Whenever I mention The Temple Spring and Autumn and The Endless World to my classmates, they ask me, "What's it about?" Though I've read it carefully and have often thought about the stories and characters in the book, it's hard for me to tell you what it's about in a nutshell. I searched my brain, recalling and organizing the plot of the book in my head, and could only say: "The author of the book, Ken Follett, is a contemporary master thriller writer, but these two books are not thrilling, and the only possible supernatural persona is being mistaken for a witch. Springtime at the Temple is set in the broader context of a battle between kingly and ecclesiastical power, and The Endless World is set more than two hundred years later, with the addition of commercial guild power as productivity grows. Both books center around Kingsbridge and architecture, telling the stories and wisdom of generations." After the serious nonsense, I would highlight "The above is not why I liked this book, what really drew me to it was that each of the characters was so full of character that it made me think three-dimensionally about the personalities of intelligence, independence, confusion, laziness, greed, and so on."
Reading about the growth of the characters in the story, it's as if you feel the climb of growth yourself.
As a first read I was going to write about Irene of Sanctuary Spring and then Alena. But since Sanctuary Spring is not at hand and Endless Worlds is being read, I'll write about Keris first.
Having just finished reading The Endless World on, Keres is the heroine of the novel and shines throughout the book, showing great intelligence, whether it's helping her father run his wool business or commanding and saving lives when the old bridge collapses, etc. But what caused me to think the most was her views on marriage.
Keres and Mersin are both very smart and full of wisdom in Kingsbridge, heart to heart and in love with each other, Mersin wants to marry Keres and have children through their own efforts and spend a happy life, but Keres has always been hesitant and avoided the topic of marriage, she wants to just fall in love, does not want to get married does not want to have children. After hearing the conversation between Thomas and Lauryn (Thomas was a knight before, married Lauryn and had children, then to hide an important secret, he became a monk of Kingsbridge Abbey, and from then on, Lauryn could only raise her children alone, and Lauryn wasn't a widow so she couldn't remarry), Keres was even more determined not to get married and not to have children because she thought that if she got married and had children, she would become a slave to her husband and her children, and she wouldn't be able to lead a life of her own But how is Keres going to get through this? But how is Keres going to spend her life? She is constantly thinking and confused. Watching her mother's illness and death without being able to do anything about it, Keres wanted to be a doctor, but at that time only men were allowed to be doctors; when her father's wool business almost went bankrupt, Keres researched the making of scarlet flannel and saved the business, and wondered if she would inherit her father's business, but that could be left in the hands of Mark Webb; Sister Cecilia had been persuading Keres to become a nun, and she thought that her intellect was suited to be a nun, but Keres doesn't like obedience and doesn't believe in God that much, and she doesn't like the life of a nun.
Keres still doesn't know how she's going to spend her life, but her love for Mersin keeps her from thinking about it for a while, and they continue to fall in love, and even later on Keres gets pregnant. When Keres told Mersin that she was pregnant, Mersin was happy, and he thought to himself that Keres had figured out that she wanted to marry him before moving on, but Keres hesitated once again, and after three months of thought and suffering, Keres decided to abort the baby, and she did not tell anyone about it, and even less complained about it to Mersin again, and she suffered the mental and physical pain alone, and has since been on the same path as Mersin as well. Mersin often went to talk to Elizabeth, Elizabeth is also a girl with wisdom, Mersin likes to talk to her; Keres independently busy with her father's business, maintaining the establishment of a new stone bridge to maintain the funds and struggle.
Finally, one day, Elizabeth confesses her love for Mersin, who ultimately refuses. This plot is like all fairy tales in which the hero loves and waits for only the heroine in his life. In my shallow relationship knowledge, Keres did not want to get married and did not want to have children, Mersin got angry and never cared about the pregnant Keres again; while Keres was suffering from psychological and physical pain alone, Mersin was chatting with Elizabeth, whom he liked. Mersin's approach is so much a reflection of real life that it even smacks of scum; only because Keres is independent, Mersin's approach doesn't bother the relationship. But in the end, Mersin's rejection of Elizabeth's confession returns the relationship to the fairy tale world, and yes, Mersin only loves Keres.
In the novel, Keres and Mersin's relationship is not smooth, disturbed by a variety of external factors, and what twists and turns will be performed under The Endless World, I have not read it yet, but what makes me sigh the most is not the interference of the outside world, but the inner monologue of the two.
I don't know how many of these fairy tales there are in real life, where two people love each other for a lifetime. Throw away the novel, back to reality, we can not predict a lifetime, we can only choose to believe in the heart. Some people want a long-lasting love, some people only care about once have, no matter what, we can choose to believe that each other love, love is enough. Whether it is external factors or heart change, the end is the end.
I'm looking forward to reading Endless Worlds - The Next, where Keres is forced to become a nun because she was falsely accused of being a witch and can't marry Mersin. From this point on Keres will choose how to live this life. I believe that Keres can still be the radiant heroine after losing her love. This is what inspired or educated me about this novel. A happy life is about choosing the path you want to take, discovering your own value and realizing your ideals and pursuits. Love is the icing on the cake. Keres may have never wondered if Mersin would love himself all his life, because she is independent, both in body and soul.
On the other hand, I have been reading for many years, going to school for many years, and have been pursuing and realizing my own ideals and values in life, but I am still trapped by love. I read from Keres the concept of love and marriage that I should pursue. First become an independent person and always be an independent person.
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