Rating: 
Summary: A GRAND novel you will never forget.
Review: This is one of the few books I have read where I remembered the main characters' names. That is not hard considering how well each character is developed. This book is the most sweeping and memorable novel I have ever read. Here is a basic tale between good and evil told at a level most authors only dream of achieving. The story takes place in the in 12th century England-a time of destitution, squalor and petty rivalries for power. The reader is grabed by the neck on the first page and held until the last. I would recommend that everyone read this book for the history lesson provided despite the book being historical fiction. I have told dozens of people to read this book and all who have had the same reaction: Rapture. You must read this one.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: this is a great work of historical fiction. it shows the drives and ambitions of several families and how they intersect. the book kept my attention from the first word.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare to have your hopes raised and dashed repeatedly
Review: I had read one other Ken Follet book (A Place Called Freedom) and on that strength of that bought the thickest book I could find bearing his name. On reading the forenote I was dismayed to se it was supposedly about Cathedral building. My concerns evaporated as I hid away from the world for the next three days unable to drag myself away from this utterly absorbing tale. I read it way into the night, I read it when I woke up, I resented any moment of the day when I had to interact with real people and wanted only to continue living through the extraordinary characters in this novel. My chest swelled with pride at their triumphs, I shook with fear and foreboding when the storm clouds gathered, I raged and cried when events continually turned against my new beloved friends. As my title suggests I couldn't believe the regularity with which Follet built up the hopes of Tom, Jack and Aliena, and therefore my own, only to dash them in the cruellest and most brutal ways.
BUY IT, READ IT AND BECOME HOPELESSLY EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH IT!
Rating:
Summary: Greatest story ever told?
Review: This is quite simply the best book I've ever read; my favorite story of all time. I've bought 5 copies. Two have never been returned to me after lending them out and I now keep a ratty old copy and a newer large paperback. The fifth was a recent gift for my sister. For anyone interested in the Middle Ages, the essence of urban development, politics, religion, architecture, families, good souls and horribly evil ones, and wonderful, well-developed characters who practically become your friends and foes, this is the one to buy. Don't read any more reviews - just do it!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT !!!
Review: This will go on my list as one of my all time favourites.It's a wonderful insight into mediaeval life and a fascinating look at the lives of architects-particularly cathedral builders. I would unhesitatingly commend this book to anyone with an interest in the past.I started to read VERY slowly towards the end as I didn't want it to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Struggle for Justice
Review: This book is about trying to become civilized, about seeking justice. If you read the Psalms, you can see that people aren't praying for mercy, but simply for justice. It is frustrating when the good are punished and the bad go free -- or when the bad are even rewarded. We see this over and over in the novel.As the characters struggle to build the cathedral and live their lives, they are simultaneously building a society based on justice. Their progress is very slow, but they do progress, and at the end we see King Henry do penance for his sins. He is not punished enough -- but at least he is punished, and that is a start. The book is also a study in project management -- how to get things done. I enjoy it when characters have different goals. When I first read this book, one thing about it bothered me: the emotional repetition. William and Waleran kept coming back to wreak what devastation they could on Aliena and on Kingsbridge. Follett kept finding new and wonderful ways to keep Jack and Aliena apart. I wanted to shout, stop it, someone ought to kill off William, etc. And then I realized that this frustration was part of the greater whole. There will always be setbacks; one has to fight for justice and for happiness one's whole life long. At least in Pillars the protagonists are happy at the end -- if only they would be in real life! Poor Martha got short shrift, however.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story, and wonderful details
Review: This is one of my favorite novels ever -- and I do read a lot and am quite picky (and, I have to say, I'm not a fan of Ken Follett in general.) It is also one of the best novels written about the medieval period that I have ever read. The characters are drawn rather like prototypes - the good priest, the evil knight, the artist, the young lovers, and so on - but that did not bother me; each character has a rich, unique voice that helps to explain some of the social mores of the time as well as make the story move along. As far as the historical accuracy goes...for a mass-market novel it is surprisingly accurate. This is not surprising since the author lists a leading medieval scholar in the credits. Since my major in college was art history with an emphasis on the medieval period, the details about the building of the cathedral were particularly interesting. I'm not sure about the historical accuracy of the social attitudes, but I think it's important to keep in mind that the people of this period were not sexually or otherwise as repressed as we think all "people of the past" were. That's a myth created in the Victorian era. All in all, a most wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: this is the Michel Jordan of books
Review: I dont know what anyone is saying but this is the best book on the 'earth'. Now im fifteen and i read this book in a month during the summer. (1000 pages in 20 says) If you have the time and dont have a lot going on in your life this is the book for you. The plot descriptions and the carater development is amazing. I loved the good guys (jack, tom) and loved to hate the bad guys (willy and walleran). Even if you are busy BY THIS BOOK. It is beond good. I will not read any more of Follets books because i take this as the pinicale and i dont want him to lose that glow that i see him in now. Definatly at the top of my list. Right over KING CON by Cornell. Also a hit and a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: It might have been a bit like this in the 'olden' days...
Review: I read the hard cover edition. Perhaps that is the reason I enjoyed the story more than those who were dissatisfied. The print is larger but this book is heavy! Also, I read this book for entertainment and enjoyment NOT from the point of knowing the 'real' history and/or facts or even desiring to know the historical truth. This book is fiction and the setting was clearly described. It was easy for me to imagine the colors, weather, feelings, and sounds so I felt that I was with these people. The characters were well defined (which is so important to me) and I was sorry to see the story end. There were times when I felt the story dragged a bit but I did keep on reading and it was well worth the effort. This book will entertain you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I am studying to be an architect, and not only has this book inspired me, but fascinated me. It is so detailed and riveting that I finished the whole book in a matter of days. I have read most of Follet's other works, and this is by far the best he has done. It takes you through decades and is absolutely wonderful.
| 
