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The Pillars of the Earth

A historical novel by Ken Follett

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Great!!

May 22, 2002

by MichaelN
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

I loved this book. It centers around the building of a church in the late middle ages. A noble priest goes to great lengths to get it built. The book also introduces one of the most evil and ubiquitious villians as the sheriff who is constantly ruining everything. The action never stops. There is also so much history involving the ever-changing British kingship (it seems like there is a new king every week).

Along with "A Dangerous Fortune" this is Follett at his best!

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More The Pillars of the Earth reviews

review by LynnHoffman. August 30, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

The Worst Book I was ever addicted to.

This was one of the most annoying books I've read in several decades. The writing was clunky and cliche-ridden. The characters were (mostly) wooden and unbelievable and the dialogue was an embarrassment to anyone who can speak. (one high-ranking priest says to another: "this place is a dump")On top of that the plot was clearly cranked out by a computer program. Every goal of the good guys is met with a number of obstacles -two or three- but then after either self-doubt or weakening … more

Comments (2) Compliments (36)

review by scubanaut. August 13, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Good "meat" of the story, but condescending writing style assumes the readers are stupid.

I actually hated this book. I remember at one point becoming completely fed up and throwing the book across the room. I practically always finish the books that I start, but not this one. Maybe the fact that I was so emotionally involved suggests that it is actually a good book, but one that I just couldn't stomach. The plot, setting, and characters are all good. I especially like the vivid imagery and description of life in the middle ages in … more

Comment Compliments (35)

review by barkalow894. July 09, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Pillars of the Earth

Boy, I read Pillars of the Earth a long time ago, 1989, when it was first published in hardback. I like Follett's thriller-mysteries, but I recall reading the jacket and thinking that this isn't anything like Eye of the Needle or Lie Down With Lions. I love historical fiction as long as they're tomes (think Edward Rutherfurd), and Pillars was, according to the jacket, about the life of the architect of a Gothic cathedral in England in the 12th century, when Gothic architecture … more

Comments (3) Compliments (35)

review by HarlanWesley. June 24, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

What a Story!!

I bought this book for my girlfriend for Xmas after reading it. It was not her typical read but she loved and wanted to read the sequel. I loved it as well that was the reason I bought it for her. The cast of characters were neatly woven into the plot. I particularly enjoyed Tom the builder and was sad to see him die so soon. The first indication that this was going to be a cool book was Tom's wife died at childbirth and they left the baby under the realizing without a mother to feed it the … more

Comments (1) Compliments (23)

review by shibakat. June 12, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Epic Historical Fiction or Oprah's Doorstop?

I used to work in a bookstore and occasionally I would see these books come through with Oprah's seal of approval, and generally I would just shelve them and forget about them. I do not take reading cues from Oprah. However, something about this weighty historical fiction caught my eye. I don't know if it was the simple, yet aesthetic nature of the book cover, or the fact that it was summer time and I was looking for something other than either mystery/crime novels or … more

Comment Compliments (21)

Quick Tip by DianeB. June 15, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by DianeB

This was very interesting to me, loved all the historical information on the process of building cathedrals.

Comment Compliments (3)

Quick Tip by oceanpoetry. June 29, 2010

A Quick Tip by oceanpoetry

Amazing story!

Comment Compliments (1)

Quick Tip by StephanieR. June 24, 2010

A Quick Tip by StephanieR

I could not put this book down!

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Quick Tip by momoftwingirls. June 22, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by momoftwingirls

This is one of those books that literally has it all: love, lust, hate, death, birth, starvation, redemption, and cathedrals. While the building of cathedrals is a main theme, don't overlook the fully-realized characters, and the way the author weaves them all into a memorable story. Very long, but definitely worth a read.

Comment Compliments (1)

Quick Tip by SteveS. June 05, 2010

A Quick Tip by SteveS

You will not want this book to end

Comments (1) Compliments (1)

see all The Pillars of the Earth reviews (19)

About the reviewer

MichaelN
Ranked #11

I first got on this blog to discuss my first passion which is books. Since I have gotten on I find that books are only a piece of this blog and I can discuss just about anything that comes to mind. It … more

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About this book

Wiki

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the time known as The Anarchy. The book traces the development of Gothic Architecture out of the preceding Romanesque Architecture and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory against the backdrop of actual historical events of the time. Although Kingsbridge is the name of an actual English town, the Kingsbridge in the novel is actually a fictional location representative of a typical market town of the time.

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