Reviews with content warning for Torture - Le crépuscule et l'aube

It was rather a captivating story. But the amount of rape and misogyny in it was almost off putting. I understand it was for "historical accuracy" or whatever, but still yikes.

The sex scenes are one of the worst I've ever read! And most of them are told from a female point of view. They are so obviously written by a male it's just ridiculous.

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carolined's review against another edition

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dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you've ever read any Ken Follett you know how it goes, the heroes are well meaning, ambitious and hopelessly naive; the villains are ruthless and cunning and unbeatable until the very end. The author does a lot of research and makes sure the reader knows it, I enjoyed the details of everyday life much more than the plot.

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beanjoles's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.5

Amazing audio production - John Lee made the 24 hours fly by!

This was my first Ken Follett read. I picked it up as a skip-the-line loan on a whim and I’m very glad I did! Other reviewers have mentioned that the characters don’t have a ton of depth, and that’s true, but it was still a really fun, tense, and informative listen. Spoiler for the ending:

Even though I know the ending was way too pat, with the good characters finally getting their heart’s desires and the villains finally being punished, it felt incredible to see our long suffering protagonists have something good happen to them for a change. I was thrilled by Aldred getting his bishopric and Ragna and Edgar getting, at long last, to enjoy their love and be married.

One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the keen attention paid to the minutiae of English life in the Dark Ages. I learned about shipbuilding, construction, and life for common peasants. It was interesting seeing the beginnings of the landlord system and how the laws regarded people of different statuses and genders. I also learned a lot about the horrors of slavery practised by the English, something I didn’t realize they’d been doing even way back then. I’d say I enjoyed the book as much for its world building as I did for the plot and characters.

I liked this enough to put a hold on the Pillars of the Earth, and I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

A content note: As you might expect of a book written about this era, there is a good deal of sexual violence in this book. Some of it is gratuitous to the plot but does contribute to worldbuilding (unfortunately). Id probably stay away from this book if sexual violence and r*pe are triggers for you. Examples:

Several female slaves are prostituted against their wills, and one of the protagonists is subjected to repeated rapes during a nearly year-long kidnapping that result in an unwanted pregnancy. It’s a lot!

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lunar_witch's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Slow Paced detailed historical fiction. The first two parts of the book are gripping and filled with twist and turns. But later parts felt rushed where the story lost its rhythm.

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more_books_than_days's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

There are several graphic depictions of women in this story as victims of extreme violence and sexual assault. By the end of the book I was emotionally exhausted by the toll of this constant oppression and powerlessness, which was developed into the fabric of the story from the very beginning.

With a cast of characters who fell into predictable tropes, either good or evil with little in between, the plot also felt predictable, and very slow moving. I ended up skipping paragraphs and skim reading many pages rather than battling through sections of prose that did little to advance the story. This was a disappointment,
because I very much enjoyed the Pillars of The Earth trilogy.

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