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The Evening and the Morning - A Review

 


The Evening and the Morning   is a prequel to Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth and the fourth book in his Kingsbridge series. The novel is set in medieval Britain, beginning at the end of the Early Middle Ages, and spanning the years 997 CE to 1007 CE. The story revolves around three main characters: Edgar, Ragna, and Aldred.

 

Edgar is a young boat builder whose life changes forever when Vikings attack his village. During the raid, a Viking kills the woman he loves, Sungifu, and Edgar's father. Edgar kills the man and leaves the village with his family. The remainder of the novel explores themes of justice, mercy, and the complications of leadership, as Edgar becomes entangled in increasingly dangerous snares of political intrigue.

 

Ragna is a beautiful Norman princess who marries an Anglo-Saxon chieftain named Wilwulf. She loves him, but when she gets to England and starts to live with him in his town, she discovers that things are not quite as she expected. She comes to detest Wilwulf's brothers, the ruthless, violent, and greedy Wynstan and Wigelm. They and their mother, Gytha, hate Ragna from the beginning and plot against her.

 

Aldred is a young monk who values scholarship and devotion to God above all. He wants to build a center of learning and scholarship in his abbey. He wants to have a school and a library and a scriptorium where books are copied out and illuminated.

 

Bishop Wynstan is mean, greedy, selfish and absolutely ruthless, and he will do anything to advance his family and his own personal power.

 

The novel explores themes of ambition, rivalry, justice, and mercy. It is a tale of loyalty and betrayal, love and hate, and the struggle for power in a land where chaos reigns. The Evening and the Morning is a gripping historical epic that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end..

 

I completed reading the book 7 January 2024. This post was completed with the assistance of Bing AI.

Character notes provided by the author.

 

Reference

Follett, K. (2021). The Evening and the Morning. New York: Pan Macmillan.

 

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 Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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