The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

[goodreads]

Title: The Pillars of the Earth
Author: Ken Follett
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 1076
Date read: March, 2009

Summary: Set in 12th-century England, the narrative concerns the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. The ambitions of three men merge, conflict and collide through four decades during which social and political upheaval and the internal politics of the church affect the progress of the cathedral and the fortunes of the protagonists.

Review: I'll admit it - I was utterly blown away by this book. Despite its length, it managed to capture my attention completely. I was immensely interested in the characters - especially Jack and Aliena.

The general complaint about the book is that there are many long descriptive passages. This is true, but I never actually felt it was too long, and appreciated the practical explanations. My biggest problem was that many of the characters were quite one-dimensional - the bad guys were thoroughly bad and had no redeeming qualities at all. It seemed a bit exaggerated that ALL their actions were despicable, and that they had no goodness in them whatsoever. I like a good villain as much as anybody, but it has to be somebody I can love to hate (like Count Fosco in "The Woman in White"), not somebody I hate to hate (like Umbridge in "Order of the Phoenix).

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, and "The Pillars of the Earth" most definitely lived up to my expectations. It's one of those books I couldn't put down, but hated to see finish. I'll have to see if "World Without End" is as good :-)

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Comments

[callistahogan.livejournal.com]

I read World Without End and loved it even more than Pillars of the Earth. It's a thousand pages long, but so worth it. The villains are more three-dimensional in WWE as well. I think you'll love it. :)

[bogormen.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. I'll probably wait a bit before buying it though, as I'd be tempted to read it straight away and I really HAVE to read some of the ARCs I've been sent.

[harmonious.livejournal.com]

I read this book a few summers ago. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did I couldn't stop. I was reading it at the laundromat one day and someone asked me why I was reading the dictionary. ;) I think I'll re-read it sometime soon, and hopefully pick up World Without End as well!

[bogormen.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yeah, it is rather on the thick side, but still - a dictionary?? Hehe ;)