Pillars of the Earth

[Just RY]

I love this book!

I have just finished reading it - second time around, and it was just as enjoyable as the first time a few years ago.

The story is set in 12th century England, and is mainly focused on a builder and his family, friends, and enemies. Tom Builder's ambition is to be the master craftsman in charge of constructing a Cathedral, and basically, the story is centred around the Village of Kingsbridge, where the buiding is taking place. It's got the lot, violence, love, politics and vengence. Oh, and medieval architecture and a hanging or two.

Follett has a simple easy going style, and I have found most of his books to be good "page-turners". If you have read his works before, Eye of the Needle etc, and perhaps they weren't to your liking, you may want to give this a whirl, it is most certainly not an "any-old-adventure" type book, and the story is fascinating and compelling.

Thumbs up from me!

[Darkstar]

I read this, oh must be over ten years ago now. I didn't like it at all, for some reason, but I can't remember why not. It's reasonably historically accurate, I think so it wasn't that. Possibly it was just because the characters didn't grab me, and in the end I didn't really care what happened to them. :rolleyes:

[Claire]

Another thumbs up from me. I loved this, (and also re-read it recently)

I loved the story itself, and the interweaving lives of the different characters over the decades, and I loved all the historical detail too, the insight into the politics of the time, and the way of life and the architectural stuff too.

I grew up within sight of Lincoln Cathedral, (the county is so flat, pretty much anywhere is within view of the Cathedral) - and visited it and the castle a lot as a kid, so the chapters set there were, with the all the soldiers and their horses camping out in the cathedral, were especially interesting.

Excellent book.

[Harriet]

I have it, but I'm too scared to read it.......it's too long! (Actually, scared isn't the right word......apprehensive?)

[Claire]

Go on, Harriet - Do it!

At least read the first chapter....either you'll be hooked, and you won't care that it's a big, fat book anymore, you'll be glad that you can enjoy it for even longer - or you won't be hooked, and you could stop again!

(It's fantastic ;) )

[winterwren]

I read this some time ago for a book group I was in and quite enjoyed it! It isn't a book I would have picked up on my own and is the only one that I have read by this author. Since reading it, it seems that I have found that it is usaually rated quite well as historical fiction. I liked the characters pretty well. The story line was well done and there was a lot to learn about the time period and the master builders craft. It was also very interesting how many lives could be effected by the political upheaval of the time. Of course, I guess that is always so! All in all this was a very enjoyable read, in my opinion.

[Trish]

Read this book ages ago & loved it - I still recommend it to loads of other people - but haven't met anyone else who actually enjoyed it. Lot of people don't like historical books & especially ones that long!

[Grammath]

I read this last year on the recommendation of a friend and in my continuing quest to try to read all of the "Big Read" list. I'd read a couple of Follett's other books and thought found them quite exciting thrillers but not particularly original or ingenious.

I felt much the same way about this. Some of the villains were almost cartoonish, the heroes a little too saintly. It was an easy read but I found a lot of the plot very predictable.

Its not a bad book but I don't see how it generates such fervent admiration, maybe I'm missing something.

I didn't find the length off-putting, almost the opposite, in fact, its nice to live with a book for a little while. I say this as someone who is in the midst of c. 2,500 pages of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and the 3,000 pages of Stephen King's "Dark Tower".

[Just RY]

Calling all Pillars of the Earth fans......

Just in case you didn't know, the sequel is now published, "World Without End"

'World Without End' takes place in the same town, Kingsbridge, and features the descendants of the 'Pillars' characters two centuries later.

The cathedral and the priory are again at the centre of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge. But at the heart of the story is the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race: the plague known as the Black Death, which killed something like half the population of Europe in the fourteenth century. The people of the Middle Ages battled this lethal pestilence and survived – and, in doing so, laid the foundations of modern medicine.

Just received the book on Friday, only a couple of chapters into it, but I just know I am going to love it.

[Royal Rother]

Just bought Pillars Of The Earth - looking forward to getting to grips with all 1076 pages of it!

[Tay]

Follett keeps this story ticking along a good pace, constantly throwing something new into the construction of the story to make you turn another page.

I found it started to lag a bit towards the three quarters mark (approx) when one of the characters heads of to Spain! Though historically accurate in that there was a lot of places of learning in Spain in those days it just seemed to stretch the story a bit much for me.

If you like historical saga in an easy to read style that doesn't challenge the old 'grey cells' too much then this is a worth a read. I have the next one 'World Without End' patiently waiting on my TBR pile though not too sure how I feel about devoting so much time once again to another potentially 'surface only' book.

[Valr]

I have found that, although I read Pillars of the Earth quite a while ago, it has stayed with me. I also enjoyed World Without End, but I agree, they are ideal if you don't want to think too much. They are fine for me as I do most of my reading during the night when I don't sleep well. Cracking stories though.

[Momo]

I only read this book last year. My husband had read it when it first came out and tried to persuade me to reada it, several friends had recommended it. What can I say ... too many books, too little time.

Anyway, I absolutely loved the book, the history was interesting, the characters were drawn so lively, you thought you actually lived with them, not that I really would want to live during that time but I really enjoyed that.

[ebee67]

I enjoyed both books but dismissed them really as an easy read. However they got me really interested in Medieval History.I have read much fiction now set in medieval times- much of it by academics - and I developed much more respect for ken Follett when I realised how accurate historically his books were. Anyone interested in persuing medieval settings in fiction could try- Karen Maitland- The owlkillers/ Company of Liars- Melvyn Starr The Unquiet Bones- and Susannah Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series. personally I enjoy learning about historical periods through well researched fiction rather than dry academic texts. Much more fun.

[bobblington]

I'm a fair way through this now (hard to tell exactly as I am listening to it) but I really like it. I wish I was reading it though because somehow this feels like something I want to curl up behind and totally soak myself into it. Listening I find I am doing other things.

I really like Aliena, she's a strong woman who does so much to survive despite all the odds going against her. In fact the two main women are both strong independant women who have their own moral codes and thats something to respect in a big book.

[Alanvdb]

After watching the epic Channel 4 dramatization I was really keen to read the book but haven't yet picked it up, I want to have forgotten the story sufficiently in order to enjoy and be surprised by the book. I hope that will be possible. :)

[momac]

I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth, had trouble putting it down at times. It piqued my interest with regard to cathedrals, the marvellous architectural achievements and the beauty. It also was kind of chilling to read of the political manipulations going on in the early church (although realizing this is a fiction novel) and wondering how much actually happened (apart from historical fact, ie, murder of Thomas a Becket) and might still go on in modern times. Anyway, Pillars is a great read - have liked most of Ken Follett's books.