"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 is a beloved favorite of countless readers, standing as a testament to Follett's unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. A spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, 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.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Expansive and Engaging
Comment: I had this book recommended to me a number of years ago. After fruitless years of searching for a cheap used copy in a thrift or second hand store, I finally broke down and bought it (I know, I know, libraries are good too . . .). And I'm glad I did. In this huge historical masterpiece, Follett unfolds a masterful tail of life in the village of Kingsbridge, England over a forty-year period as it emerges from relative obscurity to become a cathedral city.

The book begins with a mysterious hanging of a French jongleur (storyteller), a mystery that will weave throughout the rest of the story. We are first introduced to Tom, a stonemason and builder who is a bit down on his luck after a job falls through. He has church building in his blood, but isn't able to find work. His wife dies in child birth, and he takes up with a woman from the wild, Ellen, and her son, Jack. We meet Philip, a young monk, who then is surprisingly elected prior of the Kingsbridge monastary. These two characters, along with a third, Aliena, the daughter of the Earl of Shiring, make up the backbone of the story, as we follow their exploits and as their roads converge and diverge around the building of a cathedral for Kingsbridge.

The story is much too expansive to condense in a coherent way, but it is none the worse for it. The stories of domestic life and struggle, the local power plays between prior and bishop and earl, and the national and international politics of both church and country set the stage for the action. A two-decade civil war in England over the rightful successor to the throne provides the international tension that makes for shifting allegiances of the local earls and bishops, causing repeated upheavals in the local power struggles. Through it all, prior Philip seeks what's best for Kingsbridge and continues to build his cathedral.

Tom is succeeded by his son Alfred as builder of the cathedral, but his bungaling causes a small collapse and work stops, until Jack, son of the forrest-woman Ellen and step-son of Tom Builder, is appointed the new master builder. He reinvigorates the work with a new design based on the newest technologies from France, and a beautiful and light-filled cathedral takes shape. And amongst the stones and pillars, character flourish and fail, love is lost and won, and great things are learned.

The texture of the world Follett creates continually draws the reader into this past reality, and the depth of the characters keeps the plot moving forward. I highly recommend this amazing historical tale.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Warning about the Kindle edition!
Comment: If you open the Kindle edition of the book by double-clicking on the title in your list of books the Kindle edition opens at Chapter 1. Don't do that. If you do you miss the Prologue. The Prologue sets up a conflict at the heart of the story. I liked the book without the Prologue but it would've been better with it. To access the Prologue you need to use the Menu to open the book. You can get there from the Title page and use Next Page to go forward or you can choose one of the other options that preceed Chapter 1.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Comment: I started reading Ken Follett when I was in High school, which I had to for a project. I fell in love with the book - Flight over water. And I started reading more of his books. I got this one way before it was on Oprah's book club, and I loved it! He is such a great writer. I enjoy his eariler stuff, and more historical stuff. I read all his newer books (family gifts once they knew I liked him). But I have a love for this one! I sent it on to other members of the family to read, and my old copy is read well! I'm looking forward to the time to read it again!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Can you give less than one star?
Comment: 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.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book, a Must Read
Comment: It took me 2 weeks to read it, but it was a great book. Highly recommended!

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