Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1100 pages

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.'

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".

Customer Reviews

Okay historical fiction but not memorable
The strength of the book is the detailed description of the development of a cathedral and its impact on the prosperity of a town through a page-turning narrative and fictional characters. It is a fairly easy read on a difficult subject. It covers the civil war during the 12th century (Stephen and Maud) The downside is it is not a very memorable read. When my book club recommended it, I did not even remember I had aready done so! I certainly would not say don't read it - especially if you are doing GCSE architecture or medieval history. It does bring the period to life more than a textbook would and that can spur you on to learn more. However, it is not a great piece of historical fiction.

Badly Written Rubbish!
Really, really, poorly written book. Possibly the most boring I have ever read. Doesn't any one read this before it's published? Why didn't someone read it before and say, "Hold on, Ken, I've just read the first few chapters and I'm losing the will to live. Don't make me suffer any more."

Just because it's in print, it doesn't make it any good. This, is the Emperor's new trousers. And so many, so, so many have been fooled.

Entertaining read
Although I enjoyed this book a lot, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, there are a couple of aspects that for me rather spoil it. Firstly, was there any need for the sex scenes to be quite so graphic? and secondly, the writing style is a bit basic. I also have to agree with those reviewers who have given the book only one star - characterisation was poor and one-dimensional, there was some annoying repetition, and although I'm no expert on the period, there did seem to be some glaring historical inaccuracies. That said, this is a novel and not a textbook, and should be read with that in mind. I guess I would describe this book as an ideal, easy holiday read.