The Pillars of the Earth

Rating:
Summary: "AN EPIC WHICH IS A MUST FOR ALL BOOK LOVERS"
Review: Wow! what a book.
It is a gread read!
I was dying to read this epic and i must say that i am not at all disappointed.I guess a lot of research must have gone in this book, which is why it becomes even more interesting!
After me almost all my book reader friends have gone through this book and simply loved it. So an unanimous 5 [stars] from all of us.
I am a big Follet fan and devour his books religiously(never mind "The Hammer of Eden, The Modigliani Scandal,etc..).
His other works are simply mind blowing!!
Book lovers kindly go ahead with The Pillars Of The Earth.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I've finished this book.
Review: After reading a Dangerous Fortune (a great book by Follett), I immediately started reading this book. It is incredibly long and very slow at the beginning and I seriously considered scrapping the whole thing. It took about the length of a normal novel for this book to get good, but then I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Follett covers about 70 years in this story of the building of a cathedral and all those involved. There are good and bad, rich and poor, weak and strong. Follett pulls no punches and rarely throws in twists, but manages to tell a good story. The historical detail is very educational if at times rambling.

If you are a Follett Fan, then I recommend this book. If you are considering Follett, try something shorter. I also took a break while reading this to read the Jester by James Patterson. That book covered the same time period, but in much less detail.

Rating:
Summary: I almost couldn't finish it
Review: This book was just hundreds of pages of: First the good guys are winning; then the bad guys get the upper hand; then the good guys prevail -- for awhile; then the bad guys are back up again. Over and over and over again. Plus, the characters were totally cliched. I was truly astonished to check out the reviews here and find out how many people think it's the "best book they ever read in their lives!" I thought it was long-winded and completely unchallenging.

Rating:
Summary: best follet book ever
Review: though thick and centering around the building of a church.....
its wonderfully long and down right intriguing. actually it centers upon generations of a family (love those sagas) and their surroundings (slightly historical but with all the raunchy gossip) love, hate, betrayal, family...this was a great book. this is the first follett book i ever read and still to this day the best.

Rating:
Summary: Epic scale, Powerful Characters, Page-turning action
Review: My favorite aspect of this book is the fact that the ending had my stomach in knots and gripped with suspense. I was also impressed and intrigued with the amount of historical and technical research regarding British history and cathedral building. Follett's character development is superb. His vivid descriptions and soul-searching situations make you feel intense emotions for these characters. They go through a lot of suffering and you'll suffer right along with them. However, you will rejoice in their triumphs as well. The outcome is richly satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Read
Review: You know that feeling you sometimes get after you've eaten a whole lot of your favorite ice cream? The guilty feeling you have because it tasted so good and you enjoyed it so much? That's the feeling I had after I finished reading this novel. Perhaps I believe that I should be reading books more ethereal in nature. But there was no denying that, after being riveted for 973 pages, I really, really enjoyed this novel.

The central thread of the book is the building of a magnificent cathedral in 12th century England. Surrounding this thread are dozens of classic characters and at least a half dozen storylines. What makes this novel so wonderful is that you never lose track of the characters or the complex plots and sub-plots. Author Ken Follett does a masterful job in blending all of these storylines together in a manner that epitomizes storytelling at its best.

Pillars of the Earth is unlike any other novel that Ken Follett has written. I wish he would write more like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Pillars
Review: Great book! Immensely entertaining, engrossing from the first chapter to the last. An epic novel spanning generations of complex, well thought out characters. A triumph for Ken Follett!

Rating:
Summary: Great epic that architects and builders would enjoy
Review: It has the intricate weaving of plots and personal motives like "LA Confidential" and it has the breadth of time and place like "War and Peace". And it reads almost like a Judy Blume book in descriptions of sexual triumphs and encounters. It also seems to weave fact with fiction like many James Michener books do.

However, the most unusual part of this novel is that it describes the building of a 11th century cathedral and all the day to day politics related to it.

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ!!!
Review: I read this book when it first came out as I was already hooked on Ken Follett. None of his previous excellent spy novels prepared me for the immensity of character depth and historical education I received. This novel is a true epic in that it has it all...ruthless greed, cruelty and many other human faults along with great and powerfull love, goodness and mercy. The characters are so beautifully defined that you feel you know them and it's easy to react emotionally to their acts. Many are truely hateful.
I waited all these years to reread the book (something I never do) so I could forget as much as possible. It worked. I am enjoying it as much as the first time.
Everyone I have urged to read this book has said it was their all-time favorite. I never understood why Hollywood hasn't snatched it up. It would need to be a mini-series like the Thornbirds.
I wish Mr Follett would return to this era as it suited him very well. After many books to follow this one I stopped reading his books. I see now that he has returned to his original success and is writing about WW2 time. I wish him luck but hope for a return to the 12th century.

Rating:
Summary: A RIVETING STORY F LIFE IN TWELFTH CENTURY ENGLAND...
Review: This masterful saga of life in twelfth century England is epic storytelling at its best. The author weaves a rich and colorful tapestry of people, places, and events surrounding the building of a magnificent cathedral in the medieval town of Kingsbridge.

Early twelfth century England was a country in a state of flux. King Henry I had died without a male heir. His daughter Maude was to be queen. The English barons, for the most part, however, refused to swear fealty to her. Maude's first cousin, Stephen of Blois, then usurped her rights and proclaimed himself king. This was to plunge England into a civil war that was to last for many, many years, turning England into a virtually lawless and tumultuous land, until Maude's son became King Henry II of England.

For most people, however, life would go on with every day concerns being paramount. The book tells the story of a number of these lives. One story is that of Tom, a master builder, whose life long dream was to build a cathedral. The lives of Tom and his family would intersect that of a humble and intelligent monk named Phillip who would become the prior at Kingsbridge Priory. The fates would intervene and provide Tom with an opportunity to pursue his dream.

Their lives would intersect with a number of other individuals, some good, some evil, who would have a great impact on their lives and their goals. Tom would lose his first wife, Agnes, by whom he already had two children, brutish Alfred and sweet Martha, due to complications sustained during the birth of another son. This son was to provide a connection between Tom and Phillip of which Phillip would long be unaware.

Tom would ultimately marry Ellen, a strong willed independent woman of the forest, perceived by many to be a witch. Her son Jack, a sensitive, highly intelligent lad, whose father was deceased, would grow to manhood. His dream would begin where Tom's had left off. In Jack's background, however, was a mystery surrounding his deceased father, a French jongleur. That mystery in some way involved Sir Percy Hamleigh, Waleran Bigod, and Prior James, the old prior of Kingsbridge before Phillip.

When Earl Bartholomew of Shiring makes the treasonous mistake of siding with Maude in the conflict with Stephen, he ends up on the losing side. Sir Percy Hamleigh and his son William, siding with Stephen, attack the Earl's castle, and take Earl Bartholomew captive. Imprisoned for treason, he loses his earldom to the Hamleighs. His young son and heir, Richard, and his daughter, the beautiful Lady Aliena, are left to fend for themselves, but not until William Hamleigh has slaked his thirst for revenge upon them. You see, William had been engaged at one time to marry the Lady Aliena, only to be spurned by her to his vast public humiliation. This was the moment for which he had been waiting. Aliena and Richard would ultimately migrate to Kingsbridge to begin a new life.

Meanwhile, the church itself was having its own political intrigues. Phillip was tricked by Waleran Bigod, an ambitious arch-deacon, into supporting him for the post of bishop. Phillip would later best Waleran and incur his enmity for a lifetime. Remigius, a spy for Waleran Bigod, was a monk at Kingsbridge Priory who saw his dream of becoming prior at Kingsbridge dissipate with the advent of Phillip. He would spend a lifetime undermining Phillip and plotting against him. Moreover, the fate of Kingsbridge and the building of its cathedral would always seem to hinge upon the political vagaries of the time. Its fortunes would ebb and flow with the political winds.

Ever present throughout the destinies of all these characters is the age old battle between good and evil. Complicating it further were those who sought to do good but did evil, believing that the end justified the means. Spanning over fifty turbulent years, this is a spellbinding story of love, hate, faith, betrayal, revenge, and triumph. Against a backdrop of civil war, the sharply drawn characters grasp the imagination of the reader. Twelfth century England is laid out in painstaking detail, providing an unforgettable backdrop for the lives lived within the pages of this memorable work of historical fiction.

I loved this book so much that, having read it a number of years ago, I decided that it would be worth listening to an unabridged audio book version. Well, this book was made to be read aloud. The narrator, George Ralph, does a masterful job reading this spellbinding story. For thirty hours of pure listening pleasure, he holds the listener totally in his thrall, bringing to life all within its pages. This book is simply riveting. Bravo!