What's the Difference between World Without End: A Novel (Kingsbridge Book 2) the Book and World Without End (2012) the TV Show?
| In the Book |
In the TV Show |
Sir Thomas Langley
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Sir Thomas Langley
Portrayed by: Ben Chaplin
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Caris Wooler
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Caris Wooler
Portrayed by: Charlotte Riley
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Merthin Fitzgerald
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Merthin Fitzgerald
Portrayed by: Tom Weston-Jones
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Petranilla
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Petranilla
Portrayed by: Cynthia Nixon
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World Without End (2012) Book vs TV Show
| In the Book |
In the TV Show |
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In the book, Elfric Builder is a terrible man who works against Merthin (his apprentice) and is married to Caris' older sister, Alice. Alice survives him. |
In the miniseries, Elfric Builder is still terrible (and Merthin is his apprentice), but he also marries Caris against her will (so she can save her father's business). He forces himself on her, making both her and Merthin miserable. |
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Lady Phillippa, after being forced to marry Sir Ralph, eventually moves to the priory, has an affair with Merthin, then gets pregnant and has to go back to Ralph so he will think the child is his. Hers and Merthin's son, Roland, is thus raised as Ralph's 2nd son. Phillippa survives to the end of the book, taking pleasure in her daughter, son, and stepson. |
In the miniseries, after being forced to marry Sir Ralph, Lady Phillippa slits her wrists and dies on their wedding night rather than sleep with him.
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After Merthin's Florentine wife dies in the plague, he takes their daughter Lolla home to Kingsbridge with him. She eventually grows up to follow in Caris' footsteps as a healer. |
Merthin's wife and daughter both die in the Florentine plague, and he returns to Kingsbridge alone. |
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Young Gwenda's father is a terrible man who sells her into marriage (in fact, into prostitution) before she escapes. |
Young Gwenda's father not only sells her into marriage (in fact into prostitution), he is also sexually abusing her the whole time. Because the miniseries is just rapey-er
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Mattie Wise, the herbalist and healer, escapes Kingsbridge before she can ever be accused of witchcraft. However, a crazy woman named Nell is found guilty of witchcraft earlier on and is whipped through town to be hanged (but the bridge collapses first) |
Mattie Wise is the one found guilty of witchcraft. She is taken to the bridge to be hanged, and when the bridge collapses her body is dramatically whipped into the air. |