Rating: 
Summary: The Perfect Book
Review: "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett is masterful storytelling, to say the least. The man manages to weave together the lives of so many people that at one point, he actually fools the reader into believing that all of this really happened. The story includes every element and facet, beautiful or ugly, of human nature: anger, betrayal, confusion, joy, sadness, and my personal favorite, the romance between Jack and Aliena. This book is close to one thousand pages long, but there is a certain value behind every word, an intangible integrity. I am a relatively fast reader, and it took me almost two full weeks to read this book. I didn't put it down. Since you are reading this review, it is only safe to assume that you have never read this amazing piece of literature, so let me strongly recommend it to you. And don't flinch at the thousand pages. They go by like ten, and at the end of the book you will cry. Not because of the story, but because there is no more to read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book! Very realistic!
Review: This book is not your typical, everything-goes-right-for-the-good-guy novel. Lots of realistic conflicts occur. When something really good happens, a horrible the happens. You get to know the charachters very well. You feel the hatred some of the characters have for another character. You feel the sadness of death when someone dies. This is a long book, but it goes by very quickly. This would be a wonderful book to read over the summer. Anyone who is mildly interested in the medievil times, building, or just loves a suspense novel should read this book. Almost anyone would love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Want more like this book from the Author
Rating:
Summary: I Couldn't put this book down!
Review: This book has something in it for everyone -- romance, suspense, political scandals, knights in armor, monastic life, sex scenes, fights, brilliant characters, and a great story that you can read again and again. The building of a cathedral from its humble origins to its vaulted ceiling is the underlying theme. It shows the struggle of Medieval life in England, and the contrasts of life in France and in Muslim-influenced Spain. The ending is awesome, too. It doesn't leave you feeling disappointed after all that reading! The dialogue is anachronistic (out of place historically), but can be easily overlooked. What I also enjoyed about the book is that it got me to seek out elsewhere what the book did not explain, especially about the construction of a cathedral and monetary units and equivalents from the 1300's. I have read it 4 times already, and will probably read it forever.
Rating:
Summary: Worth a second read
Review: I can't recommend this book enough! I thoroughly enjoyed it - dating back hundreds of years and filled with history, deception, revenge, and the beautiful art of a man creating unbelievable cathedrals. I'm picking it up for a second time and looking forward to reliving it.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: Initially I was a forced into reading this by a friend. I generally like to only read historical romance novel, and this turned out to be as good any, just longer and better written.
Rating: 
Summary: OK reading for kids (except that it's x-rated)
Review: The book is advertised as a masterpiece, a grand tale from the middle ages. It does not live up to that promise. There is no immersion in the old and strange culture of medieval Europe. Instead, all language is plain, current English. All objects, lines of thought and customs are familiar. The author makes one lazy attempt at theological dispute in the beginning of the book, and an even lazier attempt to describe the vast challenge of building the cathedral from an architectural standpoint. These attempts cover two pages each. That's it! There can be no talk of this being a well-researched book. More importantly perhaps, the story-telling here is merely fair. The plot bumps right along, always dissolving any suspense it may manage to create right away. Master builder needs a cathedral to build? Prego, his brat kid burns the existing one down without being caught. Poor orphaned kid needs money - presto, here's some seed money to begin with and a great business idea. And so on. There is no overarching suspense at all. The characters are about as developed as those in a TV soap.
This would be an OK read for a ten-year old, weren't it for some rather gory sexual details, in particular a couple of rape scenes.
For a much richer and rewarding experience read Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose".
Rating:
Summary: Most enjoyable combination of subjects in fiction
Review: This book has been one of my favorites to which I return when given time. The plot grabbed me and carried me along. It transported me to another age and gave insight into a variety of cultural and intellectual fields of study at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Combining Plot and Character Development
Review: Ken Follett's genius lies in his ability to introduce several plots independently and to progressively bring them together by the time the denouement of the story is reached. The ancient Greek literature focused on plot rather than character; characters are situated within the context a fatalistic universe which controls the actions of men. The Northern Renaissance saw the birth of Humanism. The literature of the period focused on the glory of man. It was, thus,character-centered; the characters gradually came to control the circumstances in which they were situated. For example, Shakespeare's character of Hamlet is more knowable to the reader (or onlooker) than we are to ourselves.
Follett combines Greek plot depth and Renaissance character development, as well as an insight into Medieval life, that is unparalleled in most modern fiction. The reader is truly drawn into the action, the plot, and the people of the story. It is when the reader of a work thinks often about it while not reading it that one knows a true product of literary art has been produced. In PILLARS OF THE EARTH, Ken Follett accomplishes this monumental feat.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but not awe-inspiring
Review: A very interesting story woven within an interesting historical backdrop. It was interesting to follow two family generations trying to achieve their inspiration of completing the Knightsbridge Cathedral. However, I thought that the book was flawed in a couple of ways: the characters were somewhat too one-dimensional, many of the incidents that occurred were predictable to a fault, and the story seeemed needlessly lengthy towards the end. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone I know. I would just warn them that the initial joy and page-turning excitement might wane somewhat by the end of the book.
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