sistv bookworms discussion
June Contemporary Book
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that's a big book you have there!
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by
Rachel
(new)
Jun 08, 2009 05:40PM
I read this one last month and I look forward to discussing it.
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Yes, I read it too and recently finished it - can't wait for some discussion!!!
Mod
it's maHOOsive!
at least we will feel accomplished when it is finished, sara.
I've not been keeping up with the readings but see this is one I have read. It is a great book. I will say it did take me more than a month to read, but was definitely worth it. I'd love to pop in and out for the discussions.
Oy it is a little hard for me to get into im but im trying!
This is the second time I read it (first time being just after it was released in paperback years ago) and I must say it didn't live up to my memory of being as excellent as I though! It had been that long since I had read it that I couldn't remember much of the story. Second time round I was really disappointed - follett seriously could have chopped out about four or five hundred pages and not effected the story that much, and I got bored at times with the repetitive "dramatic incidents" that kept happening! I still love historical fiction, so I like the basic story, and some of the characters are great (if I had to pick a fave I would say Ellen and I was peeved follett didn't give her more airplay), but yeah, it totally didn't do it for me this time!How is everyone else going - I would love some good discussion on this book!!
Mod
so, i'm not really a historical fiction fan anyway. why is this? maybe being from a country that has so much history, i just take it for granted. i don't know.
it's not a hard read, but its just so damn boring.
i love philip, but i can already predict that his character is going to end up taking a back seat for the escapades of waleran that are soon to come.
and lee, your comment about ellen not getting more airplay. does this mean she has gone? i'm past the point where she leaves tom builder. has she gone forever? tell me we actually find out why everyone is so scared of her, please!
oh GAH whoops - unintentional spoiler there, I thought people might be further through so I'll preface this bit with SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK is that enough...
basically they are scared of her because they think she is a witch as she knows how to curse people - like the monk/priest/knight in the prologue. The ones who remember that incident (or who where there) remember her as the pregnant girl. Later on in the book at a wedding (I won't say who) she curses the groom, so she is pretty much out of the book except for a few times later on.
I think this story should have been make into a series of well fleshed out books, not one giganitc novel where you only get snippets of some of the stories if you know what I mean.
Follet has a knack of boring the living daylights out of you with detailed explainations of some things (this time reading I ended up skipping over many of the detailed cathederal building bits), then adding in repetitive "dramas" (how many bloody times can Kingsbridge have something happen, how many times can Philip proclaim somehting unfair etc, or Tom getting turned away from places etc etc), and then just having characters seemingly disappear without a trace (Williams wife for example) or solving a "time jump" forward with a bit of a small discussion from a couple of the characters.
I would love to see the full story of Ellen, and then even Jacks adventures when he left Kingsbridge for France. Even the Hameleighs as revolting as they are.
Anyway, I picked up the next book World Without an End (or something like that) - for like $5 at a sale, and apparently it takes up the story a few hundred years after PotE, so I might read it next month and see if he improved his story telling!
Mod
Yeah I know - she is at least gives the book some flavour! But it annoyed me that follett didn't explore her futher so we found out exactly where she learned all her "craft" from etc.
