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Ken Follett had long been a staple of the bestseller lists for his novels of intrigue and espionage. Then came The Pillars of the Earth, a grand novel of epic storytelling that readers and critics quickly hailed as his crowning achievement. Now, The Pillars of the Earth is available for the first time to a new audience of readers, in this attractive new trade paperback edition.
In 12th-century England, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral signals the dawn of a new age. This majestic... (show more)
Reviews (4,878)
This is now my favorite all time book. Could not stop reading it. This book had everything from adventure, sadness, triumph, comedy, history, romance and reflection.
incredible ... depressing ... but i like my books to have a certain darkness and morbidity (i thought i made that word up but it was in the spell check ... bummer) to them ... i find them to be a little easier to relate to
This book is truly amazing. I leanred about a time period and great architecture all while reading a wonderful story line. I think Ken Follett should continue writing historical fiction.
I was so happy when the sequel, World Without End came out the same month I finished the book. I immediately read that as well, and enjoyed it just as much.
I read this book after it had been much hyped by friends and acquaintances and therefore went in with correspondingly low expectations which were satisfyingly gratified.
There is little good to be said about it, so I'll start there.
For a book of its girth it is very readable and trots along at a brisk pace making it easily consumable. However, there is little else of merit to find in this book.
The characters are drawn with broad strokes such as to be laughably unbelievable, particularly in their villainy. The story lurches along without any clear direction - at its best a clumsy melodrama and at its worst a toddler falling on its face in a dark forest.
Much of the book reads like an idiots guide to medieval architecture, the kind of stuff you did in year seven history class, which gets tedious very quickly and fits quite incongruously with the lack of attention paid to other aspects of life at the time. In general the author displays a broad lack of understanding of his subject, an annoying tendency to contemporise his characters, a continuously patronising tone, and a complete incomprehension of Christianity and faith in general - which does not suit a book on cathedral Building overly well.
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