Book Review - A Column of Fire

Book Review - A Column of Fire

A Great Winter Read

Historical Fiction

Ken Follett’s A Column of Fire is a massive work that spans over many years. From 1558 to1620 years many people’s stories weave in and out trying to fight for their faith, whether Catholic or Protestant, and their monarch.  He follows ‘normal’ people (his characters) mixing their stories with people of history.

The novel starts off in Kingsbridge where we meet several central characters, Ned Willard, Margery and her brother Rollo, then moves on to Spain and France.  These fictional characters meet up, work for, and conspire against figures like Queen Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Guise, Mary Stuart, and Guy Fawkes.  Their connections to each other in their youth prove to be important throughout the whole book.

But as they grow up, they turn in to dangerous work. Masterful spies and networks begin to emerge as everyone has to dodge corners and watch their backs.  You must stay one step ahead of your opponents.

The book takes place right before, during, and immediately after the reign of Queen Elizabeth.  During this politically unstable time it all came down to if you could be tolerant to others or if you would fight to the death for your beliefs. 

In a volatile society, you will not win if you champion the weak and hold unpopular viewpoints.  Follett’s point is you must be stronger than the other side.  The beginnings of secret service and spy rings, while captivating, is also a necessity to survival.

But wait...

While this sounds intriguing, I actually almost put this one down before I was too far in.  There’s no reason to read a book if you don’t like it – especially when it is 900 pages!  It took me awhile to put my finger on what, exactly, I didn’t like. 

It finally came to me around 100 pages in – it was the inauthenticity of the dialogue.

They way characters said things, or the way they thought, did not seem to match the time period.

For example:

“Ned said: ‘Rollo told me that Margery is going to marry Bart Shiring.’

‘Oh, dear.  I was afraid of that.  Poor Ned.  I’m so sorry.’

‘Why does her father have the right to tell her who to marry?’

‘Fathers expect some degree of control.  Your father and I didn’t have to worry about that.  I never had a daughter…that lived.’

Ned knew that.  His mother had given birth to two girls before Barney.  Ned was familiar with the two little tombstones in the graveyard on the north side of Kingsbridge Cathedral.”

He said: “A woman has to love her husband.  You wouldn’t have forced a daughter to marry a brute like Bart.’

‘No, I suppose I wouldn’t.’

‘What is wrong with those people?’” (page 15)

First of all, these short sentences are a back and forth you would see on a drama on TV.  Secondly, it is a modern idea to marry for love.  While people did do it in the 1500s, it was quite common for parents to choose who their daughters (and even sons) would marry.

Here’s another one I can’t picture someone saying in 1558:

“‘Shut your mouth,’ said Le Pin” (page 55)

Or this one:

“He said; ‘Are you making this up?’” (page 13)

Other times a character would have an explicitly-stated comment or thought that served only to let the read know how things were during the 1500s in England, France, and Spain.

For example:

“‘The female characters are always played by men.  They don’t allow women to act.’ “(page 36)

But I feel like an author can show us those things without a character explicitly telling us.  (Your English teacher always told you to show, not tell!)

While I think that Follett is an excellent writer, (if I was writing a book there’s no way I could not keep up with that many characters, story lines, and years!), and A Column of Fire is obviously well-researched, I would like his sentences to be crafted more thoughtfully.  Perhaps this is what he wants them to look like.  For me, however, it seems less believable.  I felt like he was “dumbing down” some of it as if he thought his readers might have lower intelligence.

Now, maybe it does help you get into the story if the characters think and talk more like you (I’m certainly not wanting them to speak Old English!).  Maybe having some modernized themes will capture and hold your attention longer. 

In spite of these things, I was intrigued in the story, and I decided to keep reading.  As I got closer to the end I liked it even more.  And in the last hundred pages or so, Follett really pulled all the stories together making the whole book enjoyable and worth reading. 

On the back cover the Washington Post says, “Follett is a master”.  And I would agree that he is a master of creating story lines that fit together and come out in the end. 

 

The Kingsbridge Series

As I have been reading The Column of Fire, I have had many people say to me, “Oh I love Follett” and suggested other books in The Kingsbridge Series (The Pillars of theEarth, and A World Without End) that cover hundreds of years and deal with the Kingsbridge cathedral. 

People also suggest his other series, The Century Trilogy (Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity).  He has a good reputation, so I am prepared to read him again.  (at the moment my TBR is too large to put another 900-page novel too far up in the list, though!)

Side note: He also has book-related products for sale on his website.  I’m thinking my dad would love a Kingsbridge board game!

What do you like to read?

Are you more likely to read a historically-based book that includes modern ideals and phrases?  Or does that bother you?  Some stories we latch onto because we like the underdog rising to the top, or a woman surpassing her place in society, or people embracing religious freedoms because that is how our world works today.  This is the type of story we are wanting to hear.  Does it change our view of history? 

Read if….

You love the Queen Elizabeth’s reign

You are in to reading GIANT books

Or you want to challenge yourself

Happy Reading!

Hannah

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