This week for the virtual book club, we’re looking at #1 New York Times bestseller The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett. Fans of Follett’s mega-popular ‘Pillars of the Earth’ series know that it is a multigenerational saga of medieval England that chronicles the political, religious, and social upheaval of the Middle Ages.
While you wait for your copy, we’ve selected a few series (and some standalone novels) that should scratch that ‘multigenerational family saga’ itch for you. These stories span the globe and take place from the time of the Vikings to the 20th century, so there’s something for everyone.
Click any of the readalike book covers below to be taken to our catalog, where you can request a copy of the book with your library card number and PIN. We’ve also included links to our e-media services Overdrive and Hoopla where available. You can find The Evening and the Morning on Overdrive here.
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell – first book in the ‘Saxon stories’ series
Captured and raised by Danes in the ninth century, dispossessed nobleman Uhtred witnesses the unexpected defeat of his adoptive Viking clan by Alfred of Wessex and longs to recover his father’s land.
The Last Kingdom Overdrive link
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson – first novel in the Gilead series
As the Reverend John Ames approaches the hour of his own death, he writes a letter to his son chronicling three previous generations of his family, a story that stretches back to the Civil War and reveals uncomfortable family secrets.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past.
The Dutch House Overdrive link
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The family of a fierce evangelical Baptist missionary–Nathan Price, his wife, and his four daughters–begins to unravel after they embark on a 1959 mission to the Belgian Congo, where they find their lives forever transformed over the course of three decades by the political and social upheaval of Africa.
The Poisonwood Bible Overdrive link
The Poisonwood Bible Hoopla link
North and South by John Jakes – first novel in the North and South trilogy
Chronicles two great American dynasties over three generations. Though brought together in a friendship that neither jealousy nor violence could shatter, the Hazards and the Mains are torn apart by the storm of event that has divided the nation.
North and South Overdrive link
All plot summaries from Novelist, except The Dutch House, which is from Goodreads.
Join us next week for a slightly different, high-flying installment of the Virtual Book Club!
Read it or Weep 