Hey readers! I just finished a new release from the popular historical fiction author, Ken Follett," A Column of Fire. Keep reading this blog post for all of my favorite moments from the book, and get the information you need to decide if you should read it, too.
In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love.
Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.
The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost.( from amazon.com)
Book Review and Discussion of
"A Column of Fire" by Ken Follett
"A Column of Fire" is one of the longest books I have read this year and is also one of the longest books I will likely read for a while. "A Column of Fire" comes in at 928 pages, and I felt the weight of each page. I typically steer clear of books this long, as a reading preference. However, I loved the last two books in this series and trusted Ken Follett, so I was willing to take that chance with my time and patience.
One of the reasons I can successfully make it through Follett's books, even though they are ginormous, is that they don't feel like any one genre. Yes, they are primarily historical fiction, but there is also mystery, thriller, and romance tucked within the pages as well.
However, I did not enjoy "A Column of Fire", the third book in this series, nearly as much as I enjoyed the first two. At times, the characters did shine - but they were always in my mind compared to his writing in the first two novels, which was significantly better. "A Column of Fire" read much more textbook for me. After finishing, you should be able to walk away with, if not an associate's, at least a certificate's worth of knowledge about medieval architecture.
Comment down below if you have read "A Column of Fire" by Ken Follett. Let me know what worked for you in this book and what you struggled with during this book. Thanks for reading!
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