This is seriously one of the worst books I've ever read. The only reason I finished the book is because I cannot put a book down once I start.

The writing is terrible. The plotting may be dramatic, but I had almost zero interest in any of the characters; they seem to exist merely for events to happen to them, like actors in a disaster movie. Beyond that there seemed to be three characters in the book: Bad guy, good guy, and good victimized-yet-able-to -overcome girl.

What got me most was: Ken Follett seemed so proud of his historical research that he mentions every 40 pages, "_____ took out his/her eating knife" Really, they didn't have forks, how is constantly reminding the audience of this fact important to the story? There were other oft repeated throughout the novel as well. This seemed like an attempt to fool the audience into thinking they're immersed in the middle ages, when the rest of the book could have taken place anywhere in time. One fact does not a novel make (unless it's a really clever fact.) The bad characters keeping the amazing building from completion felt like a fountainhead rip-off, but that might just be me.

On the positive (?) side the book is an extremely easy read, I might have enjoyed it more were I laying in the sun half drunk on something sweet and rum-filled. Violent sex too if that sort of thing titillates you.

Thank you "Wait Wait" for warning me of Oprah's evil plan, if I can save one person from reading this book my work will done.

At Christmas my work does a blind secret Santa which basically means you buy a gift but not for a specific person. I foolishly chose a package that looked vaguely book shaped - and it turned out to be a copy of this book - which I have already read, albeit long ago - around 1992 by best guess.
Initially I though to consign it to re-gifting or selling on, but realised I could not remember a single detail about the book, other than it went into great detail about cathedral building - which interested me at the time, and still does for it's architectural and stonemasonry input. On this basis I though I would commit to the (almost) 1100 page reread.

I had initially rated it four stars, which is above my general 3 star rating for books read prior to joining Goodreads, which meant that in 2012 I recalled enjoying it more than averagely. On completing it this time, I felt that 4 stars was still correct, although it might have been 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a pretty thorough historical fiction, set in the years 1135-1174, with a prologue in 1123. Other readers have complained about the detail, but that is perhaps the part I enjoyed the most about this - plenty of detail around the cathedral, the stonemasonry and carpentry but also around the aspects of life in this period for the different people from serfs and poor townsfolk to the monks and the lords, even the small amount we saw of the King.

Based around the priory and village of Kingsbridge, which grew to a city, then reverted to a town and grew again to a city, the story follows many characters, and is written from the individual viewpoint of each, typically changing several times per chapter. The destruction of the old cathedral, the commencement of a new cathedral, and then the completing of the cathedral in a new style are the basis of the action. The primary characters who we see the perspective of are Tom Builder, Ellen, William Hamleigh and Prior Philip, then in the later part Jack Jackson and Aliena. There are a multitude of other characters who play parts through the entire book.

The book explores the complex relationships and politicking of the monks and with the Bishop and the Earl who all live locally and all compete for power. With the country in a continual civil war - Stephen challenging rival Maude to rule England, the Earl (William Hamleigh) battles to remain necessary to the King which allows him to act ruthlessly with the town of Kingsbridge, which he sees as a threat to his own city.

I won't outline more of the plot, as in fiction it is too easy to spoil the story. Probably the most annoying aspect of this book is the use of modern words in the dialogue - it just wasn't necessary, and breaks the historical spell so easily. The other minor annoyance was the recapping / repetition - towards the end of the book there were several occasions where characters make fundamental decisions, and the key events of the story we have just read are rehashed and set out as the basis for making the decision. It is somewhat insulting that the author doesn't think we can recall what we have just read sufficiently to understand the decisions made by the characters.

Glad I read this one again, but I doubt that I will pursue the other books in the series, which are awarded a range of ratings by those who enjoyed this book.

4 Stars

OK, I get it, it is not a sophisticated work of literature. It ain't Shakespeare for sure :-).
And I normally stay well away from works of popular historical fiction that tend, like this one, to sacrifice historical accuracy for popularity and readability.

However, I enjoyed reading it, warts and all. The plot is often quite gripping, some of the characters are interesting, and the narrative has some atmospheric moments that manage to credibly recreate some of the peculiar cultural, religious and social features of the period. And the author does demonstrate rich imagination and a capacity to create a highly readable work of historical fiction.
Yes, there is some predictability, recurrence of characters and themes, some questionable stereotyping that would not be out of place in a B-movie on the Middle Ages, some over-simplistic black-and white characterizations, some unwarranted transplanting of modern sensibilities into a medieval setting, and an occasional teenagerish tinge to it (a couple of sex scenes do verge on the preposterous).

But, I must reiterate, I found the reading of this book quite an enjoyable experience. I did like it, quite a lot actually, maybe because I was in the right frame of mind to take pleasure in light, low-brow entertainment for a little while.

Just perfect as summer, indulgent beachside reading, suitable to anybody willing to temporarily suspend judgment and apply some leniency to issues of historical imprecision. Escapism at its best. 4 stars.

n  This novel is nothing short of outstanding. It's a masterpiece.n

Don't let the length of it scare you. From the very first page, you are immediately drawn right into this completely engrossing and totally absorbing read. As long as this book is, I wished it was longer.

This story transports you directly to 12th century England. To say it's 'atmospheric' would be a total understatement. Kings and castles, monks and monasteries, small huts with dirt floors and straw roofs, tiny villages turning into towns. Traveling is done on horseback or on foot, traversing muddy roads, not to mention the forests filled with thieves.

This novel follows the lives of dozens of richly-developed and colorful characters (some of them good, some of them evil) for the duration of 50 years. One of these characters is Tom Builder. Tom's been charged with the building of a massive cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Tom has worked on churches before, but never as the master builder, never as the one in charge. This is his life's dream. (What makes it even more interesting?... Tom's wife, Ellen, might actually be a witch.)

Prior Philip, the Prior of Kingsbridge (the one who hired Tom), is consumed with having the most glorious cathedral the world has ever seen. An impressive cathedral is known to attract people, and attracting people creates thriving towns.

Prior Philip envisions being the head of an impressive cathedral in the middle of an impressive and important town, and he constantly struggles with convincing himself it's all for the glory of God and not for his own personal pride.

Follett expertly intertwines numerous characters and plot lines here with his ridiculously great writing. Every chapter just left me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Just a true delight. A masterpiece of a book.

This book was so completely fantastic that I almost forgot the outside world existed when I was reading it. I’ve never be so emotionally invested in a story, as I was with this. It’s a rare book that does this to me. I think it’s because it follows the characters through such a large proportion of their lives, resulting in a large amount of intimacy and investment with them. Indeed, this novel spans a massive period of forty years and has 1000+ pages; this is no light reading; it is deep, emotive and completely brilliant.

The intense story



So much happens within this novel. It’s impossible to lay it down in a brief summary; these characters, quite literally, go through hell. Such is the life of commoners in the period. They are good folk, and are just trying to erect a church for the betterment of their town. However, the corruptness of the local nobility, and the church hierarchy itself, almost prevents them from achieving their aim. Prior Phillip and Jack the Builder are forced to seek out the aid from their monarch, but because of the turmoil of the civil war, this monarch keeps changing. They have a choice of two royal courts to appeal to. Both are convinced they have the legitimate claim to England’s throne. Picking the wrong side would lead to the ultimate ruination of a folk that simply want to live in peace, and celebrate God’s glory on earth.

Well, this is the mere surface level of the plot. This book is so much beyond it. It is a story of betrayal and seduction; it is a story of love and hardship; it is a story of human nature and the all-encompassing morals that imposes. It is just fantastic in every sense. The characters are real, and their hardships are even realer. These are truly some of the most human characters I‘ve ever read about; these people could have existed.



This is no less true for the villains of the book, William Hamleigh in particular is characterised superbly. For all his ruthless aggression, and sense of entitlement, he’s still a coward at heart. He’d never admit it to anyone, but the reader knows of what he is; the reader can see his blackening yellow heart. He is a product of society, and his parent’s ruthless ambition. He doesn’t deserve sympathy because of this, but the reason why he is the man he is can be seen by looking at his origins. His parents ruined him; he has no restraint; he has nobody to tell him no. So, to his mind, he can get away with anything. He even has a Bishop who will gladly absolve all his sins. He’s actions have no consequences; he can murder and rape without feeling the consequences. This is an incredibly dangerous mind-set, and one that almost destroys the protagonists of the book. He's a nasty man.

The strength of the church

Follet also weighs the potential power of the church. I love the way he contrasts godly Prior Phillip with the twisted Bishop Waleran. It shows us two routes the church could take; it shows us two possibilities for God’s monument on Earth. Prior Phillip is everything the church should be; he is kind and forgiving; he is benevolent and just: he is a true believer of Christ’s teachings. He is in the church for the simple reason that he is a man of faith. Contrastingly, Bishop Waleran is a tyrannical despot. He represents evryhting the church shouldn’t be; he is the personification of its potential evil. The Bishop is vain, greedy and ambitious. In this his will is his own; he is completely self-serving. He abuses his power to meet his own ends and self-aggrandisement. So, he is slightly corrupt. He’s only in the church for its political power and rewards. In this, he is not a true believer of his own faith.

By contrasting these two characters Follet demonstrates how the church has the power to do great good and also great evil. This, for me, is quite a strong message to take from the book because it shows us the dividing nature of man, of life, of good and evil; it shows us that all things can be benevolent or terrible. It also hints at redemption. If something is this bad, it can be made into something good once more; it has the potential to be as it should be in the right hands. I do love this story. It shows that if people can come together, to achieve something greater than themselves then humanity is not lost despite the backdrop of war, corruptness and general chaos.



  

Jack begins the novel as a mute boy with little human socialisation. At the end of the novel he is a respected builder and farther of the town. He is the anchor of Follet’s story telling. Everything centres on Jack, and his family history. His narrative questions the restraints the common man lived under in the period; it highlights the injustice the legal system exerted in the time. He cannot marry his love without a written divorce from his horrible step-brother who’d sooner see him live in misery than have the happiness he couldn’t achieve. The church doctrine almost prevents him from being a farther to his child. But, he perseveres and overcomes the restrictions of the church, his awful step-brother and the corruptness of society itself. Jack’s story is one of human perseverance and fortitude; it is a story of a man who somehow managed to survive a system that was completely against him.

“Nevertheless, the book gave Jack a feeling he had never had before, that the past was like a story, in which one thing led to another, and the world was not a boundless mystery, but a finite thing that could be comprehended. ”



This is a phenomenal story, and though that I’ve got hundreds of books I want to read in my lifetime, and little enough time to read them in, this is a book I will definitely be reading again in the future; it’s a story that I simply have to revisit regardless of its vast length. This is a book I just have to read again.

Ένα ταξίδι που ξεκινάει τo 1123 και τελειώνει το 1174. Ένα ταξίδι που το ξεκινούν ο Τομ, ο Αλφρεντ, η Ελεν και ο Τζακ, η Αλιενα και ο Ριτσαρντ και φυσικά ο μοναχός Φιλιπ, όλοι τους από κάθε γωνιά της Αγγλίας για να συναντηθούν και να ζήσουν στο Κίνγκσμπριτζ. Θα ζήσουν πολλές περιπέτειες, έρωτες, τραγωδίες, αδικία και χαρά κάτω από την σκιά του υπό ανέγερση καθεδρικού ναού, σε αυτό το μεσαιωνικό έπος που ονομάζεται «οι Στυλοβάτες της γης». Kαι αν με ρωτάτε, τότε σας λέω με σιγουριά «Ναι, το λάτρεψα»!
Υ.Γ. και οχι, δεν με κούρασε καθόλου!!! Μια τενοντίτιδα κόντεψα να την πάθω, αλλα ευτυχώς το περιεχόμενο κυλούσε σαν νεράκι!

I would not call this a great, or even a good, work of literature. It is pulp... pulp all the way. But I read it as a teen, and loved the beautiful wenches, the evil villains, the bloody battles and the explicit sex scenes (including rape). I also loved the medieval setting, the way history was mixed with fiction - all the intrigues and mysteries. This is an old-fashioned blood-and-thunder yarn.

But most of all, I loved Jack with his passion to build a cathedral, even in times of turbulence... oh yes. I know that passion to create, and the sense of satisfaction every engineer feels while staring at his finished creation. Oh Yes!

This HF was not even on my reading radar but then my buddy said she was planning to read it and I joined this Buddy Read. When I had started reading it, it was intriguing from the prologue but I procrastinated. But once I started reading this, I stopped reading everything else because this book was so good.

After the death of King Henry I, England was in a state of turmoil since the old King died without a heir. The powerful Barons and royalty refused to swear allegiance to her and her cousin Stephen declared himself the King. This started a civil war in England which lasted almost two decades. During this period England became a difficult place to live as there was no law, King was too busy in war.

But this book does not tell us about the Kings, Queens and wars only, it also tell us the story of ordinary people and how war effected their day to day life. Tom is a master builder and to build a Cathedral is his dream. And to fulfill this dream he along with his family moves from city to city in search of a place where a Cathedral is in making. His family is on the verge of starving because of his dream. During one of his trips he meets Phillip, a monk, and his life is changed forever.

Basically this story is a tug of war between good and evil. There are characters like Jack, Aliena, Alfred, Ellen, Waleran Bigod, and William Hamleigh. They all make this story engaging and there were times when I wanted to stop reading because something really bad had happened. In those moments I felt like 'God can't be this cruel. He can not treat good people so badly.' This book remind me of 'God Sees the Truth, But Waits', a classic short story by Leo Tolstoy. Whenever something bad happened in this book, my mind went back to that short story and I told myself that bad people would pay for their sins. And they did!

I just loved how Follet has shown so many emotions like hope, strength, hatred, angst, greed, faith, trust, bullying, treachery, and so many more in such detail in his characters. I was spellbound and left mesmerize on multiple occasions.

Its an extraordinary tale which everyone should read.

OMG, this book was HUGE!! I do not mind reading big books if I like them (e.g. Shogun). The pillars felt so, so long because it was boring (for me anyways). Not because there is no action. There is plenty of it. The reason i was bored is that I couldn't care less about the characters. Any of them. The author did not succeed to make me like any or become interested in their destiny.

What I also found peculiar with this book was that each chapter was gripping in itself but after finishing it I did not feel the need to start the next one. There was some sort of resolution in each chapter which, in my opinion, is not the way to keep someone on the edge of the seat, reading. In order to finish this huge book I wanted to not be able to let it from my hand. I read some reviews and it seems some liked this kind of writing.

Moreover, the writing is not much. I really do not believe it is worth calling this a classic of historical fiction. Also, the dialog does not feel from the 12th century, it is pretty much modern.

Finally, the whole plot is way too melodramatic.

I learned some interesting historical info about the period and about building churches, not that i needed that in my life. It was entertaining to read the book at times but I think there will be no more Ken Follet for me.

(one minor spoiler ahead, reader beware...)

I started this book without too much expectation but between the self-congratulatory introduction that the author gave to his book and learning part way through that it had become an Oprah pick I must admit that I mentally raised the bar a bit.

Unfortunately, I found the book fell short...

I was very interested through about the first half of the book, it is clear that Follett writes thrillers in his other life and some of the initial action scenes were fairly exciting. The plot started out a tad slow, but began to build and I was hopeful suspense would continue to build. But found myself becoming more and more sour with the book as I continued. It may be that I was just holding my breath waiting for the end of the book (in the bad way), but the last 100 pages of the book felt tacked on and even more forced. I did not find the book to be terribly enlightening about the period as others have, though some of the architectural information was mildly interesting - I'll admit that I never really thought much before about what it would take to make such a huge building stay together. The characters developed up to a point, and then never really matured, remaining fairly unrealistic. Though the pure malevolent nature of a few of the “bad guys” did have me rooting for the protagonists in the beginning, the repetitive nature of the plot lines and "twists" eventually just became annoying and I wasn’t really attached to any character.

This book falls prey to far too many of the classic blunders of very long novels or series. I was reminded of the Clan of the Cave Bear series (which initially was quite a fun read too) in that the main characters try to be too much. For example, Jack is not only intelligent, good with stone, handsome and charming, but he is super-humanly inventive and lucky. Like Ayla (from the Clan series) he makes ludicrous mental leaps to revolutionize technology and develops overnight insight into city planning and tactical defense when it is convenient for the plot line (by the way… a city wall in a day? please… wasn’t one of the selling points of this book supposed to be its architectural realism?). On the other end of the spectrum, the antagonists are constantly attempting to one-up their last act of moral depravity and it becomes difficult to believe that anyone would really let them remain in power, regardless of their political tricks or bribes.

This would have made a great yarn if it was about half the size and toned down on the sensationalism a bit. As it is, I am really surprised at the positive outpouring for this book… Maybe I’m missing something…

n  "The most expensive part of building is the mistakes."n

My word. I'm quite lost for words after just finishing Ken Follett's supreme piece of historical fiction, the Pillars of the Earth. Quite possibly the best book ever written about building a cathedral.

The premise of this one is not normally one that I would expect myself to gravitate toward. Set in the middle ages it centres around a group of monks striving to build a cathedral. But as with most great stories, this one is so much more, as the characters involved struggle through adversity, hardship and failure during its course.

So what makes this one great and a recipient of the legendary Dave Edmunds' five star award? Follett's writing is not exceptional. It's functional and does the job, portraying the story without being a distraction. But it lacks the flair and style of some of the more elite writers. What it excels at is a fantastic plot with a truly epic scope, spanning decades.



n  "The duck swallows the worm, the fox kills the duck, the men shoot the fox, and the devil hunts the men."n

There's a great set of characters and because you spend so much time with them you come to truly love them, or really hate them as you watch them grow up. Prior Phillip is one of my favourite literary characters, truly inspiring and selfless. An example to us all. And don't get me started on William Hamleigh, one of the most heinous and vile villains I've ever come across. I normally love a good villain, but this guy is so bad there's absolutely nothing remotely likeable about him.

The world building on display here is amazing. Follett is extremely knowledgeable and the book is a real education. I feel enriched from the experience and now know the various aspects of a cathedral. The nave, chancel and transcepts...I'm all over it.



n  "Proportion is the heart of beauty."n

The tables in this one swing back and forward constantly. Just as you think our heroes have made it they get kicked in the face and have to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and struggle on. You never truly know if they're going to make it. Which makes for compulsive reading.

So to sum things up. If you can handle a giant door stop of a book give this a read. Even if historical fiction isn't your bag. If you love a great story, then you'll love Pillars of the Earth.



Ken Follett

I devour books. That is my euphemism for being so obsessed that I can't put them down and live my life until I finish them. For shorter books, that's generally not a problem, but for the 974 page Pillars of the Earth...well, let's just say we ran out of food, my children clung to my legs asking for food, and the floors did not get vacuumed for a good five days while I whittled away at this book.

CLIFF HANGER: This book is not a cliff-hanger-at-the-end-of-every-chapter kind of book, which makes it easier to read it in multiple sittings. However, Follett does such a masterful job of character development, that I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next whether the end of the chapter contained a cliffhanger ending or not.

CHARACTER DEV'T: Each character is so beautifully defined and fleshed out, that they become almost real. I felt that I knew them personally, that I could accurately predict how they would react in different situations. None of them were 100% good or bad, just like in real life. Some priests were holy, others evil; some were rich people with big hearts, others with small minds and evil intentions; some poor farmers were judgmental, w/narrow-minded attitudes, others opened their doors to strangers.

PLOT/PACE: Foreshadowing was a very powerful convention that Follett skillfully weaved in and out of every chapter. It gave subtle hints, but never so overt as to suggest that the reader may be an imbecile. Backstories meander and come to closure at such a nice pace, that it always feels like something is happening and things are being resolved, for better or for worse.

THEMES: My favorite theme was that natural consequences followed the actions of the characters. (I'm still a bit out of sorts after reading the deus-ex-machina-riddled Breaking Dawn, where all the natural consequences of three books worth of actions were completely erased-ugh.) There was a natural ebb and flow of triumph and misfortunes in Pillars of the Earth. Good things happened to bad people and bad things happened to good people, just like in real life. Follett does not try to save his characters from themselves, or from each other, and I enjoyed that very much.

STRONG WOMEN: I absolutely adored the strong women in this book! What a joy to read about Aliena, carving out her own future after her world had been turned upside down! Life knocked her down plenty, but each time, she got up, made a plan, and triumphed eventually. Ellen, and Agnes in her own way, were also strong women.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: As strange as it sounds, with all of the despair and misery that took place, the overarching take home for me, was HOPE. In the face of overwhelming adversity, these characters triumphed. The road was hard and the journey was long, but they CHOSE hope. They CHOSE faith. And in the end, that was all that mattered.

Pillars of the Earth will be on my favorite books list for a very long time.