Book Review of "Circle of Days" by Ken Follett

I just finished reading a new release from historical fiction writer, Ken Follett, "Circle of Days". Keep reading this blog post for all of my favorite moments from the book and to find out whether or not you should read it, too.

Circle of Days

by Ken Follett

My rating : ★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.

A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.

A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .

Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.

- summary from amazon.com

Book Review and Discussion of
"Circle of Days" by Kent Follett

What Worked For Me

Unique historical focus

Historical fiction books can be an incredibly repetitive genre, with most of them focusing on WWII. Even the covers feel uninspired and tiresome. However, "Circle of Days" by Ken Follett reaches far back in the annals of history, sending us to 2500 BC and the beginnings of building what would come to be known as Stonehenge. 

Any switch-up is appreciated in this genre, and I think this huge shift back in time really made the reading experience for me. I was intrigued by the landscape and the characters' primitive lifestyles. The beginnings of science and technology were interesting to see play out as the characters explored so many social structures that we certainly take for granted.

I hope to see Follett continue this series, much as he did the Kingsbridge storyline. Archaeologists believe that the building of Stonehenge occurred over 1000 years, so there's definitely potential for expanding on this story.

Comfy cozy reading experience

A Ken Follett historical fiction novel has come to define fall reading for me. In the last several years, his books have been released in late September. They are notoriously chunky, and I love the world-building. Just as the characters inevitably gather around a large fire to rest, you'll inevitably find me in a cozy reading corner each Fall with one of his books in my hand. Follett's historical fiction has come to define a cozy fall reading experience that I look forward to each year. 

What I Struggled With

Historical Questions

Something I have always found frustrating about Follett's historical fiction novels is how much I am left to wonder as a reader as to the historical accuracy in his books. Granted, I read an e-reader advanced copy, so certainly an appendix could've been added. However, I did not see any notes referencing sources or verifying which events are fact and which are fiction. And perhaps it is all unknown, and that's understandable as well, but I would greatly appreciate notes instead of it being left to my imagination.

Little plotting, considering the length

"Circle of Days" comes in at a whopping 706 pages. That is a large task for most readers. After finishing the novel and reflecting on the plot, there just wasn't enough there for me to stay motivated as a reader. Strangely, the building of Stonehenge itself only occurs at the end of the book and really isn't much of a complicated or intriguing plot line. Follett shows it taking a mere 20 or so years to construct the beginning of Stonehenge. As I mentioned above, this is fictional or based on research, we are left to wonder. The relationships and intrigue are simply plotted, and with that much space for writing, I think more could have been done. I have loved his other historical fiction novels and will continue to read his new releases, but "Circle of Days" would not be at the top of my recommendations from this author.