*This review contains spoilers.*
I picked this book because I had read Pillars of the Earth and seen that miniseries on Starz. I really, really loved Pillars of the Earth, and I liked World Without End, too, but not as much.
Essentially, it follows the descendants of Jack and Aliena, Merthin and Ralph, as well as Caris Wooler and her cousin Godwyn, and a pair of peasants, Gwenda and Wulfric.
Personally, and this has always been a problem with his books for me, I think it took a little too long...I am extremely impatient, and waiting ages and ages for characters to get together irks me to no end. I utterly adored Merthin, but the way Caris treated him bugged me a lot, and I loved Gwenda to death. I also had a bit of a soft spot for Ralph, even though he was the "bad" guy, just because he was not as bad as William Hamleigh of the original.
I find that the plot and even the characters are fairly similar to the original, but that has never bothered me, so read this if you liked the first one. It's also an excellent portrayal of life in the Middle Ages if you don't like that it has a similar plot.
Also, I watched the miniseries and I loved it! They cut out some stuff, hurried it along, and added more action and romance...so, you know, I was golden. It wasn't as good as the Pillars miniseries, but that of course had David Oakes in it, and you can't beat him. Anyway, this one had Tom Weston-Jones (of BBC America's Copper) as Merthin, so, of course, I died! Also, TV!Caris, played by Charlotte Riley (Cathy in my favorite version of Wuthering Heights) was so much less annoying than book!Caris. There was also much more of the royal family in the miniseries, which I loved. Oh, and the miniseries Ralph is ridiculously attractive; his name is Oliver Jackson-Cohen and I've never seen him before, but he is very, very attractive. Be warned, when he took his shirt off, I actually gasped I was so surprised there was so much hair there, but I got over that quickly.
Anyway, if you're undecided, I recommend the miniseries, but if you loved Pillars or really enjoy Medieval life, then I recommend the book and miniseries!
I bought a huge selection of books on Black Friday, so look forward to more reviews!
