wujoe

I find Ken Follett's writing infuriating. In many ways, he is brilliant: Great stories, action, characters, research. On the other hand, he can sometimes appear very lazy in the previously mentioned areas. This book is a sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth." It takes place 200 years later in the same town of Kingsbridge and features the descendants of the original characters. There are many great elements to the intertwined stories and character that make it worth reading but... it often seems anachronistic. The characters often have interactions and dialogue that reflect modern-day "politically correct" thought. I read somewhere that Mr. Follett is very involved in Labour politics in England; those politics are coming through loud and clear in this book. I am not criticizing his politics, I just prefer novels to stay in the story-telling realm rather than become preachy. (I have noticed this tendency in some other British authors, I wonder why) I have read Rabelais (a famous medieval French author) and other historical novels so I understand that there was a lot of wild stuff going on in those days but Mr. Follett's narrative does not always ring true for some reason. The author also injects many graphic sex scenes in this book--as he does in most everything he writes. I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but these scenes often appear gratuitous and grafted onto the story for no reason. This story combines historical and religious themes, much of it takes place during the Black Plague that decimated Europe. I kept comparing this book to the novels of Isaac Bashevis Singer where he deals with life in the Old Country, religious superstitions, etc. IMHO in a much more elegant and masterful way. In short, worth reading especially if you liked "Pillars" but a little disappointing.

2020-08-26 19:38