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World Without End
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Read World Without End
Pillars of the Earth: Book 2

World Without End (2007) (edit title/settings)

by Ken Follett (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in 12th-century England that centered on the building of a cathedral and the men, women, and children whose lives it changed forever. Critics were overwhelmed, and readers and listeners... read more

Summary edit see section history

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed--"it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you"... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed--"it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you" (Chicago Tribune)--and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.

World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas--about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race--the Black Death.

Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.

Characters edit see section history

Show all 209 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “When you've lost everything, you've got nothing to lose.”
    Caris
  • “It's not hard to obey orders - when they are so strongly in your own self interest.”
    Caris
  • “Leave early - Go Far - Stay Long”
    Merthin
  • ““I believe that what I do becomes part of me,” she said. “When I’m brave and strong, and care for children and the sick and the poor, I become a better person. And when I’m cruel, or cowardly, or tell lies, or get drunk, I turn into someone less worthy, and I can’t respect myself. That’s the divine retribution I believe in.””
  • “She wanted a lover, not a master and she wanted to live with him, not dedicate her life to him”
    Caris
  • “A woman's life was a house of closed doors. She could not be an apprentice, she could not study at the university, she could not be a priest or a physician, nor shoot a bow nor fight with a sword and she could not marry without submitting herself to the tyrany of her husband”
    Caris
  • “He was going to have to do something to avoid looking foolish which was the ultimate horror for proud knights, They talked all the time about the horror, but that meant nothing. They were thoughly dishonorable when it suited them. What they really prized was their dignity, they would rather die than be humiliated.”
  • “"Why did monks and priests hate women so? They worshipped their Blessed Virgin, but treated every other female as an incarnation of the devil. What was the matter with them?" ...nicely put. things haven't changed much.”
    Caris
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • “My father hated people who preached about morality. We’re all good when it suits us, he used to say: that doesn’t count. It’s when you want so badly to do something wrong—when you’re about to make a fortune from a dishonest deal, or kiss the lovely lips of your neighbor’s wife, or tell a lie to get yourself out of terrible trouble—that’s when you need the rules. Your integrity is like a sword, he would say: you shouldn’t wave it until you’re about to put it to the test. Not that he knew anything about swords.”
    Highlighted by 287 Kindle customers
  • It was said that pilgrims should not spend too much time planning their journey, for they might learn of so many hazards that they would decide not to go.
    Highlighted by 266 Kindle customers
  • “I believe that what I do becomes part of me,” she said. “When I’m brave and strong, and care for children and the sick and the poor, I become a better person. And when I’m cruel, or cowardly, or tell lies, or get drunk, I turn into someone less worthy, and I can’t respect myself. That’s the divine retribution I believe in.”
    Highlighted by 143 Kindle customers
  • Merthin was eleven, a year older than his brother Ralph; but, to his intense annoyance, Ralph was taller and stronger.
    Highlighted by 128 Kindle customers
  • corrodiaries of the priory.” Merthin said: “What’s a corrodiary?”
    Highlighted by 70 Kindle customers
  • sycophant, he ignored Caris and Merthin, but made a deep bow to Buonaventura and said: “Honored to have you in our city once again, sir.”
    Highlighted by 56 Kindle customers
  • matricularius: he was decisive, and he never let things slip. Any morning
    Highlighted by 46 Kindle customers
  • corrodiaries, dependent on the priory for their food and drink. For him to inherit a successful building business would indeed mean a jump up the social ladder. Yet she still felt he deserved better. She could not say exactly what future she had in mind for him. She just knew that he was different from everyone else in town, and she could not bear the thought of his becoming like the rest.
    Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
  • sybaritic nature and the means to indulge it. William was thirty, a year younger than Godwyn; he had his father’s strength of will, but it was sometimes softened by the influence of his wife, Philippa. Richard was twenty-eight, and presumably took after his late mother, for he had little of the earl’s imposing bearing and forcefulness.
    Highlighted by 22 Kindle customers
  • perspicacity. “I don’t know what to say to you,” he snapped. “I’ve
    Highlighted by 20 Kindle customers
Show all 18 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Kingsbridge: Fictional town in England which serves as the setting of the novel. Kingsbridge Cathedral as described is based on the cathedrals of Wells and Salisbury.
  • Wigleigh: Gwenda's village

First Sentence edit see section history

Gwenda was eight years old, but she was not afraid of the dark.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Part One - 1 November 1327
Part Two - 8 to 14 June 1337
Part Three - June to December 1337
Part Four - June 1338 - May 1339
Part Five - March 1346 to December 1348
Part Six - January 1349 to January 1351
Part Seven - March to December 1361

Glossary edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 2 of 2 in Pillars of the Earth. (standard series)

Preceded by The Pillars of the Earth.

This book is in Big Fat Books. (community list)
This is book 75 of 145 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 97 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Ken Follett (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Country: USA
Publication Date: 9 October 2007
ISBN: 0525950079
Page Count: 1024

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PR6056 .O45 W67 2007
  • Dewey: 823.914

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Sex and rape, some language, violence, blood, gore. Graphic torture

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Fall of Giants
  • The Key to Rebecca
  • Fiji

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • The Pillars of the Earth

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