World Without End by Ken Follett

With reading going slowly I am putting up a review I wrote for myself 10 years ago.

****

20. - 430.) World Without End by Ken Follett - The story of Kingsbridge Cathedral resumes 200 years after its construction. Over the second quarter of the 13^th Century we follow Merthin, the oldest son of impoverished nobility, and Caris, the younger daughter of a prosperous wool merchant. The book takes us from their youth through to old age (an era when anyone surviving to their 50’s was considered old). Around them swirl a colourful set of characters (the book would make an excellent television mini-series). Merthin is a skilled architect and builder. Caris is a bold independent thinker with a talent for healing and leading. They face credible life challenges. I had forgotten about the complexities of societal relationships between the religious (monks / nuns / general clergy), townspeople (merchants / labourers / tradesmen / artisans), famers (serfs / tenants) and nobility (lords / ladies / squires). Amidst the triumphs and tragedies of regular life the Black Death descends upon them with an unbelievable ferocity for which there is no modern equivalent. It has been a long time since I read a saga. It is a wonderful portrait of life. Hardcover. (May 20/08)

****

It did become a mini-series in 2012. I did not watch the series.

I am thinking it is about time I read another saga.