'The Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett is a historical novel set in medieval England, following the lives of various characters intertwined through the construction of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge. The narrative spans over decades, exploring themes of ambition, power, politics, love, and betrayal during the 12th century. The book delves into the challenges faced by individuals from different social backgrounds, including monks, nobles, and peasants, as they navigate through the turbulent times of the Middle Ages.
The storytelling in 'The Pillars of the Earth' is characterized by its epic scope, rich historical detail, and intricate character development. Readers are drawn into a world filled with vivid descriptions of life in medieval England, emphasizing the struggles and triumphs of the central characters involved in the monumental task of building a cathedral. The novel weaves together elements of suspense, drama, romance, and political intrigue, offering a captivating portrayal of a bygone era and the enduring human spirit that drives individuals to overcome obstacles in pursuit of their dreams.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include graphic violence, sexual assault, and themes of abuse and betrayal.
Has Romance?
The book features significant romantic subplots, with complex relationships that play key roles in the story.
From The Publisher:
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Oprah's Book Club Selection
The "extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece" (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett's already phenomenal career-and begins where its prequel, The Evening and the Morning, ended.
"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 stands as a testament to Follett's unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.
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.
Ratings (230)
Incredible (64) | |
Loved It (99) | |
Liked It (34) | |
It Was OK (17) | |
Did Not Like (10) | |
Hated It (6) |
Reader Stats (427):
Read It (231) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (134) | |
Did Not Finish (14) | |
Not Interested (44) |
8 comment(s)
The first chunker of a trilogy about the building of a katedral in 1100s. Almost 1100 pages long this went faster to read then I anticipated. The pages just flew by and I never felt bored by it. Been wanting to read this for many years now and finally found it in my library. It's been an interesting journey with the book but there was bits of violence towards women that I didn't like, feelt a bit ill reading about it. So I'm not giving it a 5 stars because of that. But it's very well written and feels like it's well researched. I'm definitely going to continuing on with the series. So happy that a book I've been wanting to read for so long turns out to be a winner!
Great book. A love letter to architecture.
I've put off reading this book for about 4 years. First of all, it's an Oprah book and Oprah books are usually the most depressing stories ever written. Secondly, it's about building a cathedral - how boring can you get? But, a good friend begged me to read it and since I trust his opinions, I lugged this 900-something page doorstop with me on my honeymoon. "Cause nothing says beach reading like a book about a dusty old cathedral.
Was I in for a shock! This book was actually the BEST beach read ever. It's not boring at all. In high school, I spent a good deal of time re-reading all the good parts in The Clan of the Cave Bear and my mom's Harlequins. I should have been reading this - it had good parts all through it. It was like a raunchy soap opera set in 1100s England.
The characters sprang to life on the pages - I rooted for strong Aliena, hated psychotic William, admired intelligent Jack and wanted to punch out stupid Alfred. In fact, I even rooted for the dusty cathedral.
The only thing I didn't like was the rampant use of the C-word. I realize it has a historic context, but I just think the word is gross. (Like moist - that's another gross word.)
I can't attest to the historical accuracy of this book. But, I can promise you a fascinating read that you won't be able to put down (even on your honeymoon - sorry honey!)
I have a difficult time visualizing things, and the detailed description of the construction went over my head. Also, there were gratuitous scenes of violence and rape.
I honestly HATED this book, which really surprised me given all of the hullabaloo surrounding it! And then I looked at the reviews on Amazon, and I realized that I was not alone. I thought this book was absolutely terrible, and so did a LOT of people. Ken Follet is normally a great writer, but I really thought that he dropped the ball on this one. First of all, he committed the cardinal sin of historical fiction writing- he let his research show. Rather than blending his (obviously extensive) research on cathedrals and cathedral building seamlessly into the story (like a lot of authors before him have managed to do), he just word vomits it all over the pages where descriptions are needed. It feels as though he copied and pasted whole sections from dry text books and how-to manuals.
And then there are the characters. Oh, the characters. The husband and father who randomly has sex with some stranger in the mist ON THE DAY his wife is killed (!!!) and then marries her...kind of. The fact that all the "good" characters are purely good and all the "bad" characters are purely bad...the fact that someone BEING raped or ALMOST being raped on almost EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. In vivid detail and with full descriptions...ugh. We GET IT. Medieval England was a brutal place. Fine.
And Follet commits the sin of Stephanie Meyers and well in that he finds certain adjectives that he really, really likes and decides that they're the ONLY ones that will do and uses them throughout the rest of the book ad nauseum.
I truly did not get the fervor and fanaticism that this book has inspired. There are other books about similar subject matter that handles it SO MUCH BETTER! Maybe it's because of the shock that Follet caused when he veered so completely off of the expected course for him? Who knows.
I absolutely hated it, which is rare for me.
It's a long book not just in terms of the page count, also in terms of the amount of time passes in the book. This book covers almost a lifetime of characters who go through various hardships in the backdrop of real historical events. I read the book over a month.
This book was a good complement for the dissolution book series, as this book focuses on the politics of the church and king in the 12th century whereas dissolution focuses on the 15th century.
I liked the historical setup and scope of the book to cover various aspects of the cathedral building, politics and life of normal people. The scope is grand and covers a lot of ground.
The only issue with the book I have is the way plotting is done. The plotting feels very formulaic and movies like. The twists are not organically woven in and the aftermath is too quick and moving. So it felt like watching a TV series which has twisty ending in its each episode.
Overall it was a good read. If you enjoyed this book/ series, I recommend you give a try for the dissolution series by C.J.Sansom.
Very dense and detailed, yet readable
Great read, a wonderful group of characters, The Pillars of the Earth has them all, mean, nasty, sly, loyal, loveable, brilliant and the not-so-bright.You become so involved in the characters' lives you don't want the book to end, and it is a big book. Ken Follett takes you back to an age of new discoveries, developing designs as the cathedral and the town around it begin to grow. The description of the building of the cathedral, was of particular interest.
What can you read after
The Pillars of the Earth?
About the Author:
Ken Follett was only twenty-seven when he wrote the award-winning EYE OF THE NEEDLE, which became an international bestseller. His celebrated PILLARS OF THE EARTH was voted into the top 100 of Britain's best-loved books in the BBC's the Big Read and the sequel, WORLD WITHOUT END, was published to critical acclaim. He lives with his family in London and Hertfordshire.
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