Now, with England at the dawn of the Middle Ages, these three people will each come into dangerous conflict with a ruthless bishop, who will do anything to increase his wealth and power, in an epic tale of ambition, rivalry, love and hate. There is, of course -- and I hate to say 'of course', but, well, here we are -- a rape scene. It isn't as graphic as it might be, but it's also just... wearying. I can recognize that, yes, both the rape and its context would not be unusual for the period and still be tired of the trope appearing in fiction. I wish Follett had found some other means of inflicting stress upon his heroine. Another scene, while positively framed, reminded me that I could also do without ever reading a male author trying to write a woman's perspective of her own genitalia ever again. There were three ships in the harbor now, he saw by starlight: two herring fishers and a Frankish merchant ship. Dragged up on the beach were a handful of smaller craft, river and coastal vessels. He had helped to build one of the fishers. But he could remember a time when there had always been a dozen or more ships in port. The story blends many characters both sinister and well intentioned into the village that would one day be Knightsbridge. The story takes us through the interweaving of a cast of characters that would eventually shape the town and the cathedral that many of us came to know in Mr Follett's previous books.

Just as transporting as [ The Pillars of the Earth] . . . A most welcome addition to the Kingsbridge series.”— The Washington Post His heart lifted. He had got away. And he was going to meet the woman he loved. The stars were brilliant; the beach glowed white; and when his oars broke the surface of the water, the curling foam was like the fall of her hair on her shoulders. Ken Follet a urcat vertiginos în topul autorilor mei preferați după ce am citit Căderea uriașilor. Așa cum îmi stă în fie, atunci când un autor îmi place, caut să îi citesc cât mai multe cărți. Imediat după Căderea uriașilor, pentru că îmi lipseau următoarele volume, am început seria Kingsbridge, care la vremea aceea avea trei volume: Vol. I – Stâlpii Pământului Vol. II – O lume fără sfârșit Vol III – Coloana de foc. Seria Kingsbridge începe în secolul al XII-lea și se termină, trei volume mai târziu, în secolul al XVII-lea, lăsând cititorul tulburat, revoltat, încântat și cam toate stările pe care o serie atât de lungă ți le poate trezi. Ken Follet crează un univers dens, plin de personaje interesante, complexe, într-o ficțiune istorică extrem de bine documentată, cu multe fire narative care ajung să se întâlnească într-un final. From master storyteller Ken Follett, The Evening and the Morning is a historical epic that ends where The Pillars of the Earth begins. Edgar is at the beach waiting for Sunni. They’ve been planning a escape for sometime, and... if everything goes according to plan ... tonight will be the night!The Pillars of the Earth was followed by two sequels, World Without End (my favourite because it incorporated the bubonic plague of the fourteen century) and A Column of Fire (which I own, but haven't yet read, set in the sixteenth century). All, including this one, can be read and enjoyed as standalones, since they are set in different centuries, with characters that are either descendants or ancestors. Ken Follet is a true talent, and The Evening and the Morning was an addictive, engrossing, epic experience, that I have no hesitation in recommending. I love this time period and I have always been fascinated by all of the political maneuvering. Guess that is one constant in all of human history and, unfortunately, will probably never change. The thrilling and addictive prequel to The Pillars of the Earth—set in England at the dawn of a new era: the Middle Ages

Edgar was not sure how much of the night had passed, because he might have dozed off, perhaps more than once. Earlier, he had listened to the sounds of the town settling for the night: a couple of drunks singing an obscene ditty, the bitter accusations of a marital quarrel in a neighboring house, a door slamming and a dog barking and, somewhere nearby, a woman sobbing. But now there was nothing but the soft lullaby of waves on a sheltered beach. He stared in the direction of the door, looking for telltale lines of light around its edges, and saw only darkness. That meant either that the moon had set, so the night was well advanced, or that the sky was cloudy, which would tell him nothing. A series based on the book is in the works at Legendary Television and Range Media Partners. [4] Characters [ edit ] many names sounded very similar, even though characters were not necessarily related. At times, it was difficult to sort them out, especially via audiobook; We follow the lives of 3 main characters, a Norman/English noblewoman, a shipbuilder/craftsman and an abbot. There stories are intertwined with the development of the town, the governance of the regions and how these three main characters act and interact to the evils and disappointments that come into their lives.The lives of Edgar, Ragna, Aldred, and Wynstam cross paths as they go up against obstacles, some in intricate conflict with one another. Follett adroitly captures life in the 10th century, from the beliefs of the time — e.g., that women would only become pregnant if they enjoyed sexual intercourse — to the transcendence of witnessing a birth: Three distinct characters emerge, each with their own stories and hopes for the years to come. Edgar is a young boatbuilder, who lost the love of his life during a Viking raid. Ragna is a noblewoman who arrives from Normandy and seeks to make a new life for herself. Aldred is a young monk and hopes to make an ecclesiastical mark while setting up a monastery to help enrich the community. Each has a tale all their own, but their lives inch closer to being intertwined.