Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.  Very long but very readable. Compares well to the Pillers of the Earth. Totally loved the read.

Absolutely epic! Ken Follet is one of my favorite authors, and I had absolutely loved Pillars of the Earth, so I was very very excited to be able to review this book, and curious to see whether it would hold up to its predecessor. I need not have worried. I was immediately immersed in the characters' daily struggles and life as they loved, worked, survived each day. Ken Follet makes the past come alive, and is able to balance detailed accounts of early life with action, romance, and power struggles. I loved every page and even though it is a door-stopped of a book, I consider it time well spent!

If you liked Pillars of the Earth you will not want to miss this book.  Follett does a wonderful job of making the distant past come alive. I always learn something about how society worked in earlier times while still noting that people’s motivations and desires are timeless.

Standard fare of good guys vs. bad guys and romance. What keeps it from being mundane is the historical details.or the attempt at historical details. The author notes that it’s called the dark ages for a reason; we don’t know a lot about that time. He has attempted to do his best with the info that exists. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Having listened to the other books in Ken Follett's series about life in the early centuries England I knew I was in for a fascinating look at a time that little has been written about and I was delighted to learn that the same narrator who has done many of his books recorded this book as well. His books are an investment due to their large volume but the story flows as easily as the river that runs by the little village in the book.  His characters are true to the time period yet we can identify with their joy and sorrow, their temptations and good deeds.  This saga begins in a little village with a wise young man who longs to be a builder and a  young woman coming from Normandy to wed the town alderman in an arranged marriage that she hopes is being made for love.  England is in danger from Viking raiders from afar but some of their local problems are universal such as political scheming,  skimming of the profits, bandits and  a reluctance to try something new.  Follett has the gift of writing about everyday life and people we don't know but feel like we could all the while teaching us about an interesting period of history.  For those of you who have not read his other series - this is the perfect one to start with and for his many fans - this is the one you have been waiting for. While this may not be for young listeners it makes for a very long enjoyable car ride.   My thanks to the publisher for the advance audio copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Solid 4 stars.

Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite books so I was excited to read the prequel.  The book covers about a decade of the dark ages in England starting at 997 and follows the lives of three main characters: Ragna is a Norman noblewoman who marries powerful Wilwulf, Edgar a young shipbuilder, and Aldred an ambitious (but kind) monk.

I enjoyed most of the book, especially Edgar and watching him build things.  I tired quickly of the power struggles of the rich and powerful, especially the evil machinations of the clergy scheming to keep their power. I can't imagine how hard it was living at that time.  The best parts of the book were when the author described daily life and its challenges.

Over a century before The Pillars of the Earth, the future English cathedral town of Kingsbridge is a mere hamlet with a stone church, ferry, alehouse, and a scattering of humble buildings. Follett’s supremely entertaining prequel centers on the locale known then as Dreng’s Ferry – named after a surly business owner – and the city of Shiring, while dramatizing their inhabitants’ interactions around the first millennium CE.

Three plucky protagonists have ambitious dreams that set them apart. Edgar, an illiterate boatbuilder with an engineer’s mind, loses his lover to a brutal Viking raid and works to raise his family out of poverty. Lady Ragna, the Count of Cherbourg’s daughter, leaves Normandy to marry her wealthy betrothed but is dismayed by her new life’s reality. And a monk, Brother Aldred, seeks to develop his abbey’s scriptorium and library into an educational beacon. However, with political influence held by a trio of wily brothers and their relatives, anyone stepping outside their societal role risks having their hopes, indeed their very lives, crushed. Wynstan, Bishop of Shiring, is a notably formidable nemesis.

Bursting with personality and detailed re-creations of daily life in historic England, this story is vintage Follett. Anyone who loved Pillars will want to scoop it right up. The characters, while belonging to their era, are recognizable types that make it easy to identify with or hiss at them. The momentum never flags, an impressive achievement in a tome that sprawls in length but not setting or time. Two pervasive themes are the corruption of power, and how average people have few choices. King Ethelred is a distant presence, and justice depends on leaders’ personalities and whims. Slave girls suffer particularly violent fates. It is frustrating to see our heroes’ plans so frequently thwarted, but one can’t help but read on, hoping for a better future – as the evocative title signifies.

(from the Historical Novels Review, November 2020)

It was good reading about kingsbridge again. I hope the author will continue on and connect to Pillers of the Earth. Thank you for letting me review this book

I enjoyed this, but can not speak to how well it compares to the rest of this series. 

When Ken Follett’s Pillars Of The Earth was published I had just read Sharon Kay Penmanship When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine #1), which is one of my favorite books of all-time, and I just couldn’t motivate myself to read another 900+ page book that takes place during the same time period. 

It has, however, stayed on my TBR list. So, I was very pleasantly surprised to see Follet had written a prequel & decided it was the perfect time to dive into this series.

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, unfortunate, will probably never change. 

Follet is great a descriptive writer, however, I did find the attention to details a lil overdone. The last 1/4 I admit to skimming sections. 

This was definitely a good verses evil narrative. Evil seemed to prevail to a disturbing degree and the back/forth plotting was a bit exhausting by the conclusion. 

Overall, I thought this was good. I enjoyed the first half of the story, but the things that I found tiresome really ended up spoiling the second half. Really think it could have been condensed to about 500 pgs and been a 5 star read. 

Again, I’ve not read the rest of the series which may have lessen my enjoyed of it. 3.5 stars.

I read PILLARS OF THE EARTH over 30 years ago but never forgot the impact that the book had on my reading life. For many years, it was the my most recommended book of all time even though it, at over 1000 pages, it would be one of the longest most of us had read. Diving into a Kingsbridge novel, then, is definitely a commitment but assures transport to another time, another world.

This historical fiction is the 4th Follett has written in the series, but is, in fact a prequel. Within the first several pages, however, any inclination to romanticize England just after the Dark Ages should/will be immediately put aside. The fall of the Roman Empire resulted in a deterioration of Western Europe that was characterized by economic hardship, intellectual darkness, and upheaval throughout the land with many warring factions and some very poor leadership. This novel spans the time period of 997 CE to 1007 CE and describes the many social, cultural, and cognitive improvements made through great sacrifice. 

The characters come alive on the pages and reflect the different classes of people that appear in a section of land that comes to be known as Kingsbridge. Some there by choice and others by coercion. At the heart of it is Edgar, the protagonist, who loses his home in Combe when Vikings raid and results in the family having to move to a very backward place called Dreng's Ferry. As always, Follett frames his novel around a builder, and Edgar's transformation of both himself and the town. A second thread in the story revolves around Lady Ragna of Cherbourg, who comes to England after marrying an ealdorman. And the third piece concerns an evil and ambitious bishop who wants power and wealth. The interaction between the three central characters forms the action and narrative. NO SPOILERS.

I thought it would take me a bit longer to read this 982-page saga, but I found it really difficult to put down and devoured it quickly. Keeping all the different characters straight is easier that way, of course, plus the events and conflicts were absorbing. Follett's research provides incredible detail and description and I found it all compelling and fascinating. After finishing it, all I could think about was revisiting POTE again even though I almost never reread a book. If you've not read any of this series, this is definitely where you should start.

I can't come to grips with how awful life must have been during that time period. Life meant nothing and the extreme deprivation and hardship is hard to read about without wincing in distaste and shuddering with disgust. Women had basically zero rights or privileges even if wealthy or noble and law and order were largely absent. It never ceases to amaze me to realize what marvelous achievements were accomplished despite all of that and just how far we all have come. 

So, definitely, I highly recommend this to all fans of historical fiction and especially those who have followed this series faithfully. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Rich, complex, long, highly-anticipated, beautiful, ambitious, long, heavy, and consuming - all words that describe this prequel to Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. With a page count over 900, this book is a time investment, but well worth it. I sat down, committed to the time it would take and began reading. The story consumed me and I was left feeling the same way I felt when I was reading the other books in the Kingsbridge series: accomplished and satisfied with the story and really surprised that it didn't take me as long as I thought it would!

The Evening and the Morning is a prequel to the Pillars of the Earth trilogy.  It is an engaging and enlightening, lengthy read !but I hung onto every word.

Ken Follett is a masterfully skillful writer.  You will remember every page of his books long after you've turned the last page and closed the cover.  His characters are multi dimensional, driven by human emotions and aspirations.  His back stories and the communities, towns, cities, villages, even their individual homes are built in layers, giving them depth that sets the characters' lives apart from the usual.  Follett's stories are truly unforgettable.

The Evening and the Morning is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth trilogy, a worldwide best seller, as most of Follett's books are.  The characters' lives will circle each other until their paths cross and their histories join.  The book may be intimidating at a little under 1000 pages, but in the end, the research and intense focus on the characters and their era make the story unforgettable.  A 5 star story written by a 5 star author.

As always Ken Follet shows his mastery skills in world building! The Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite novels and I was excited to dig into his new release. It did not disappoint, it was more than I expected. I absolutely loved it.

While The Evening and The Morning lacks the gritty determination of its predecessor-The Pillars of the Earth-it does have the same eloquence and depth of characters, scenery, and language that is the hallmark of a Ken Follett novel. The problem with a prequel is we already know what happens next-and since The Evening and The Morning does not have a "main theme" (the building of a cathedral) that was the heart of The Pillars of the Earth, The Evening and the Morning  feels less "enthralling." But that does not make The Evening and the Morning a lesser work-only that its focus is more on relationships between the characters and the hardships of living in medival England. The Evening and the Morning is lengthy, and it's hard to remain engrossed for over 900 pages, but the slight lapses in momentum are offset by magnificient writing, fascinating characters (Ragna!!) and vivid descriptions of the landscape. The Evening and the Morning is a beautiful novel that you will enjoy even if you have not read The Pillars of the Earth-perhaps you will even enjoy it more if you don't know what's coming next!

"The Evening and the Morning" by Ken Follett, Viking, 928 pages, Sept. 15, 2020.

This is a prequel to Ken Follett's masterpiece, "The Pillars of the Earth," and is set in 997 Common Era at the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east.

Edgar is the youngest of three brothers. All three work with their father as boatbuilders. They live in Combe, England. Edgar has built his own boat and sneaks away early one morning to meet the woman he loves, Sunni.

Sunni is married to someone else. Edgar and Sunni are going to run away to another village. Before he reaches her, Edgar sees ships. Vikings are attacking. He sounds an alarm. After the Viking attack, Edgar and his family move to a small hamlet, Dreng's Ferry.

Brother Aldred wants to return to his abbey in Shiring to show the monks how religious books are being illustrated. He wants to turn the abbey into a center of learning. 

The Lady Ragna, who is from Normandy, marries for love, but after she moves across the sea to England she learns that everyone around her is battling for power.

Edgar, Aldred and Ragna, the three main characters, interact.

"The Evening and the Morning" is a fascinating mix of drama and history. It is really nice to see such Ragna, such a strong female character. The reader feels for the characters throughout their challenges, successes and failures. I was totally absorbed in the time period. This is my favorite historical series. It is enjoyable even if you haven't read the others in the Kingsbridge series, but I highly recommend the others as well.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss and NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The popular Kingsbridge series began in 1989 when author Ken Follett, known for high-octane thrillers and spy mysteries, published The Pillars of the Earth, a book about the building of a 12th-century church. It became a hit, and two more books eventually followed: World Without End in 2007 and A Column of Fire in 2017.

With this newest installment, fans of the series will be thrilled to visit their favorite medieval town again. But people who’ve yet to read any of the earlier books need not worry: The Evening and the Morning is a prequel.


Read full review at the link

I love Ken Follett’s series that began with The Pillars of the Earth. Now he has written a prequel for it. And it continues to please. I know the bad guys are going to lose in the end, but they always hang on until the last pages. As in the other three books, the characters are connected to Kingsbridge, which in this case was the small hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry. It is a story of the Dark Ages, beginning in 997 with a Viking attack. What I found most interesting about this book is the focus on small projects, like a bridge which replaced the ferry, bringing more people into town as well as building of a small monastery church. Technology today seems so small, and yet it was an important part of the buildup of building the large cathedrals. What surprised me—the local priest’s determination to provide education to laypeople. Yes, for the most part they were monied people because the school supported the church. I thought that during the dark ages books were chained to the shelves of the church libraries and because knowledge was power, only the local aristocracy and the religious leaders were allowed to read. And yet here, Brother Aldred is determined to start a school. In exchange for Edgar, a boatbuilder who evolved into a carpenter, building the bridge Edgar taught him to read.

Ken Follett delivered a perfect  prequel. Anyone who loved Pillars of the Earth will not be disappointed.

Read it in a day. A good story. I will recommend it to patrons. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.