Tom Builder, Ellen of the forest, Jack Jackson, Prior Phillip, Aliana... and the loathsome William Hamleigh and Bishop Waleran... all characters of this one of the most epic stories I have ever read. Taking place in the early centuries of England, cathedrals are built, torn down, and rebuilt again; famines and poverty strike the people; love stories are kept secret and shared with readers; political corruption within the church makes you sick; greed and jealousy spawn hatred and violence; love and justice attempt to prevail.
It was a "next page" clicker (aka. page turner). Follett has a real talent for evoking emotion from readers, to the point where I almost didn't want to pick up and read more because a character that I hated (yes... hated) was still alive. Brilliant.
Supposedly there's a series out about the book. BBC maybe? I'm planning on checking it out soon.
Careful -- it's a long story. I read it non-stop over spring break in London and was surprised that I had only arrived at 49%. For those non-e-book users, you have to get used to not seeing your progress by how far your bookmark is when you stand the book on end. That doesn't exist in e-book land. Instead, you have a percentage bar at the base of you page that tells you how far along you are.
Regardless of the length, the author did an absolute fantastic job with the story. I'm actually disappointed that the story is over. It's been a companion for over a month now, only because recently I've been very busy with school, moving, and unpacking.
What's next? Not sure. I have four books arriving tomorrow. Real books. With paper pages. I try to alternate back and forth between my Kindle and books. Two of them are about marriage and wifedom, one is about how to "purposely" raise our children (of which I do not have, but thought would be interesting to read), and one centering on student leadership (I'm planning on teaching a Leadership Education unit next year in one of my classes). I'm sure they will make their ways into a post in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment