World Without End by Ken Follett

"Caris had to fight back her own grief. Her loss was nothing compared with theirs. She did not know why God so often took the best people and left the wicked alive to do more wrong. The whole idea of a benevolent deity watching over everyone seemed unbelievable at moments such as this."
                                        -from the novel

Wow! What an amazing story! Several years ago our group read Pillars of the Earth, the first in Follett's Kingsbridge series. It was well-liked, being rated 4.7. World Without End is a sequel set in the town of Kingsbridge, England in the 14th century, some 200 years after the original story. There are rare references to the building of the local cathedral from book one but this novel can be enjoyed in its own right.

At 1000+ pages, I hesitated to select it for the Page Turners but was influenced by a couple of factors: 1) I found a copy on my bookshelf which I'd forgotten about, 2) no meeting in December meant we had almost 2 months to read the novel, 3) polling the group showed some interest.

I thought I might give the book a 4 rating because it took me SO long to finish it---almost a month---very frustrating. However, I was fascinated by the story so I upgraded my rating to a 5.  I am not sure why Follett could not have published the saga in 2 or 3 novels instead of one tome! I learned it took 3 years to write.

Early in the novel, 4 preteens---brothers Merthin and Ralph and friends Caris and Gwenda---while galivanting in the woods come upon a frightening scene. A knight has buried a mysterious letter and is subsequently attacked by several men. The story then revolves around the four as they grown into adulthood---one becoming a gifted architect, another a depraved nobleman, another a nun with a gift of healing and the last a farm wife working her fingers to the bone. Of course, numerous secondary characters come and go, including many who succumb to the Black Death, or plague.

It has been a long time since I read a novel set in the Middle Ages and I was jolted once again by the cruelty of punishments and the terrible lack of regard for women. It may be a long time before I take on such a lengthy book again but I really enjoyed World Without End. It remains to be seen how the Page Turners will react. I already have heard from a few they did not read it. More after the meeting this week......
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We had a smaller number of folks at our meeting---only 12. People traveling, sick or simply did not want to read the book. Our average rating for World Without End was 3.8; it was liked by most but not really loved. Only one person other than me rated it a 5. It seemed we were all impressed with the amount of research done by the author but most were intimidated by 1000+ pages!

We could agree we learned a great deal about the 14th century, enough to be grateful we live NOW. Also we thought the women characters were strong and Ralph was the one we loved to hate. The discussion questions issued by the publisher, easily found on LitLovers.com, were very thought-provoking. "What does the book's title mean?" was especially appropriate. One member recalled Prior Godwyn saying, in a sermon, "...world without end, amen." Someone else thought the symbolism of the bridge and tower pointed to the lifting of Kingsbridge to a place of prominence in the world. As always the discussion was enlightening.