While there were portions that delved into areas that I did not find as alluring, there is surely something for everyone with this piece, leaving me enthralled with everything I read. From the bestselling author Ken Follett, The Evening and the Morning is a historical epic that ends where The Pillars of the Earth begins. The conversations at times felt oddly too modern, but there’s no doubt that Follett excels at making history so accessible through his captivating characters and story telling.

Dreng throws the baby into the river despite the protests of Blod, Edgar, and both Dreng's own wives. I rarely read books over 500 pages but when I do I need to to be a book that I can get lost in and The Evening and the Morning fitted the bill perfectly for me. Rather, she does all she can to show her children that love and determination mean more than anything else. As usual, I enjoyed the historical details—although, as Follet notes in the afterword, “The Dark Age left few traces.By the time it was over, it turned out to be a most enjoyable escapist journey via historical fiction. Follett captivates as he reshapes the narrative throughout, spinning three stories and trying to bring them together under one proverbial roof. Follett weaves a tale that is not only impactful, but offers series fans a remarkable treat and will have them rushing to re-read this epic series. Myself, I've seen enough to not go and venture into Kingsbridge (or Follett's formulaic writing) ever again! Ragna is appaled at the harsher living conditions in her new home town, the corrupt justice system, and the treatment of slaves.

Aldred provides the steadfast character of the Church, a bulwark against corruption both in the Church and in the political life of the community at large. And for first-timers like myself, I can say from experience that they have nothing holding them back from diving right in. The main characters were Edgar, who was a boatbuilder and was MacGyver-like in being able to put together a plan quickly and make something work from nothing; and Ragna, a Norman noblewoman, who comes to England when she marries an English earl, and is very smart and courageous. You wouldn’t be far off if you said The Evening in the Morning is essentially The Pillars of the Earth with a different cover.With the Kings grasp on the country fragile and with no clear rule of law, chaos and bloodshed reigns. There are also love affairs, devotion to family, marriage celebrations, religious ceremonies, and court deliberations. Record keeping, literature, and lives could be stamped out by a Viking raid or by fires or any of a number of other tragedies. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. I was very hopeful that this book would be in line with the depth and breadth of an epic tale as I felt when I read Pillars.