Book Summary and Reviews of Circle of Days by Ken Follett

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Astrid Rusquellas

What makes us human hasn't change much in 5000 years
I liked the description of the development of human cognition through nascent mathematics. I also enjoyed the historically credible engineering of the transport of the giant stones. Also the portrayal of the coexistence in the late neolithic of the three economic and political forms of societies: Woodlanders hunter gatherers , shepherds and farmers with the development of private property and patriarchy.

Cathryn_Conroy

Has Ken Follett Jumped the Shark with This Latest Novel?
Has Ken Follett jumped the shark on these historical fiction epics he so expertly writes?

His newest novel is about the origins of Stonehenge on England's Salisbury Plain. While it's fascinating, he had to have just made up most of it out of his head since so little is verifiably known about Stonehenge, the construction of which began in 3100 BCE.

Bottom line: It's just not as riveting as his previous books, especially when compared with the Kingsbridge five-novel series that begins with "The Pillars of the Earth." This is a long book at 700 pages, and the actual construction of Stonehenge—moving the first monolithic stone—begins about 75 percent into the story.

Until then, two things happen:
1. Follett populates the novel with people stories of those who lived on and shared this land with each other, including the herders of animals who lived on the Great Plain and the farmers and the woodlanders who lived nearby. Each group has the same type of characters: the smart thinkers, the bullies, and the creative ones. There is a lot infighting in each group and violent battles between the groups. It's the good guys vs. the bad guys over and over and over again. And the bad guys never change.

2. The details of the engineering required to construct Stonehenge is a major part of the novel. (Unless you're an engineer, this can become a bit of a slog.)

The three groups of people—herders, farmers, and woodlanders—come together for several festive days for rites at the Monument to welcome the new seasons, especially the summer solstice, which is their new year. It is a time for honoring the sun god, trading goods, and enjoying a bit of revelry, which involves some extraordinary sexual practices.

Follett creates an interesting and plausible vision of why Stonehenge was needed. A group of priestesses live on the site they call the Monument, which is constructed just like what we know as Stonehenge but out of wood. It is their job to count the days of the year using the Monument as their guide. When the Monument is set on fire (see above: bullies and battles) and is essentially destroyed, the long-held dream of constructing it out of stone is finally begun, a process we know from archaeologists took more than 1,500 years.

While parts of the book are fascinating, too much of it is stilted, convoluted, and tedious. The characters seem one-dimensional, since their life experiences do not result in change or growth. And worst of all, the dialogue is often wooden and monotonous.

That said, there is enough of an interesting story to it that I am giving it four stars. Maybe I went into it expecting too much.

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