I haven’t read a story like this in ages. Seriously, I was in the middle of a Rushdie book and had to sideline Salman for a couple of weeks – yeah, it was *that* good. This book plunges you right into the Dark Ages, that period after the Romans left England where, let’s be honest, not much was happening besides religion, superstition, infighting, and the occasional Viking raid. We're talking about the years 997 – 1007 AD. The two main characters are Edgar, a bright, ambitious young man and the...

Why I chose to read this book: 1. Even though I really enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, I wasn't too crazy about Ken Follett's A Column of Fire. I thought I would give Follett one more chance with this prequel; and, 2. my audiobook hold became available. Praises: 1. Unlike ACoF, I appreciated that this story returned to Kingsbridge (known as Dreng's Ferry during the Dark Ages); and, 2. narrator John Lee does a very fine job. Niggles: 1. In typical Follett fashion, our prot...

A genuinely interesting prequel; it's lengthy, but absolutely worth the time investment. I think this might be the first historical fiction I've read focusing on the period before Hastings, so I'm giving it a fourth star for the rich historical backdrop it provides. The story of Kingsbridge begins seventy years prior to the Norman invasion, and the book seamlessly integrates the relationships with the Normans, the legal disparities, the cultural clashes, Viking raids, and more. Time very well sp...

Pure Escapism from page one... Exactly what I needed, and perfect for October reading. A vivid, absorbing, and often dark historical fiction tale of good versus evil, love and hate, set in a time when corruption and injustice were the norm. An unputdownable saga, yet horrifying in places. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, but I loved escaping back to the Dark Ages with Ken Follett's *The Evening and the Morning* every evening after work. It really drove home that life in 997 was no...

I'm officially in a book coma… after devouring the previous three Kingsbridge novels, was I going to miss the prequel, Ken Follett's *The Evening and the Morning*? Absolutely not. I had to read it ASAP. NetGalley turned me down, so I waited for the library to have it, since I'd promised myself no new books until I tackled my TBR pile. I figured it'd take two months to reach me on the list, but then, four days ago, the NYPL told me I was next. So, naturally, I dove in the moment I arrived in Main...

It took me a little while to get completely absorbed, but once I did, I was hooked for all 900+ pages! "The Evening and the Morning" by Ken Follett follows the intertwined stories of three main characters in England between 997 and 1007 CE, along with a whole host of others. This was a truly chaotic era, rife with violence and power struggles over land and riches. It’s all here: men versus men, men versus the church, men versus their king, men versus women, slavery, the haves versus the have-not...

I wasn't sure if I was going to review this book because, honestly, I feel pretty ambivalent towards it. I liked The Evening and the Morning more than A Column of Fire, but still quite a lot less than the previous two books in the Kingsbridge series. I agree with the reviews that say The Evening and the Morning has a closer feel to the first two books than A Column of Fire. It has that pastoral, everyday life feel that I came to love so much in The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. I ...

I'm bumping my original 4.5-star rating up to a full 5 stars because of how thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable *The Evening and the Morning* is! At first glance, this book looks intimidating with its 928 pages. But once you dive in, the story moves quickly, and there's hardly a dull moment. It's set in the year 997, as the Dark Ages are ending and the Medieval period is beginning. Ken Follett vividly describes the growth and transformation of a crude, small village into the thriving town of K...

What a letdown. It's Follett doing his usual weaving together of different characters' stories, but this one just doesn't grab you. The characters feel flat, and the plotlines drag. Overall, **The Evening and the Morning** is just… lacking. If you're looking for a great **Ken Follett book review**, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

The year is 997 AD, the tail end of the Dark Ages in England, and one man is striving to make his abbey a beacon of learning, while others scheme, fight, and exploit corruption for power. Marriages are rarely about choice but are strategic arrangements, and the era is rife with power plays, wars, corruption, and greed. Yet, amidst all this, there's also a strong sense of family, love, hope, survival, and friendship. This book, "The Evening and the Morning", is the prequel to "The Pillars of the...