The Pillars of the Earth

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Summary: Can't put it down
Review: Great entertainment and insight into 12th Century England. Richly descriptive and suspenseful, a must read for all!!

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Summary: Ken Follett's best book yet!
Review: Thsi book is the best I've read this year. The scenery is fantastic. And the history is not very far off from the truth. It starts with the adventures of Tom the builder, and finishes 40 years later, with the hanging of evil William Hamleigh. You got to read it.

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Summary: Worth Reading More Than Once
Review: After a hiatus of several years, I have again picked up Pillars of the Earth and am re-reading it. I am amazed at the details that I missed during my first perusal. This is truly a tome of epic proportions: the characters come alive across the centuries and the themes - greed, love, hate, and power - are universal through out the ages. If you want a good story that will keep you turning the pages until the end, this is the one!

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Summary: What a book!...........But what a film!
Review: This book is crying out for a mini series. Come on Quentin, I'll be in it, I can do a little brickwork!

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Summary: The Best
Review: The Pillars of the Earth was the first Follett book I ever read. I love his writing style, and try to keep up with all of his work, but this is by far my favorite, and one of my all time favorite books. I love how the characters are developed and how the story twists and turns; all the while providing great historical accuracy. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an appreciation for a good story and a love of history.

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Summary: One of the best I've ever read
Review: It wasn't until I read this book that I decide that Ken is my favourite author. If not because of my biyfriend, I wouldn't have read this fantastic book.

Rating:
Summary: not 5 stars but 10+
Review: This is simply the best book I have ever read. In the 5 years since I have owned this book I have read three copies of it into distruction and have compleated the book 47 times. The characters were the most engaging I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And it did seem as if I knew them personaly. When someone asks me about my favorite book the answer is plain as the words entering your brain! This book is it!

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Summary: Pillars grabs your heart and doesn't let go.
Review: One of my Top 3 books-I loved it but everyone must admit the first 100 pages are hard to get into--I use this caveat with everyone I give the book to--just get through them and you'll never put it down. KF is an excellent writer, who weaves a story that doesn't stray far from his main points. What's most amazing is how he weaves Aliena into the Tom story, and then turns it into a story of Aliena and Jack. Plot inconsistency: What happened to Martha??

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Summary: A Completely Engrossing Escape!
Review: With everything that has been said about this book by Amazon readers, I must wholeheartedly, fervently, ardently, zealously, and sincerely agree! The first time I read it I was in college and was so incredibly enthralled that my roommate actually had to hide it from me - I do not recommend starting it before exam week because, like me, you'll find yourself engrossed for 6 straight hours without noticing the passage of time - so much for studying calculus! I, too, missed my new-found world and friends when I was finished and plan on re-aquainting myself with them at the beach this summer when I have lots of spare time to get lost in it. If you like being right there along side rich characters in an absorbing story, also try Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" - an absolute winner even for folks who are not normally fans of westerns!

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Summary: For history or riveting plots, you can certainly do better
Review: As an avid reader of historical fiction especially England in the Middle Ages, I felt that book under delivered to its audience. There was a lack of any character development whatsoever, no real vivid feel for the period and a blurred focus on the central event of the story, the building of a cathedral. The good guys in this story were just too good and their fight against the sinister officials was to horribly tragic. However, they always triumphed int he end, surprise, surprise. It read like a Disney movie, minus the talking animals. If you want a truly wonderous and fascinating story of the times when Maude and Steven battled for the crown, I highly suggest "When Christ and His Saints Slept" by Sharon Kay Penman. Not only is it a first rate story, but its true! For a wonderful plot that involves the reader and truly takes the out of this time, go to "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. Though classified as romance, it has less sex than "Pillars" and is far more engaging. My over all opinion: bring it to the beach, read it on the way to work, but its going to be one you throw on a back shelf and forget about.