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Summary: One of the alltime great pageturners.A must read.
Review: A story about a stonemason who wants to build a cathedral.I put off reading this book thinking it can't be as good as everyone says.I bit the bullet.It is as good as everyone says and better. Find a secondhand copy to read at the beach,throw in the backpack,or to take along in the car while on a long drive.Make a complete pigs breakfast of the secondhand copy,then buy a brand new copy to keep in good condition.Don't lend it to anyone, you might not get it back.Treasure this journey of discovery through the eyes of real people with dreams in a time when surviving was a struggle.
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Summary: The Most Mesmerizing Book I Have Ever Read!!!
Review: I have never been so captivated by a book.I didn't want it to be over! I haven't been able to find another book like it. I'm going to read it for a second time. Thank you Ken Follet for such a wonderful story and interesting characters.
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Summary: Engrossing
Review: This book was absolutely incredible, its plot is so complex and intertwined that I would recommend it for anyone. It is, however racy, but even me, a 14 year old, loved it.
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Summary: This was wonderfully rich, interesting and entertaining..
Review: The building of a cathedral during the Middle Ages in England, does not seem to be an exciting setting for a novel. However, Ken Follett turned this into a masterful exploration of a community and a man as they move to develop and build their cathedral as the celebration of their belief in God and Christ. Intrigue and ambition as well as love are the undercurrents of the man who takes on the task of learning about and ultimately building a remarkable architectural wonder. I loved this novel and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who loves a historical exploration of a very under studied period of Western History. It is so different then anything that Follett has done before or since.
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Summary: WARNING: DO NOT READ!!!
Review: Do not read this book if sleeping is important. Once you begin this epic journey you will find yourself reading and pacing about your home at 2:00 a.m. This book should be required reading in all English classrooms (senior year college), (( due to the graphic sex and violence)). (((Which, by the way, totally ROCKS!!!)))
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Summary: Awesome
Review: The Plot of this story is so unusual... The question of releigious: am I doing god's will or my own??? The descriptions are very detailed, which as should all good books, it makes you feel like a character in the story. It is very easy to relate to the characters. This book also teaches us that there are a lot of drawbacks to royalty, and even some royal people are human. My only critiques on this book are that some of the things that people say durring conversations doesn't seem very accurate(modern speak). Overall this vas a very good book that would be good for people like me who stay up untill 3 am reading a book, or block off a whole weekend to read. Good book for a snow day off of school!
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Summary: Incredibly detailed and accurate
Review: An amazing departure from your other works, (not that I did'nt like them), this is your most amazing achievement so far. You take us to the edge of what was known as civilized England and show us just how barbaric the times were. Your depiction of the cruelities and joys of life in those times are just short of masterful. Thank you for the thouroughly enjoyable read and keep up the splendid work that you always do.
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Summary: I have read it 3 times and it is still my favorite!!
Review: After I read "Pillars of the Earth", everything else in comparison is just ho-hum. I read it again, for the 3rd time last month, and it is still fantastic. I have started to read the new one from Tom Clancy and it is just BORING...it doesn't capture the reader at all. I guess I am comparing all other books with this one and it seems that all of the good authors (i.e. Tom Clancy, Patterson, Grisham (especially)) used to write "white-knuckle" thrillers that developed there characters, but have sold out for movie rights. I hope Follett does not follow suit, because this book is a true classic. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!
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Summary: Jesus Christ!
Review: I can easily understand the fascination an average reader feels reading this huge epic. It is amazingly well-built and entertaining: the storyline with its constant up-and-down swinging and the all-but-real characters just make you turn a page after page, you bite your nails off in outrage at all the unfair things these people have to go through, and in the end, when the redemption comes, you're physically exhausted and yet unable to do anything but walk back and forth your house. That is how it was for me the first time - I was 16 then. After that I've read the book two more times, and since I can proudly say I'm not an average reader, I've had to somewhat check my opinions. A book is definitely good if it can do what Pillars of the Earth did to me back then, but only a brilliant book can stand the test of time, reaching a new ground with every read. Follett is, after all, a best-seller author. I assume he used a lot more time for this than any of his agent thrillers, but what he can't buy with his money is vision. Pillars of the Earth is in the end a pretty shallow picture of human life. As a historical novel, this is excellent. Rarely has anyone painted suc a lively picture of the Dark Ages. But was there really nothing more to life back then than rapes, vulgarism and brutal violence? Well, maybe there wasn't. But at times it seems to me that Follett only wants to shock his readers. "Look, how brutal, they're raping a 16-year old virgin!" You wouldn't expect that kind of stuff from a mature, middle-aged writer... but Follett on the other hand is a clever guy and he knows what people like. So what can you say? This is a confusing book, it really is. I did buy it eventually, you know. In a second-hand bookstore. A hardcover, and didn't cost me much. Looks pretty in my bookshelf.
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Summary: One of my all-time favorites!
Review: Vivid and engrossing from first page to last, this one will make you wish there were more books as good. There is something here for everyone, love and life, murder and mayhem, art and architecture. Am hoping fervently that Mr. Follett will soon write another tale in this genre.
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