The secret to writing a successful series is giving the reader more of the same, with variation. It’s a trick Follett has mastered with this series, which spans several centuries ... The similarities also come from the likable figures that Follett, expert at developing relatable characters, creates with skill ... Follett adroitly captures life in the 10th century.
Follett’s choice of language and explication accommodate an audience unfamiliar with the period, painting a large canvas with broad Dark Ages strokes. Violence, rape, slavery, romance, power plays, and human striving all combine into Follett’s absorbing and lengthy saga of life in a chaotic and unstable England on the cusp of the Middle Ages.
[Follett's] re-creation of the period — the hazards, the harsh physical realities, the competing influences of politics and religion — is detailed and convincing, providing a solid underpinning to the later installments of the Kingsbridge series ... Taken both individually and together, the Kingsbridge books are as comprehensive an account of the building of a civilization — with its laws, structures, customs and beliefs — as you are likely to encounter anywhere in popular fiction. Despite their daunting length, these novels are swift, accessible and written in a clear, uncluttered prose that has a distinctly contemporary feel. At times, the prose can feel a bit too contemporary ... Mostly, though, Follett writes in a transparent style that rarely calls attention to itself, moving his outsized narratives steadily — and compulsively — forward ... Follett presents his worlds in granular detail, but the narratives never stand still. Something dramatic, appalling or enraging happens in virtually every chapter ... The result is a massive entertainment that illuminates an obscure corner of British history with intelligence and great narrative energy. The Evening and the Morning is a most welcome addition to the Kingsbridge series. I hope it won’t be the last.
Like Follett’s other historical novels, The Evening and the Morning too is long and full of much detail and side plots. But the story Follett weaves grabs you from the start and holds you in its grip till the fairy tale ending. The book is well-researched and well-written—all in all an excellent, engrossing read.
There are plenty of other colorful people in this richly told, complex story ... They are attractive and sympathetic protagonists, and more’s the pity they’re stuck in the 11th century. Readers may guess the ending well before Page 900—yes, it’s that long—but Follett is a powerful storyteller who will hold their attention anyway ... Follett's fans will enjoy this jaunt through the days before England was merry.
... lackluster ... The structure will feel familiar to series devotees ... The prose is often stilted and overwrought, and the plot elements are derivative of Follett’s past work, adding up to an epic full of romance tropes rather than a reimagined time and place. This is only for series completists.
