The Pillars of the Earth

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: In a career that started with Paper Money and Eye of the Needle, Follet has created a masterpiece. What a wonderful story this is. It such a departure from the mystery suspense genre that we expect from Follet. A book well worth investing the time to read the nearly 1000 pages. My only regret in the book was that it ended.

Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable book
Review: To begin with I am a Ken Follet fan. I have read all of his books and most in hardback. While they are all good this book got me from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down until the end. I have since read it a couple of times and have enjoyed it each time.

The book begins in England of the 1100's with a hanging. This hanging gives you a brief glimpse of 4 of the characters in the book. From there it changes scenes and adds a fifth character. The scene changes again and other characters are added, but rather than being confusing it adds richness and depth to the story. I have trouble remembering the names of characters in the books I read but these characters are so vividly drawn that these characters are easy to remember and follow. Just like in an old fashioned melodrama this book contains good characters and bad characters unlike the books where everyone is painted in shades of grey. I don't mean to say that the characters are cartoonish but are intelligently written adversaries with opposing goals.

As the story unfolds these characters cross paths in many ways throughout the book against the backdrop of building a cathedral. The cathedral provides and the surrounding area provide a setting to describe what it was like to live in the 1100's. It gives you a look at what life was like in a society that was structured very strongly by class and superstition. This is an excellent book and I would recommend reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing...Really
Review: I read The Pillars of the Earth in a "Name of the Rose"-mood, meaning that I was doomed to feel disappointed about the value of the book. Ken Follet writes entertainingly but this time his novel is centered around a weak plot in a distant and faint dark ages landscape with few and pale and in some cases unplausible characters. The scope of Pillars of the Earth is over ambitious; it spans over more than 30 years and tries to capture a broad range of events and destinies, therefore its focus is seldom clear throughout the reading. The plot is straightforward with the classic many loose ends tying in at the end in a very predictable way; good always prevails, evil always gets hammered.

Overall, The Pillars of the Earth makes a fair, relaxed reading; a simple and straightforward subject about everyday life in a 12th century English monastic community with all pertinent ingredients: bigot monks, power hungry bishops, treacherous kings, ruthless landlords and a few good men caught in the middle. If you think you can read 980 pages about this and you are prepared to ignore some common sense breaches here and there, then I recommend the book.

Rating:
Summary: Ken Follet's Epic of the Middle Ages
Review: 'Pillars of the Earth' is more than proof that Ken Follet deserves his place among the great authors of historical fiction. Set in the bloody English civil war of the 12th century, 'Pillars' spans four decades and the lives of several richly drawn characters. The heart of this novel revolves around the building of a cathedral in a small English village. The sacrifice of these humble people to erect a monument to God is nothing short of inspiring and the tension and drama place this novel among the great thrillers that Follet is known for. Truly a great work and one that will undoubtedly be hailed as a classic in the years to come. This book is wonderful!

Rating:
Summary: The standard
Review: Awesome! This book has become the book which I compare all others too. Unfortunately, I haven't found many that quite compare. I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Medieval times meet the 20th century
Review: Very engaging book that combines lots of information about cathedral building with a story full of the usual love, hardships, and triumphs of human beings. The explicit sex scenes belong squarely in the 20th century as does the language and the sophistication of the characters. The descriptions of the period, as well as the knowledge of cathedrals evoke the medieval times and makes the reader want to be there to see it.The detailed descriptions indicate that Follett did his research thoroughly.

A book that is hard to put down! A different style for Follett, mostly known for his spy and mystery stories. Five stars for The Pillars of the Earth!

Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: Not only was this book highly entertaining, but informative as well. Mr. Follett obviously did some research on historical cathedrals.

The characters were vivid and the story will stick with me for a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad.
Review: I definitely enjoyed The Pillars. It is a good easy reading while on a plane or during long winter evenings. However, I would not call it a masterpiece. It reminded me of some Mexican soap operas, long, with strictly good or strictly bad characters and a sea of cheap emotions. I am sure it will make a very good plot for TV series. Housewives will love it. The language spoken by characters is definitely modern. It is not that they were supposed to speak the authentic 12th century English (we would understand nothing), but I doubt that they knew, say, the word "mesmerized". Despite some caveats, I should say that Mr. Follet did a great job. I will be pleased to recommend the book to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a favorite!
Review: This book is definitely a must read. The book can only be described as encompassing. The characters are so well developed that you begin to feel as if you are a part of the family, experiencing life as the characters experience it. The descriptions of the cathedrals are completely mesmerizing. Even if you have no building or construction interest at all I guarantee you will be enthralled by the beautiful descriptions of the cathedrals and how they were built. I was honestly disappointed when this book was over. I wanted it to continue. As a result I have read it three times in the past few years. I was completely drawn in to this book and highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Bad guys against Good guys story
Review: The two stars rating (instead of one) is owing to the impressive architectual descriptions of the cathedral. The historical descriptions were OK but the rest was truly disappointing. The plot repeats itself over and over again. The bad guys attempt to ruin the good guys. The good guys prevail. Then the bad guys come up with a new plot to ruin the good ones . And over and over again. The characters are all one dimensional. The language is too much 20th century for a 12th century novel. The sexual descriptions are at times almost vulgar. The romantic parts are truly shallow. It reminded me of a Daniel Steel novel. Not that I have anything against Daniel Steel, it just wasn't what I expected from "without doubt Ken Follet's masterpiece, and a story for all time" (from book backcover). Besides, if you want to write this kind of novel, you can settle with 300 pages top. Don't torment your readers with 1000 pages looking all the same.