The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth | The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the...

	The Pillars of the Earth NAL, 2007 average customer review:based on 1136 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner," extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it is a beloved favorite of countless readers, standing as a testament to Follett's unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. A spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known...of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect-a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.

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A must read

This book is so good you wont be able to put it down. If you like historical novels and architecture, you have found the book of your dreams. Really good read.

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett is a wonderful writer, there are over 900 pages in this book which I would usually put on the back boiler to read. However, this book was so interesting, I could not leave it down. On the negative side, there is a tremendous amount of violence and sexual content and it is extremely graphic, hence I would not be able to watch if it were made into a movie.

Helen
W. Nyack, NY

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Good, Not Great Story

Bought this book after reading the reviews, Oprah's book club, etc. Both my husband and I read the almost 1,000 pages (whew). It is a GOOD story but not a GREAT one. Frankly, I was actually surprised that Oprah chose it for her book club. I guess it is worth reading but I have read better books. Go find "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon. This is a MUCH better book. I've read the book PLUS listened to it on audio. I recommend doing the audio, too - it is just a different experience.

Why all the hype?

I think this could have been a great book if it were about 500 pages shorter. While I enjoyed reading it, I was in no way mesmerized and just wanted to get to the end. I thought there was much too much graphic violence and often found myself skipping pages just to avoid the sadistic rapes. I found the characters very stereotypical: a God-fearing monk who somehow always came out on top, a scorned lover who could only seek revenge by spending the rest of his life torturing others, an innocent girl who succeeds in life despite all the obstacles in her path and a dysfunctional step-family. Quite frankly, I kept thinking this would make a great "guy" book; the topic and characters seemed like they would be more appealing to male readers.
All in all, I would recommend giving it a try...if you have plenty of time and a strong stomach. I just received the sequel as a gift and can't say that I'll get to it any time soon...I just don't have the time for another 900+ pages.

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