The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
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Book Reviews of The Pillars of the Earth
Book Review: Catherdral Ping Pong
Summary: 3 Stars
I had a mixed reaction to Pillars.
It is the story of the people working for and against the construction of a 12th Century Cathedral. I ended up feeling like the entire book was a game of ping-pong with the cathedral flying back and forth on the table. Yes they would build it. No they wouldn't. They get some work done. There is an obstacle. The obstacle is overcome. There is another obstacle. That obstacle is overcome. Another appears. The plot is pretty much 900 pages of this back and forth.
Some of it was great and even surprised me. However, there was only so much of this back and forth I could handle. After a while I just wanted it to be over.
On the other hand, I felt like the ending really pulled the book together.
The writing (literally word choice on the page) was boring. A number of words/phrases were repeated ad nauseum. At first I thought this was intentional as Tom Builder was an illiterate man. However, Philip Prior, Aliena, and Jack were all written in the same simplistic (boring) form.
There were also way too many coincidences. What a surprise that a heroine 'accidentally' meets the person who will betray a certain castle 50 pages or so before the castle is attacked. This happens over and over and over again.
There were parts that rivited me. There were parts I skimmed, just to keep the story going. I found the travails of the characters depressing and everytime they overcame a problem I knew that they would just get hit with another one. I half expected the book to end with just one more difficult trial. (It didn't. Like I said, I did like the ending.)
Overall, I'd say that this is a book worth reading for those that read historical fiction. Just do so knowing that it has flaws.
Book Review: Great Historical Novel - Great Book - A+
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the prologue, I was not sure if the book would maintain its intensity and keep my interest given that the book is almost 1000 pages long. However, by the end of the second part of the first chapter, there was no question that this was going to be a great read. I can honestly say there was never a slow part in this book. It just kept getting better and better.
This is a book about the building of a cathedral but the building of the cathedral is not the main part of the story. At its most basic level, this is a story of good versus evil (the pillars of the earth). And this book has plenty of both - love, friendship, devotion, charity, rape, greed, murder, and revenge.
I came to feel for the characters in this book. I wanted Tom to succeed in his dream, I wanted Ellen to be happy, I wanted Jack and Aliena to be happy and felt for them when they could not be. I also wanted the evil character to get theirs in the end. I hated William Hamleigh, I wanted to see him suffer, and felt very little pity for him in the end. I also came to very much dislike Alfred, despite being Tom's son along with Bishop Bigod. For me to feel that strongly, the writing has to be absolutely fantastic.
This books starts you out in the prologue at 65 MPH and by the end you are at 175 MPH. It was very difficult for me to put the book down after reading for several hours. It is very easy to lose yourself in this book. It was on my mind almost constantly. I tried to predict what would happen next but was always surprised by what actually happened. I read the entire book in less than 2 weeks. I was shocked to be done with it that quickly.
I am so much looking forward to the continuation of this story.
Read this book! You will not be disappointed!
Book Review: Follet Does the Middle Ages
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this book. It is dripping with plot --- suspense, conflict, romance, sex --- and Follet knows how to tell a story. The 12th century setting, and the wealth of historical detail, provides a fresh setting for his talents and certainly adds to the interest of the book. The images of life, politics and religion in 12th century England are so vivid that they stay with you even after the details of the never ending plot fade away, and if they're accurate (I'm no judge) educate as well.
At the same time, I would not be misled by the reviews describing this as a great departure for Follet or a leap into a different world. To be sure, it is a different setting and genre than Key to Rebecca and Eye of the Needle, but all the Follet elements are the same. The characters behave heroically or despicably in their one dimension (good or evil); general plot developments are heavily foreshadowed; the heroes and heroines enjoy sex; things are darkest before the dawn; and so forth. If you liked those books (and I did), you should like this one too. Don't be afraid that this is outside of the "thriller" genre. Follet is at the height of his powers here.
On the other hand, those powers do not involve subtlety or sophisticated writing. If you are expecting this to be more "literary" than a typical Follet or are seeking literary historical fiction, this is not the book for you. It is excellent beach reading (albeit, long beach reading).
As to the length, I will say that while I truly enjoy consuming good Follet, even I was full, perhaps overstuffed, by the end. There are so many peaks and valleys for the characters that their drama did start to fade. Nonetheless, I'm sure I will digest this and before long start in on the equally long sequel. . .
Book Review: So very good
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this book with some reservations. First, it's about knights, castles, and building a church. Maybe, maybe not. The author has a history of writing suspense thrillers. Not really my thing. It is also 1,000 pages long. I really wasn't sure if I could muddle through it. However, I have never been so glad that I cast my judgment aside. This book is great.
I admit that I struggled with some of the descriptions of actually building a cathedral. I found myself looking at churches online to give myself a frame of reference. However, the details of the church gave the emphasis of how difficult a feat this really was, especially for its day and time. Worth the time to read an exasperating chase scene between Alfred and Jack, though in my mind I am not sure I saw what Follett intended.
The strength of this book is definitely in its characters. They were flawed and very well entwined with each other. I love the fact there was no clear "good guy" in this book. Rather, there were several very human characters with strengths and weaknesses. It made the book very believable, though there were some overly fiction moments in the book. I thought it a little far-fetched that Tom's wife had been dead for only a day and he was making love to Ellen within hours almost as a dream sequence....a little weird.
This book is well paced despite its length. However, I really felt like it was something that took me 200 pages or so to create my own momentum. It wasn't dull, but it is a book that does take some time to really establish itself.
Overall....great read, and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something meaty. It has the potential to be a book that stays with you. Yeah for this book!
Book Review: Can you give less than one star?
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't know what people have seen in this tomb of a novel. I read this for a book group as someone said it was historical fiction and dealt with the creation of cathedrals. HMMMM well, fiction yes, historical possibly. Uninspiring writing, most definitey. I love historical fiction and love this time period as well as the time of the Tudors. I love to see amazing characters and that includes having the characters speaking in that time period's vernacular. That does not happen in this novel. Characters talk as if you would hear them on the streets of today. It was excessively long, and every sex scene ( including rapes which there are many) you can tell are written by a man. From when the main female character has aged he describes how here breasts hang but no mention of the aging of the male characters. Very graphic and disturbing. The characters were not realistic. They were good or evil. There was no middle ground. Building the cathedral was dull as dirt. Too many characters that weren't that interesting (to me). Descriptions were used almost verbatim in other sections of the book. I know it's a long book but please, we as readers do pick up on that rather quickly. Where was the editor? Granted I've only read one of Ken Follett's books( Eye of the Needle), which I enjoyed. I also was 18 years old so I'm not sure what I would think of it now. When it came to discuss this book only about 2 people out of ten didn't like the book. Those that loved it didn't find the vernacular an issue. They liked that they didn't have to think. They did though agree that the sex scenes were far too graphic and seemed to be a man's fantasy. Also discussed was the accuracy of the church, which seemed to be somewhat accurate for that time period.