Rating: 
Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: My 12 year old hard back is in tatters. I have lent it to so many people to read. They, too, have loved it. Political intrigue, feudalism, the Catholic church, scandal, architecture, romance, blood and guts; it has got it all. Ken Follett is quite a storyteller. I'm online ordering two audio cassettes as gifts. I can think of no better way to thank someone for their kindness than by buying them my all time favorite book.
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Summary: THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH
Review: I LOVE READING HISTORY. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER READ
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN KEN FOLLETT TAKES YOU BACK IN TIME AS IF YOU WERE LIVING THERE I HAVE RECEMED THIS BOOK TO 20 PEOPLE
AND THEY ALL LOVED IT
GREAT READING FOR ANYONE
SHEA
Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time top 10
Review: I was given this book as a gift and I had no idea that it would be one of my all-time favorites. I give this book as gifts to friends and everyone so far has thanked me.
The characters and historical period are captured with keen observation and insight. I think that I will always remember the main characters of this book as clearly as though I had met them in real life.
A must-read masterpiece on the same level as Colleen McCullough's "First Man in Rome" series.
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Summary: Cover to cover the best book I have ever read!...
Review: This book is in one word, outstanding. Before I decide to read an entire book, I always read the first chapter to see if it catches my eye. With this book, I needed only to read the first few lines to know I was going to finish it. From page one until the close of the book, I was captivated by the way Ken Follett writes the book. I felt like I was in the middle ages right there with the characters. The book was like a two week movie for me. It took over my life because I could not put it down. I will admit, there was one time that I did not like the book, in fact I hated the book. That time was when I had finished the last page, and realized sadly, that it was over. If I could give this book ten stars, I would.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-Crafted Novel with a Finely Woven Plot
Review: This novel was well worth reading in every way. Follett not only writes well, but he develops his characters and plots wonderfully, weaving them together into a fine story that takes place during one of the bloodiest (and longest) English Civil Wars of medieval times. He immerses his reader from the first pages into medieval England's sights, sounds, and smells. It is a bloody, graphic novel that does not spare the reader any details from treachery, murder, rape, or betrayal. But it is also about enduring love and hope.Although it is a long novel, I never felt like it dragged or was anxious to be finished with it, so I could start on a new book. The reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I thought Aliena's pilgrimage to Spain in search of Jack rather brief and hurried. I also thought that the part dealing with King Henry and Thomas Becket's dispute rather rushed and not enough detail was spent on it. To me, the ending (with King Henry and Phillip) was totally unbelievable. I think that such a powerful novel should have a more stunning ending. It was almost as if Follett was ready to be finished with his novel, and hurriedly threw together the conclusion. I would recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone interested in English medieval times or who just wants to be immersed in a well-crafted novel. It is well worth your time!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Creation
Review: Usually I like female authors , but the topic of the book, and its setting is truly suited to a male author . It was so well written, that I called in sick to work so that I can finish the last 200 pages. It has kept me awake nights till I finished it . and for you book lovers, you know that the true measure of a book, is how long in the night it keeps you awake. The only initial let down is my fondness for the speech mannerism of medieval England, which was not reflected here, but surprisingly I got over that soon enough. Follett has one more fan I guess.
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Summary: Light and Darkness
Review: Pillars of the Earth is about the times of the building of the great Cathedrals. I love reading about this time in history.
I love learning about the hardships of everyday life, the impossibilities and triumphs of the ever continuing saga of the progress of mankind, and their civilizations. Especially in a story full of great characters that I come to know and care about. I think it is utterly amazing that as stupid and selfish, vain and insecure, violent and ruthless, greedy and impoverished as mankind can be, that we have accomplished anything wonderful at all in this world. Then to think of the scale of accomplishment, as depicted in this book... the triumph, the spirit, the energy, the wonder, the strength, I am awestruck that mankind has done so many wonderful things, and learned, in spite of himself. If knowledge and truth is light, this book teaches that darkness can also be an impetus to progress and accomplishment. Ken Follet's extraordinary insights to the motivations and impetus' that fuels the energies of the progression of mankind, whether it be inspired by greed or ambition, or the obsessive energies of ones talent, love and vision, it all serves to the same purpose. Great and otherwise impossible feats of accomplishment. This book makes me think I would have loved to have been an archaeologist or an Anthropologist to study history, people, societies. A fascinating subject....Kathy Struewing
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: I read this book about ten years ago. I can't remember everything about, but is a mideval novel. It is one of the best fiction books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: The High Bar of Historical Fiction
Review: Don't read the synopsis on the back of this book to gauge your interest in this story. If you have a brain, a soul, a heart and an imagination, you'll love this book. I say love only because that's the strongest emotion I can come up with but it still falls short. It is, I dare say, a PERFECT novel. And while that is truly rare, it is only half of the enjoyment of Pillars Of The Earth. The other half comes from knowing you are witnessing an author's ultimate work of passion executed in brilliant fashion. There is obvious research, love and absolute dedication on these pages. You get the feeling that this is one of those books that didn't even need to be published or ever read for the author to know, really know, that he had not only realized his dream, but created a work of art that no time worn, paint covered canvas can ever compete with. Stunning.
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Summary: Almost a thousand pages of absorbing reading
Review: This is a rich and ambitious novel by an author who's already one of the best in the business at writing novels of suspense and international intrigue. This book shows that Follett can produce excellent work on a broader canvas as well. The continuous thread running through the book is the construction of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. But Follett just uses that story as sort of a "home base" for a vivid portrayal of 12th century England. That period was one of the bloodiest in the history of England, as King Stephen tried to hold on to power against constantly shifting alliances of opponents. The main characters get caught up in the conflicts, if only peripherally, and usually unwillingly. The book ends with the famous conflict between Henry, Stephen's successor, and Archbishop Thomas Becket. But that is a comparatively short part of the book, and seems almost an afterthought. The book is long (some 980 pages in paperback), with a large cast of characters. I was struck, however, by how few of the characters were truly admirable according to 21st-century morality. I suppose many readers found Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, to be an admirable character. But I regarded him as often self-righteously dictatorial. The only character that could be admired without reservation was Tom Builder, the original master builder and designer of the cathedral. But he dies midway through the book. There is one primary villain, William of Hamleigh, who is as vicious as any character I have encountered in a novel. But I was startled at how freely almost everyone in that place and time was willing to kill, steal, lie, and betray in order to achieve selfish or political ends. Most of these people quite seriously believed in religion and the damnation of sinners, but they also believed that all their sins could be forgiven if they could find a priest who was lenient or corrupt enough to grant them absolution. Responsibility to one's own conscience didn't seem to be a factor at all. But perhaps I dwell too long on that one aspect of the book. The fact is that Follett does a brilliant job of portraying the culture, the architecture and technology, and the politics of 12th-century England. We learn about the lives of rural peasants and city-dwellers, the clergy and the nobility. We learn what they ate, where they lived, what they wore, and how they fought. And it's all fascinating. This one should be on your reading list.
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