The Evening and the Morning: The Prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, A Kingsbridge Novel
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- Create Date：2021-10-07 00:16:22
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Ken Follett
- ISBN：1447278801
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Summary
It is 997 CE， the end of the Dark Ages。 England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east。 Those in power bend justice according to their will， regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king。 Without a clear rule of law， chaos reigns。
In these turbulent times， three characters find their lives intertwined。 A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings， forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in。 。 。 。 A Norman noblewoman marries for love， following her husband across the sea to a new land， but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different， and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant， brutal battle for power， it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic。 。 。 。 A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe。 And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power。
In these turbulent times， three characters find their lives intertwined。 A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings， forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in。 。 。 。 A Norman noblewoman marries for love， following her husband across the sea to a new land， but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different， and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant， brutal battle for power， it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic。 。 。 。 A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe。 And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power。
Reviews
Liz
，
Great airplane book。 The last 100 pages drag a bit。 There are a few moments when the author repeats historical facts far too many times （did you know that， during the Dark Ages， women who didn't cover their hair were often considered prostitutes？）。 Hmm， am I intrigued enough to check out the other books in this series， or is reading one good enough for me？ （I wonder if the books interrelate to each other in some way—there were definitely parts of this "prequel" where I was wondering， why are we Great airplane book。 The last 100 pages drag a bit。 There are a few moments when the author repeats historical facts far too many times （did you know that， during the Dark Ages， women who didn't cover their hair were often considered prostitutes？）。 Hmm， am I intrigued enough to check out the other books in this series， or is reading one good enough for me？ （I wonder if the books interrelate to each other in some way—there were definitely parts of this "prequel" where I was wondering， why are we getting this information or going into this tangent that seems a bit irrelevant， is it because it's back story that's setting up a later storyline in the sequels？）Really interesting to read about how much slavery formed part of daily life in England during this era; the conflicts between the Britons， Anglo-Saxons， Vikings and Normans; the tensions between the king and the nobility; between the monks and the priests; the struggle to create rule of law and an objective justice system。。。 Lots of super interesting stuff in here。 。。。more
Hannah smith
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I found it a lot more enjoyable than the trilogy
Elizabeth Jensen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Prequel to Pillars of the Earth。 Masterful story as always set around the year 1000 AD in England when Viking raiders were still a force to be reckoned with。
Jen Hickey
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Classic Ken Follett。 You loathe some characters， root for others， learn new things， and question if you should read Pillars of the Earth again。
Leslie
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I rarely read prequels but made an exception based on a recommendation from a fellow reader。This did not disappoint in any way at all， a great read。
Kathe McGwin
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I absolutely loved this book。 I love Ken Follett and this book did not disappoint。 I enjoyed the story line of medieval England， church corruption and the role of women。
Adrianna Kenworthy
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Interesting read， although a bit gory， during the period at the end of the Dark Ages。 A Prequel to The Pillars of the Earth trilogy， but I felt like it didn't have much to do with the series。 Although I have read the Trilogy I couldn't remember enough to make any difference。 Interesting read， although a bit gory， during the period at the end of the Dark Ages。 A Prequel to The Pillars of the Earth trilogy， but I felt like it didn't have much to do with the series。 Although I have read the Trilogy I couldn't remember enough to make any difference。 。。。more
Gabe Iversen
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Enjoyable but so similar to The Pillars of The Earth。 If you liked the latter and want more even after 800+ pages you’ll find that the characters and settings are much the same。 New names and new circumstances but the conflicts and personalities really felt like a reincarnation of Pillars。
Christie Beckett
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Not my fave。 I haven’t read the other books in this series， which probably didn’t help， but I thought this pretty dry and boring。
Linda Juliano
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I typically love Ken Follett books， so it was a big surprise when I had trouble getting into this one。 It isn't one of his best， I'm afraid。 For the first time ever， I found myself skipping and skimming through the pages。 It was good， but not great by any means。 I liked the characters， but I never felt very attached。 Unlike in other books such as Pillars of The Earth or the wonderful Century Trilogy。That said， read the book。 You might feel differently and I'd hate for you to miss that opportunit I typically love Ken Follett books， so it was a big surprise when I had trouble getting into this one。 It isn't one of his best， I'm afraid。 For the first time ever， I found myself skipping and skimming through the pages。 It was good， but not great by any means。 I liked the characters， but I never felt very attached。 Unlike in other books such as Pillars of The Earth or the wonderful Century Trilogy。That said， read the book。 You might feel differently and I'd hate for you to miss that opportunity。 。。。more
Brenda Hasse
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I appreciate the research that goes into Ken's novels。 It gives a glimpse into the history， culture， and lifestyle of a time long ago。 The politics and underhandedness are interesting too。 I would have liked the author to 'describe' a character's emotions instead of 'telling。' I found he used the word 'felt' to do this - 'Ragna felt frustrated。' The word 'felt' was overused， with several sometimes on one page。 I liked the storyline。 I appreciate the research that goes into Ken's novels。 It gives a glimpse into the history， culture， and lifestyle of a time long ago。 The politics and underhandedness are interesting too。 I would have liked the author to 'describe' a character's emotions instead of 'telling。' I found he used the word 'felt' to do this - 'Ragna felt frustrated。' The word 'felt' was overused， with several sometimes on one page。 I liked the storyline。 。。。more
Denise
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Wonderful prequel to one of my favorite books ever （The Pillars of the Earth）。 I was so sorry when I finished it - I wanted it to keep going on and on。
Mike Warren
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With The Evening and the Morning Ken Follett adds another installment to his Pillars of the Earth franchise by going back in time about 120 years for a prequel to the original book。 The original book centered around the fictional town of Kingsbridge， and， with the prequel， Mr。 Follett explains， among other things， how the town of Kingsbridge transformed from a sleepy village run by corrupt and lazy clergymen and merchants into a thriving commercial district with a grand church。 The book is set i With The Evening and the Morning Ken Follett adds another installment to his Pillars of the Earth franchise by going back in time about 120 years for a prequel to the original book。 The original book centered around the fictional town of Kingsbridge， and， with the prequel， Mr。 Follett explains， among other things， how the town of Kingsbridge transformed from a sleepy village run by corrupt and lazy clergymen and merchants into a thriving commercial district with a grand church。 The book is set in rural England and it covers a nine-year span of time from 997 to 1006。 This was during the reign of King Ethelred， and the king is a prominent character in the book。 In parallel narratives that frequently merge， the book tells the story of Edgar， the son of a boat builder who strives for a better life after his father’s business is destroyed in a Viking raid; Aldred， an ambitious monk who yearns to become the leader of a church that he will transform into a learning center with a large library; and Ragna， the daughter of Norman nobility who marries a noble Englishman and relocates to a village in England。 They are all menaced by Wynston， a cartoonishly evil bishop who， through his family connections， is one of the most powerful men in England。 The prequel and the original share common places， but， since the stories are separated by more than 100 years， none of the same characters。 However， Follett has done well with the formula that first made Pillars of the Earth a bestseller and he repeats it here。 Corrupt and malicious clergy and noblemen？ Check！ Pious monks battling the corrupt and malicious clergy and noblemen？ Check！ Preternaturally resourceful commoner who defies all odds to achieve self actualization？ Check！ As a reader you may feel embarrassed at being drawn into Follett’s paint-by-numbers literary style， but there is no denying that this is an enormously entertaining story。 This is popular fiction at its best and Follett is a master at pacing his story。 At more than 900 pages， the book is a suitable door stop， but the story and the pages move at a brisk pace， and the reader is left wanting more， which is， of course， exactly how Follett has turned his “Kingbridge series” into a literary money tree。 It is hardly a spoiler to say that good ultimately triumphs and， at the end， everyone gets their just desserts。 The rewards for the good guys and the comeuppance for the bad guys are so neatly packaged that the story feels like young adult fiction， but I suspect that most of the readers of this series wouldn’t have it any other way。 My biggest disappointment with this book is something the author says in the acknowledgements: “The Dark Ages left few traces。 Not much was written down， there were few pictures， and nearly all buildings were made of wood that rotted away a thousand years ago or more。 This leaves room for guesswork and disagreement， more so than with the preceding period of the Roman Empire or the subsequent Middle Ages。 Consequently， while thanking my historical advisors， I must add that I have not always followed their advice。”What should the reader make of this admission？ This book is， after all， a work of historical fiction。 One of the pleasures of this genre is the opportunity to be transported back to an earlier time。 In light of that， I’m always hopeful that the author is a reliable guide to the past。 I want the experience to be as authentic as possible。 Unlike science fiction， where the author has license to create an entire world from whole cloth， I believe the author of historical fiction has an obligation to accurately represent the time period contemplated in his book。 Follett’s disclaimer suggests this may not be the case with the Kingsbridge books。 He explains that there is a lack of knowledge about the Dark Ages that “leaves room for guesswork and disagreement。” Is that why he chose the Dark Ages for these books？ Did he feel the void in information gave him greater license to invent the past in order to better serve his story？ If so， I feel cheated。 Ultimately， however， I suppose this book isn’t intended to illuminate， it’s intended to entertain。 And by that standard it is a fine work of fiction。 。。。more
Patricia Kelly
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Having already read the other 3 novels in this series -this is a prequel - it was interesting to see the beginnings of Kingsbridge and some of the ancestors of later characters。 As always the story pulls you in but I also love learning about what life was like in other times and seeing history unfolding。
Connie Griessen
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Just a brilliant read - a real challenge in the beginning to remember where everybody fits in considering the similarity in names。 It is a big book， but the 5 days went very quickly。
Thiago Martins lopes
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Excelente livro。 Sou suspeito em falar do Ken Follett， pois é o meu autor predileto， porém， acredito que este esteja entre as suas melhores obras。 Gostei da trama e fui surpreendido várias vezes durante a leitura。 Para mim só não é melhor do que o Queda de gigantes， que é o meu favorito。 Recomendo a leitura。
Rick
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Through 150 + pages， Follett has returned to form。 The last three books of his that I have read were a waste of time。 OK， I didn’t waste time on book three of the Century Ttilogy because I stopped reading it almost immediately Here he’s recaptured some of what makes historical fiction so interesting。 Hope it continues
Gina Christensen
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So disappointed; no nuance， horrible dialogue， bad sex scenes。 BAD。 I love Pillars of the Earth…now I wonder if I was just 20 and didn’t realize how bad it was。 The book feels like it’s written for kids- Follet thinks the readers need everything explicitly stated。
bert-bobbi
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Book story and narration are wonderful。
Phee
，
With each instalment in this series I find myself more and more disappointed。 Nothing has hit as well as the first one for me。 Though I will continue to read any books Follett publishes in this series in the future， if there will be anymore。 This series was the last thing that my grandad was reading before his dementia got so bad that he could no longer read and remember what he had read。 Sadly he past away a couple of years ago， but I have carried on and read the series for him。
Debi
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Ken Follett at his brilliant best - all 817 pages of it！
Shannon
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Once again， amazing reading。 Brilliant story set in Northern Europe / Britain。 Great rendition of history through fictional depiction。 I can never put his books down once started。 Thankfully summer holidays are here and I can pick up another one。
Monda Gao
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always the style of Ken Follett。 The last one of the Middle Age triology。 The story line is clear， the language is full of emotions。 the characters are humane。。。。。In short， a good story book as usual
V。E。 Lynne
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Like many of Ken Follett's novels， 'The Evening and the Morning' is a behemoth of a book， sprawling across about 900 pages many of which， at times， I struggled to get through。 The tale begins in 997 BC with a Viking raid on England that destroys a little town and kills the male protagonist， Edgar's， love interest as well as his father and the family boat-building business。 A heartbroken Edgar， as well as his mother and brothers， are then forced to relocate to the sinister inland settlement of Dr Like many of Ken Follett's novels， 'The Evening and the Morning' is a behemoth of a book， sprawling across about 900 pages many of which， at times， I struggled to get through。 The tale begins in 997 BC with a Viking raid on England that destroys a little town and kills the male protagonist， Edgar's， love interest as well as his father and the family boat-building business。 A heartbroken Edgar， as well as his mother and brothers， are then forced to relocate to the sinister inland settlement of Dreng's Ferry and become farmers， working substandard land controlled by the local Church bureaucracy， corrupt of course， and their aristocratic enablers/relatives。 Meanwhile， in Normandy， a beautiful young noblewoman called Ragna has fallen in love with one of those Saxon enablers and determines to marry him， against her parents wishes。 We sense that her path will cross romantically with Edgar's and we also sense that Lady Ragna will soon regret her choice of husband -and， on both counts， we are proved right。 The story itself is basically well told， full of interesting information about life in Saxon England and a whole lot regarding their system of slavery， but it is overly long and some of the characters are really little more than caricatures。 Edgar is easy to like， and identify with， but I found Lady Ragna to be less so and the eventual love story between them felt a little forced， perhaps because it took such a long time to happen and Lady Ragna did genuinely love her husband， deeply flawed as he was。 There is much about the church， mostly just corruption and vice， except for one monk who manages to eschew all of that， including his unrequited love for Edgar， in an attempt to forge a better path。 More of his story would've been nice too。 All in all， I feel like this book is strictly for super-fans of Ken Follett and perhaps not for someone who had never read his work before - if that is you， please begin with the far superior 'Pillars of the Earth'。 Three stars。 。。。more
Melanie
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Usual follett attention to historical details， brutally realistic but moral plot and characters
Kali Zaborski
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I love his books and wish they could just go on indefinitely。
Boris
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Albeit a little long to take off， it became a page turner！ Did enjoy diving into the middle age and following Edgar‘s fate。
Mark
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Great story telling and meantime learning about middle ages
Taylor hawkins
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I have read almost all his books and they are all so beautifully written。 I have to say this is one of my favorite ones！ Highlyrecommend。
Berna
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