Outstanding! Having read all of Follett’s books over the years, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into The Evening and the Morning. I had high expectations and was not disappointed. The main characters are beautifully portrayed and one is swept along on an epic journey of love, war, deceit and intrigue. A stark reminder of the brutality of this period in history. Absolutely splendid. If you enjoyed Pillars of the Earth, you are going to love this prequel.

Ken Follett returns with this prequel to his best selling epic “The Pillars of the Earth” and trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Set around the turn of the 1st Millennium towards the end of the Dark Ages, England is under attack from the Welsh in the West and the Vikings in the East. King Ethelred the Unready (Misled) is on the throne holding a fragile grip on the country and in a lawless society, chaos reigns.

The story revolves around 3 characters. A young boat builder with dreams of a better life and future, a young noblewoman from Normandy who travels across the Channel to marry the man she loves and a monk who dreams of transforming his abbey into a seat of learning to be admired across Europe. All three find conflict with a ruthless bishop who has little regard for anyone bar himself and will stop at nothing to reach his goals of wealth and power.

I love the way Ken Follett manages to weave a story around numerous characters and events, bringing it to an exciting and thrilling climax. Written in an easy reading style and totally unputdownable, this work is an absolute triumph in every sense. I have always considered “The Pillars of the Earth” to be my favourite book of all, “The Evening and the Morning” comes close to rivalling this opinion.

Utterly brilliant!

My sincere thanks go to publisher Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for granting my wish to read this truly wonderful novel.

For you reading pleasure, I present the long-awaited prequel to The Pillars of the Earth (1989), The Evening and the Morning (2020). TPOTE is long thought of as a classic historical masterpiece, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, but don't concern yourself, because this latest installment of the Kingsbridge series is just as immersive, dramatic, captivating and spellbinding, and I guarantee you will be as glued to all 832 pages as I was.

Set at the end of the dark ages, on the cusp of the first millennium, the action and danger was immediate – less than three pages in see Viking ships raid and pillage a small English fishing village. The four main characters, and POV's, are; a Peasant boat builder, an English Monk, the Bishop of Shiring, and the daughter of a French Count. It's set mainly in England, with the threats of Vikings in the East and the Welsh in the West, but there are sections in Normandy, France. Much of the plot revolves around the personal lives of the main players – their loves, losses, dreams, scandals, betrayals, marriage and children.

In ‘The Evening and the Morning’, we encounter a small hamlet with approximately five buildings (I'm not going to spoil things and reveal its original name), and witness it grow and prosper into the busy town which is known as Kingsbridge in The Pillars of the Earth, and beyond. I'm embarrassed to admit it took me longer than it should have to recognise pre-Kingsbridge. It wasn't until the ferry was built that a light bulb went off.

Those familiar with the Kingsbridge trilogy will recall that each tomb has its share of wicked, corrupt, shady characters, who usually hold positions of power or dominance, which they abuse to spread hatred and discord, and carry out their revenge. Fans will also know that Follet is a firm believer in good triumphing over evil, and that even though the heroes and heroines face brutality, tragedy, challenges, adversary, and heartache, by the end the villains have received their much-deserved comeuppance and punishment. Content wise, I found this one tamer than the other books in the series, but prepare yourself for period typical violence and barbarity – torture, rape, abuse, war, poverty, disfigurement, disease etc.

The Pillars of the Earth was followed by two sequels, World Without End (my favourite because it incorporated the bubonic plague of the fourteen century) and A Column of Fire (which I own, but haven't yet read, set in the sixteenth century). All, including this one, can be read and enjoyed as standalones, since they are set in different centuries, with characters that are either descendants or ancestors. Ken Follet is a true talent, and The Evening and the Morning was an addictive, engrossing, epic experience, that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Macmillan, and Ken Follet for the e-ARC.

Fans of Ken Follett’s earlier ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ historical novel are likely to be equally pleased with this prequel. His storytelling skills continue to maintain the reader’s interest, despite the length of the book. The way in which the author develops characters is always an outstanding feature of his writing, and this aspect is well illustrated in ‘The Evening and the Morning’.
Some readers may raise an eyebrow or two over characters who seem to exhibit views that would not be out of place in the current century and the detail over 10th century life that is hard to authenticate from historical sources. However, these are minor criticisms; the storytelling is first class and it will only be a confirmed misanthrope who does not enjoy Ken Follett’s eventual denouement. It’s great storytelling, rather than great literature, but none the worse for that. Recommended.

Ken Follett never fails to deliver gripping and highly entertaining stories.
This one is no exception and I loved every moment of it.
The storytelling and the character development are excellent, the historical background vivid and well researched.
The tightly knitted plot kept me hooked till the end.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I've read and enjoyed all the Kingsbridge novels over the years (The Century trilogy is also great). They aren't complex books or "fancy literature" just cracking stories well told and this prequel which needs no knowledge of any of the other books is a fine addition to the cannon. The story just rolls along with the usual mix of a high born lady, a clever artisan, dastardly Bishops, monks and nuns, royalty and commoners with lots of intrigue, skullduggery and bad timing. There are lots of period details described in the clothing, food and farming practices.
The story is set earlier than the other Kingsbridge books, in 997. The plot revolves around Ragna, the daughter of Count Hubert of Cherbourg and Edgar, an English boat builders son. After the VIkings invade, Edgar's family is left destitute whilst Ragna hopes to marry Wilwulf an English Earldoman who she has has had a brief liason with. Wilfwulf's family includes the brutish Welgelm and the clever but morally bankrupt Bishop Wynstan. Edgar and his friend Brother Aldred strive to improve the lives of their fellow countrymen whilst Wilwulf's extended family seek to only profit for their own adavncement. This is a really enjoyable page turner of a book. I've been under a lot of stress of late (house move, financial woes, CoVid etc.) and this book was a real tonic to read each night before bed, I was transported to the town of Shiring and could forget my own troubles for a while.

ken follett weaves magic again! a brilliant prequel. from the arcane sense of mystery in the beggining to the 'surprise surprise'. the perfect historical fiction and your long read to get comfortable and read in the winter. the title is just perfectly apt with the story, indeed a treat to all kingsbridge fans. a perfect mix and ratio of reading elements.

England 997 and Ragna of Normandy has arrived to marry the Ealdorman of Shiring. However England is very different to Normandy, houses are made of wood, not stone and morals are lax. Her husband has set aside his first wife and is concerned about raids from the Vikings. Boatbuilder Edgar has lost everything to the Vikings, his livelihood and the woman he loves so his family has to start again as poor farmers. Aldred is a monk who dreams of setting up a centre for education. All three of them will go through tragedy, violence and betrayal as the century turns.
There is no-one to match Follett in terms of the epic historical novel. This isn't really history, it's just excellent storytelling in a historical context. I loved the pillars of the earth series and here with the prequel Follett visits Kingsbridge before it even exists. Firmly bedded in the late Dark Ages the story races along and, yes, the sex scenes are cringeworthy but the reader gets totally engrossed.

Yet another cracking read from one of the masters of this genre, well researched as usual, and superbly written tale about the growth of a village and its inhabitants. You are drawn in by the apparent simplistic writing that hides a clever way to draw the reader in to this fine tale of love, lust, power and betrayal, ( and ultimately love conquers all ).
A fine prequel to a stunning trilogy, Ok so now it's in 4 parts, but I am looking forward to the 5th part of the trilogy anytime soon.
would I buy the book when published ---- already have done the deed.

Another rollicking tale of medieval mayhem with corrupt bishops and lords vying with a french heroine and young boatbuilder in the early days of Kings Bridge. Full of larger than life characters this races along with murders and assaults all seemingly got away with until the final resolution. A fitting early tale that explains events to come in the later times of this superb series.

Ultimate in comfort-blanket reading and in 2020, this is precisely what I need!

Nothing about this book will come as a surprise to anyone who has read a Kingsbridge book. The plot and characters follow a familiar, comfortable path and this isn't a bad thing, at all.

It's well written and well constructed and delivers exactly what I've come to expect from Follett.

I feel like I have waited an age for the publication of this book, but it was worth it. This book is outstanding and provides a back story to the Kingsbridge series wonderfully. In my opinion I felt the characters were more carefully considered and the scenery was described so well you felt you could have been there.
Thank you so much for a tremendous read.

“The Evening and the Morning” is the prequel to Ken Follett’s bestselling novel “The Pillars of the Earth” and tells the story how Kingsbridge cam to ist name at the beginning of the 11th century. It was published in September 2020 at Pan Macmillan. The German version is called “Kingsbridge: Der Morgen einer neuen Zeit” and was published at Lübbe.

England, 997: The life of Edgar will change dramatically on this very morning. One moment he was planning to flee with his secret love and the next he saw Vikings attacking his home town. His family lost everything and had to start anew. They went to a Dreng’s Ferry and took over a run down farm who belong to Shiring. There dubious brothers had the power with a wicked bishop who was ready to do everything to achieve his goals.
Brother Aldred was dreaming to change his abbey into a place of knowledge and learning. On his search for new books he even came to Normandy where he got to know the daughter of Count Hubert calles Ragna. He was impressed by her intelligence and their paths soon intertwined again as she came to Shiring as the bride of Wigelm of Shiring.

If you buy Ken Follett you get Ken Follett. “The Evening and the Morning” is a typical Ken Follett novel. You know right from the start who is good and who is evil, you suspect who will come together and even the end is quite clear from the beginning. It might seem that this will be boring, but I didn’t feel this way and sometimes like to know in advance what I can expect from a story.
I was pulled right away into the story. As a reader from Germany I like it that the vocabulary is quite simple. That doesn’t mean that it’s bad . For me it makes Ken Follett the perfect author for exploring real novels in a different language.
The storyline is clear and the tension is rising with the progression of the book. The last 20% of this book were a little bit too much for me but it’s possible I would feel the same about Pillars of the earth which I read 15 years ago. But until then it was a feel good read. I’ve gained new information about the 11th century and the live at this time, I was feeling with the chracters and then it got a little bit to cruel, the actions of some persons became unconclusive and I couln’t grant the happy ending to everyone in this story. That’s sad because I wanted to love this book so much.
But I guess this is also intended by the author. Ken Follett has a clear concept for his novels and he talks about this openly. There has to be a turning point every few pages, he likes that the persons in his stories are clearly good or evil and so I guess he calculated that this ending would lead to discussions about the book and ist ending.
That sounds a little bit too negative as I enjoyed the novel most of the time. I’ve learned a lot about the time, the differences between Normans and Anglo-Saxons, the legal system and that christendom was already there but the rules were not followed strictly. There were some bizarre little facts and I’m sure Ken Follett has made his homework and researched well.
I shared the emotions of the characters in the book. Not as intense as hoped but still enough that I cared for them. Ragna was very impressive with her grasp on people. She knew how to win people over, she could rule and thought strategic, she is very intelligent and obstacles couldn’t bring her down so easily. Sometimes she seemd a little bit too calculationg for my liking as she also had a very idealistic idea of love.
Edgar was too good to be true. He believed in the one true love and was very loyal. When it comes to buildung he grasped the concept very quickly and could do it on his own most of the time.
Aldred I liked for his eagerness for knowledge and his righteousness. I was impressed how persistent he was fighting for his dreams and how he dealt with setbacks.
“The Evening and the Morning” is a novel where not the big historical moments are in the foreground. It’s a fictional story before an historical background. Only sometimes we hear about some historical event. There are no closing remarks just some acknowledgements. Also a table of persons is missing but as the number of persons is limited it’s not much of a problem.

Conclusion: A historical novel in typical Ken Follett style which knows how to to take you in. Well researched with a great set of characters although you can divide them easily into good and evil. The live of the people in the 11th century is in the foreground not the great historical events. Highly recommended for every Ken Follett Fan.

I can’t tell you of how excited I was to hear that Ken Follett had written another book in his amazing Kingsbridge series and over the moon to recieve an advanced copy to review. The Evening and The Morning is the prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is the story of how the small hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry became the town of Kingsbridge, the setting for the origional three books. Set during the Dark Ages, when England was victim to Viking Raids in the south, and at war with Wales, this book tells the story of three very different characters whose lives become entwined by circumstance and fate, in their fight against those in power who use it for self gain. At over eight hundred pages this an epic and and engaging read,that is well worth reading.

I can’t believe that it is thirty years since Ken Follett wrote The Pillars of the Earth one of the best historical fiction books that I have ever read, so The Evening and The Morning had a lot to live up to. I thought this book excelled all expectations for me and reminded me why I love this series so much. It is a big read at over eight hundred pages, but Ken Follett’s effortless writing style makes it an enjoyable and easy read that just draws you in and doesn’t let go. The Dark Ages is a period of history that I know very little about but Ken Follett really brought it alive for me in a very accessable and intriguing way. I was fascinated at how the countrty was run, the politics, religion, and the social history of the daily lives of the people. I was amazed at how they built churches, bridges etc with only basic tools and most tradesmen were illiterate, as were some leaders unbelievably. After finishing this book I feel I have a renewed passion for the history of this period, and a better understanding of the challenges of everyday life and how people adapted themselves to circumstance.

The plot of the book is told through the three main characters, from differnent walks of life giving a rounded view of the period. Edgar is an eighteen year old boat builder whose family business was destroyed during a Viking raid. Edgar and his family find themselves having to turn their hands to farming to survive but it is Edgar’s carpentry skills that see him set on his own path, one that sees him take on challenges he never expected. Brother Aldred, a young monk who continually fights against the corruption of the church, which lands him in a lot of trouble. But Brother Aldred is not someone to give up easily and when he finds himself in charge of the monastery at the small hamlet of Deng’s Ferry, a punishment from the Bishop,he decides to turn the monastery around, and bring more people to the church, laying the foundations for the Kingsbridge monastery that is at the centre of The Pillars of the Earth. The final character, and my favourite was Lady Ragna of Cherbourg who comes to England to marry Wilwulf, the ealdorman of Shiring. It is a huge shock for her coming to England, with the rain and different living conditions. She marries for love but soon finds her expectations destroyed and a the centre of a power battle between three brothers. She may be hampered by social conventions, but her strength, intelligence and determination make her a powerful and difficult adversary as she fights for her family. Three very different characters find themselves joining forces to fight against the corruption and nepotism of those in charge.

The plot of The Evening and The Morning is multi layered and complex with an amazing supportive cast of characters, not all likeable but all memorable. So much happens in the space of the ten year time line that there is never a dull moment. There is political machinations, corruption in the church and from those in power locally, murder, romance, and war.

The Evening and The Morning is one of the best historical novels I have read in a long time and is a worthy prequel to The Pillars of the Earth. The effortless prose and the wonderfully drawn characters grabbed me from page one and pulled me into the world of Edgar, Brother Aldred and Lady Ragna. It takes skill to write a detailed historical novel without bogging the reader down, but Ken Follett manages this with perfection, making all eight hundred pages a joy to read. If you love historical fiction then this is a must read; simply spectacular.

Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, Follett's masterful new prequel The Evening and the Morning takes us on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins and is a superb addition to the well-loved Kingsbridge series. 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 centre 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.

Ardent Kingsbridge fans, such as myself, welcome a return to the Dark Ages, if only in spirit, and the fact that most of what is portrayed is accurate to the times, and Follett’s history of extensive research is once again applicable, makes this an unmissable prequel. With all the chaos and madness you'd expect from this inimitable historical fiction writer, this is an endlessly entertaining, fast-flowing and thoroughly enjoyable page-turner with enough twists and surprises to blindside you and keep you glued to the pages. Many thanks to Macmillan for an ARC.

A fascinating read, as so little is really known about life in Britain during the Dark Ages Follett freely admits that much of the historical context in the book is imagined, but it is imagined convincingly, with corruption rife in the powerful Church and local government, a monarchy intent on ignoring the appalling conditions of common people, and the freedom of rulers to kill, rape, steal and enslave at will. Of course, there are the good guys too and Follett weaves his narrative with skilful characterisation, inviting the reader to love or hate the protagonists and to will the downtrodden to emerge triumphant and happy in a better place. Although the story was compelling it was a little obvious and predictable at times, but was still a real pleasure to read.

The Evening and the Morning is the eagerly awaited prequel to Ken Follett's beloved Kingsbridge series. Set in the early years of the Middle Ages it tells of the founding of the town of Kingsbridge through the stories of three characters - Ragna, Aldred and Edgar.
Ragna is a Norman noblewoman who falls in love with an English lord and agrees to travel to England and be his bride. Aldred is a scholarly monk who dreams of creating a seat of learning and worship while Edgar is the son of a fisherman but is gifted with skills when it comes to working with his hands, and a strange insight and understanding of how and why things work. Over the course of the book these three characters will meet and their stories will intertwine and diverge multiple times to create an epic saga.
The writing is rich in detail and description and though the pace seems a little slow at first it soon picks up, and eventually the book becomes something of a page turner. The characters are very black and white, there are no shades of grey, the villains are almost cartoonish in their depiction. This does make it easy for the reader to root for the "good guys" but my personal preference is for something a little less simplistic and obvious. I did love how vividly the author brought history to life, his descriptions of society at all levels made for fascinating reading and for a book of this size and scope I found myself tearing through it at a rapid rate, keen to see what would happen to these characters next.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I do not read a lot of historical fiction, but when I do, and it is a very good one like The Evening and the Morning, I always ask myself why I do not read more in this genre.
Probably because Ken Follett is such a master and I think it would be hard to find a series, or even a book, that matches Follett's books in every aspect.
Strangely enough, I wanted to re-read one of Follett's other titles, The Third Twin, and I was very disappointed. It was not at all what I remembered, mainly because it felt horribly out of date, even though it was published in 1997.

I was so happy to delve into The Evening and the Morning! You could say it hasn't got serious depth, and that the plot becomes quite obvious, and you can see the ending coming miles away, but it is the kind of book that you just cannot put down. Unfortunately my life is quite hectic with work and other things, so it took me way too long to finish it. And now I'm sad because it is finished and I feel I had to say goodbye to old friends.

A book like this invites to visit Wikipedia often - well, at least I do, because I want to know more about the historical setting. And although king Aethelred (Aethelred the unready) playes a certain role in this story, not all that happens in the book happened exactly so. This is of course a writer's prerogative and it has no great influence on the story. Sometimes events made me think of the excellent series The Last Kingdom, although that series is all about events a hundred years earlier.

I really liked main character Ragna, because she is a strong woman, who fights but also knows when she's beaten and how to deal with that. Follett is a master in describing people, from their clothes to their habits to their characters, be it a good person or a bad person.

I've enjoyed myself tremendously with this book and I'm thankful to Netgalley for this review copy.

I was very excited when I got the email that my wish to read this book was granted by Netgalley. Thanks, and this review isn´t influenced by the free ARC copy I got from them and the publisher.

This is the prequel to one of my favourite historical novels, Pillars of the Earth. It´s set around the year 1000, so doesn´t immediately link to the first Kingsbridge novel. It mostly deals with three persons: Edgar, a boatbuilder, Ragnar, a noblewoman having come from Normandy to marry an English noble, and Aldred, a learned monk. Their lives are in conflict and even threatened by a ruthless bishop and his men (and women). They have to cooperate to accomplish their dreams of a happy family, a fulfilling work and a church that is supposed to be a centre of learning. These characters are described one-dimensional, here the (mostly) good people, on the other side the bad ones who don´t shrink back from murder, rape, imprisonment etc.

What I didn´t like about the story were the too obvious explanations of the historical details (much of which we´d know anyway) and the blunt descriptions of especially women´s lookssand bodyparts, of sex and aftermaths of LGBT themes. Much of this was boring and seemed only to be written to please today´s audience. On the whole dark (as the Dark Ages) and not really progressing as a story.

Book Review ⚔️The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

Ok so The Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time historical fiction favourites so I was very excited to read Ken Follett’s new prequel to this series. (You can read it as a stand alone or out of sequence) What happened before there was Kingsbridge? How did it come to be in existence?

Follett follows his formula in this novel, taking what he does well and writing another very readable character driven story with well researched historical elements.

It takes time to get into the story as he introduces the setting and the three main character threads. There’s Edgar, the clever boatbuilder, Ragna, a wise Norman noblewoman and Alfred, a pious monk. These three characters navigate their way through the bleak and brutal dark ages where power, greed and corruption threaten the villagers lives but love, family and friendships will ultimately overcome. It’s a typical villains versus heroes trope.

It’s a page turner and a decent story but it’s 2020 and that’s not enough. Sadly I have some fairly large criticisms.

Using a trope of homosexuality in the clergy feels like a very old fashioned way of attempting to appeal to modern audiences, it’s been done too many times and takes the LGBTQ conversation back in time rather than allowing it to progress.

The amount of violence suffered by women and the heroine in particular is unnecessary. I wish Follett would think before writing in a rape scene which has become part of his formula. It doesn’t need to happen in EVERY book.

The supposedly loving sex scenes are dry and blunt. There’s a lot of female desire and pleasure gone missing.

Finally, I was promised Vikings. They were stuck in the edges, occasionally causing destruction to change a characters course but I felt that the book lacked an overarching event in the way that Pillars has the cathedral building and World Without End had the plague.

The search for a new historical fiction favourite begins....