Book Review – The Evening And The Morning, Ken Follett, 2020

There are some books that are eagerly awaited for since they are officially announced, for me Ken Follett’s latest work The Evening And The Morning is one of such book - mainly because I love the Kingsbridge series and was excited to read the prequel to The Pillars Of The Earth.

The Good

The book is an intense read and has the typical Ken Follett brand characters, in whose stories you are invested emotionally right from the start. The main protagonists are larger than life and always on the side of the good and to match them, are villains who are powerful and always seem to win. If you are familiar with Ken Follett’s work, you will recognise the pattern of the long suffering and righteous heros and heroines, overcoming intensely hateful and hideous villains and everyone’s story ending with the villains being destroyed, sometimes because of Karma and not because the heros or heroines finally got a chance to vindicate themselves. (One villain dies naturally but in pain.)

The story connects brilliantly to the time and age it is set in and allows your imagination to travel across an England we are all mostly very unfamiliar with. The language is woven delicately and makes for a satisfyingly easy read. A big salute to all the research done to bring this story and the fantastic visuals to life in a reader’s mind. Now we finally know how the fictional city of Kingsbridge got its name.

Yet again, Ken Follett draws dramatic political intrigues in this book through his detailed and flawed characters.

The Bad

The villains are conniving, manipulative, powerful and unbeatable – so much so that I found myself putting the book down on several occasions because I did not want to spend time in their company or read more. I was also dissatisfied with how the stories of these villains ended.

I also noticed a few grammatical errors, but I would let it slide as the book is nearly 1000 pages long and to err is human. However, as a reader I need consistency with the spelling of Kingsbridge. Is it King's Bridge as describe in this story or Kingsbridge as stated in the sequels? I'm not really sure.

The main love story: When the hero and heroine finally get together, I found their story unconvincing because I did not feel their passion grow. Being a Ken Follett fan, I could predict that these characters would end up together, but I am not convinced that they actually belong together. Their love story definitely is not the same as Aliena’s and Jack’s from Pillars Of The Earth. However, on their own, the hero and heroine of this story have great tales to tell.

As a prequel, the book only tells the story of how a small hamlet became Kingsbridge. It does not take the character stories forward to Pillars Of The Earth. Your curiosity about Aliena's and Jack's ancestors remains unquenched, even though the hero is a builder.

The Ugly

A woman, whose husband has just been murdered, whose life and the life of her three sons is in danger and who is considering escaping to protect herself and her children, does not think of jumping into bed with anyone, even the hero who maybe madly in love with her! In reality, such a woman’s only priority is to survive. I wish I read more about the workings of her brain at such a time, than about how her breasts looked to the hero and what they did thereafter. Also, people making love five times in a single night, happens only in books! (I know this is fiction, but let us be real!)

Having said all this, I definitely recommend the book, as reading it has been a real pleasure. All the points stated above are strictly just my opinions and as a reader you may feel differently. I would love to know your thoughts on the book. Feel free to leave a comment below.