Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time.
Review: This book is a prolonged mess of words. There are too many undeveloped characters, a meandering plot, and an inappropriate amount of lewd content. Let's just say that the book could've been very enjoyable if it was 10-15 pages long--it didn't require a 1000. I know I'm in the minority in the rating of this novel, but it has no literary merit and was a complete and utter waste of my time. I continued reading it just to get it over with....
Rating: 
Summary: Repetitive, but interesting
Review: Grabbed my attention from the beginning, but it seems only because there was nothing to repeat yet! So the story goes: good vs. evil, evil wins, good overcomes...good vs. evil, good prevails, evil makes another attempt...good vs. evil, evil wins, good overcomes...for a span of forty some odd years! I could only have so much treachery, lying, and debauchery from a limited amount of characters. The writing was very simple; if Follet wished to shorten the length by 300 pages, he could have simply left off the constant summarization of what he wrote earlier in the book. Bottom line: liked the idea, liked the story, far too dragged out, with the actions of the characters and people not matching up to what we were led to believe about them. But again, it's fiction. A bit too soap opera-y for me.
Rating: 
Summary: The type of book I love
Review: My wife read this before me and while she was reading it she got tears in her eyes because something happened to a character she "got to know and love" After reading it myself I could understand her emotional reaction to the book. This is the type of book I love to read, an interesting story with great characters in a neat historical background. Pillars of the earth was my favorite book I have read by Ken Follett.
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: My wife and I read Pillars of the Earth together and in shorttime. We truly enjoyed the book. Having read hundreds of books, Ican attest to it as being among the best I have and likely ever shall read. Our reasons for enjoying the book concern the beauty in which Follet describes the lives of characters. So many subtleties exist in the interplay between characters, making it a masterful book. We are literally amazed with Follet's skill, weaving characters into a cohesive whole, which up to the very last pages, unwind into a grand conclusion. Contrary to some opinion here, I do not see how the book can be predictable. Granted, the characters of goodness prevail, but each step leading to that victory is as unpredictable as the twists and turns in real life. I find no fault with the historical accuracy of the settings, considering it is based on what knowledge we currently have of a period long ago. Cheers, Shaun Tonstad
Rating:
Summary: Complex, yet a pleasure to read
Review: As a medieval history buff, this book was a must-read for me. But even friends of mine who aren't history fans have enjoyed this book. I certainly have a new appreciation for architecture. Now when I visit English cathedrals, I notice the beauty of the structure and I am amazed at the amount of labor that went into building them. But this book is not only about constructing churches. Medieval life for both the peasantry and the nobility is central to the plot, and is both gritty and beautiful--much as how life back then must have been. The description is good enough (though some might say TOO much description) that you can practically smell both the fields of flowers and the cow dung the flowers grow in. The flavor of the middle ages is certainly rampant throughout the pages. The huge novel isn't an easy read, but if you enjoy the time period, it will be hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Follett
Review: This book is not only Follett's best, its different. It includes romance, war, anger, history, and the facinating information related to the strategies used to build cathedrals. One learns and grows attached to the characters, not wanting the reading to cease. I wish he would write another like this!
Rating:
Summary: Predictable, unchallenging, overblown...
Review: Cast of characters: Plucky Prior; Woman Whom No Man Can Truly Tame; Humble and Honest Craftsman; Conniving Guy with Connections; Sadistic Brute; Proud and Defiant Beauty (doubling as Tragic Beauty With Shameful Secret). Plot: Plucky Prior tries to build cathedral. Bad Guys stop him. PP outwits them and continues building. BGs try again to stop PP but PP outwits them and resumes building. BGs really get his goat next time... Or do they? Hold onto your hat -- PP outwits them yet again! By the 50th time this happens are you still being blown away? The plot was so repetitious it was painful! People honestly think this is a masterpiece or the best work of fiction they have ever read? Has anyone out there read Tolstoy? Dickens? By what standards are you judging this mediocre book a 'masterpiece?' No kidding, it's depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Captivating
Review: I was doubtful that I would enjoy reading such a book, but it was recommended by a friend- and I could not put it down. Follett's writing is extremely detailed and open, as is the plot of politics and religion that holds the reader in constant suspense. The romances of the book are not charming; rather I viewed them is rough yet beautiful. This is not light reading! The philosophies and teachings that one might leave with are absolutely dangerous, and I recommend it to anyone. Also, in side note, the historical fiction aspect is fascinating (more fiction then historical, but incredible nonetheless). A must have!
Rating:
Summary: Not completelly satisfying
Review: Hernando came early to the writing. He came through the door, and approached the computer. When he was near the computer he took the chair and sat on it. Right after that he schwitched on the computer. While the computer was starting up, Hernando looked through the window and saw the dim light of the day covering the taller leaves of the trees. When the computer was started he opened a browser window and retrieved the page of customer reviews for the book 'The Pillars of the Earth'. Then he tried to write a review in the same style that the book was written. Plain sentences and not very complicated language. Thouht that made it easier for a non native English speaking person, as is the case with Hernando, he sometimes found that the author needed a lot of sentences to explain simple actions. That, used so much in the book, contributes to its more than 1000 pages. Some people may feel satisfied with themselves for having read such a long book. But a diet is healthy when it has quality and variety - quantity is secondary. I was also awestruck by how easily the population is governed or convinced to do something in some parts of the book. Ah, ok. That's fiction. Perhaps the author doesn't have to justify everything he writes... perhaps he only have to focus on selling not highest quality wool. Anyway, you can give it a try, if you want to read something that doesn't challenge you so much, though it can entertain you.
Rating:
Summary: The best epic story I have readed in much time.
Review: A huge epic story that will make you dream of a time in which the life was dominated by love, honour, blood and war. It deals with the fight of a man against the betrayal of a whole kingdom to make his dream come true. The book I have most enjoyed since "The Lord of the Rings".
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