millions of readers have been enthralled by the saga that began in The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, which now continues with Ken Follett's magnificent, gripping A Column of Fire.

With a tome of this length, my review could go on forever. I plan to keep it shorter than that. Ned Willard is the protagonist, and the novel follows his life from a teenager to a 70-year-old man through which time he has many lovers, wives, friends, and family. He is one of the most respectable characters I've ever met in a book, and while he certainly does a few things that I'd consider wrong by today's standards, he was a visionary nearly 500 years ago. His treatment of others despite their beliefs, gender, race, or status were fantastic. He acted the act when he needed to but always to achieve a goal to ultimately help people. And he suffered... more than any man should. You bet. We've watched the place grow from an Anglo-Norman settlement to a thriving medieval town, and now we see it at the start of the English Renaissance. Kingsbridge is England in miniature.

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With these two major viewpoint characters thrown out of Kingsbridge and into the wider scene, the book's focus changes. Unlike the two previous novels in this series, a large portion of the plot takes place outside the town of Kingsbridge, utilizing such far-flung settings as London, Paris, Seville, Geneva, Antwerp, Scotland and the Caribbean, and involving many major characters who have no direct connection with the town. In the later part of the book, Ned Willard's nephew Alfonso restores the Willard family fortunes by conducting projects designed by his grand-mother and becomes the new Mayor like his grand-father. However, to the end of the book the local affairs of Kingsbridge remain secondary to the greater political and religious struggles. The story is as brutal as it is historical with characters the reader will recognise and some they will not, facts they will know and others they will not. Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents. When a man is certain that he knows God’s will, and is resolved to do it regardless of the cost, he is the most dangerous person in the world”. Today’s evangelical Christianity movement in the USA, the heir apparent to 16th century Puritans who evolved from early Protestantism, demonstrate the obvious truth of such an aphorism. How about this one?