The Pillars of the Earth

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Editorial reviews

Oprah Winfrey
'It's such a great read...I got to 800 pages, and I slowed myself down because I didn't want it to end.'

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Synopsis
"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. A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece. 'Enormous and brilliant ...this mammoth tale seems to touch all human emotion - love and hate, loyalty and treachery, hope and despair. This is truly a novel to get lost in' - "Cosmopolitan". 'A historical saga of such breadth and density ...Follett succeeds brilliantly in combining hugeness and detail to create a novel imbued with the rawness, violence and blind faith of the era' - "Sunday Express".

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-09-05 rating:
Over long and a bit of a let down
I was disappointed by this book. I totally agree with H. Morris's review. Everything is predictable, the story is very much like a soap opera (with the goodies and the baddies) and it drags on and on. Not gripping like I imagined it would be. I had to stop half way through as I felt I was wasting my time.

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review by: The Force Is Out There date: 2008-08-23 rating:
a prior story, a builder's vision, a manificient cathedral
The best book I have ever read so far. All human should read this book. KF is a remarkable writer of a story - all great characters and all good plots eventually making it believing.

Main characters are the Prior of Kingsbridge who re-create Kingsbridge with the help of its builder Tom and his son Jack. Aliena (Jack's wife) a strong individual fought every way to help brother Richard that was lost to an evil William. Other characters were Waleran, the Bishop, Alfred, Tom eldest son, Ellen, Tom's 2nd wife, and Jonathan, Tom's youngest son.

This book written in a way thats shows all angle of life with ambition and purpose rule by King and manage by prior and bishops. There are areas of loyalty, revenge, courage, resistance, hate, perseverance, and brutality.

1000 pages nothing less tells alot and is worth it. 5 Star best work from KF I am going for the sequel.

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review by: date: 2008-08-18 rating:
Overlong Unchallenging Medeival Soap Opera
At over 1000 pages this is a long book. There's no doubt the plot is gripping and the characters larger than life but the same can be said about Eastenders. When the book hits top form it is very good- particularly if you are interested in the social history of the period. Some of the set-pieces and plot twists are also good value but the book is let down by characters. They are too broadly painted. Everyone is either a goody or a Pantomime villain and the predictability of their actions does start to grate. Also the whole book seems to be a never ending succession of dramas, problems or stitch-ups facing the good guys each with their triumph duly coming a few pages later. Like a dodgy actor faking an accent in a film, the tone and authenticity of the characters also seems to waver. Some of the dialogue is completely unconvincing and at times you have to remind yourself you're in 12th not 21st century England. I'm no book snob but the prose was far to simple and if it wasn't for the gratuitous sex then it would be suitable for any Harry potter Fan. Basically if you're on holiday and are the type of person who would like to read 3 Dan Brown's in a row than you'll love this. If you Like your books to challenge you and you have a reading age of over 14 then there must be other books out there that do the same thing but better. ps. I still haven't got a clue what a nave or chancel is...

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review by: date: 2008-08-14 rating:
opened my eyes to the world of cathedrals
all I can say is apart form Tolkien, this is the (second) best book I have ever read!

brillant, brillant, brillant! did not want the book to end, but could not put it down!!

five stars easy!


review by: Charlotte Bird date: 2008-07-30 rating:
Fast Paced and Imaginative - A Fantastic Read!
When a friend of mine who shares my usually overly-critical views of what I'm reading recommended Pillars to me, I must admit I was a bit put off by the fact it seemed to have more pages than the bible! I initially thought it'd take me a year to read and feared I may lose interest a quarter of the way through. BUT - when I sat reading the first chapter at a kids play-centre and a guy on the next table commented to his wife that I was reading 'THE book' and turned to me to tell me how amazing it was, I thought it must turn out to be a great read .....
And how right I was!
You have to get past the first chapter where even I'll admit that I did have to re-read a few pages to get my head around the politics and religious aspects being described - but believe me, the rest of the book isn't like that at all and soon I was gripped by love, lust, betrayal, murder, jealousy, war, revenge,.....etc. Ken Follett'sn writing style is easy to understand and in a way quite simple (which I found a relief as I hate these writers who try to be clever and I end up lost) but equally his descriptions create rich images in your head as you're reading and you feel such emotion toward the characters.
Pillars is perfectly paced. If I only have time to read 10 or 15 pages, I know something significant will happen in those few pages leaving me desperate to pick up the book again as soon as I can!
So - don't be put off by the size or the subject matter, it's one of the best books I've ever read .... 10/10!

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