The Pillars of the Earth

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ!!!
Review: I read this book when it first came out as I was already hooked on Ken Follett. None of his previous excellent spy novels prepared me for the immensity of character depth and historical education I received. This novel is a true epic in that it has it all...ruthless greed, cruelty and many other human faults along with great and powerfull love, goodness and mercy. The characters are so beautifully defined that you feel you know them and it's easy to react emotionally to their acts. Many are truely hateful.
I waited all these years to reread the book (something I never do) so I could forget as much as possible. It worked. I am enjoying it as much as the first time.
Everyone I have urged to read this book has said it was their all-time favorite. I never understood why Hollywood hasn't snatched it up. It would need to be a mini-series like the Thornbirds.
I wish Mr Follett would return to this era as it suited him very well. After many books to follow this one I stopped reading his books. I see now that he has returned to his original success and is writing about WW2 time. I wish him luck but hope for a return to the 12th century.

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Summary: A RIVETING STORY F LIFE IN TWELFTH CENTURY ENGLAND...
Review: This masterful saga of life in twelfth century England is epic storytelling at its best. The author weaves a rich and colorful tapestry of people, places, and events surrounding the building of a magnificent cathedral in the medieval town of Kingsbridge.

Early twelfth century England was a country in a state of flux. King Henry I had died without a male heir. His daughter Maude was to be queen. The English barons, for the most part, however, refused to swear fealty to her. Maude's first cousin, Stephen of Blois, then usurped her rights and proclaimed himself king. This was to plunge England into a civil war that was to last for many, many years, turning England into a virtually lawless and tumultuous land, until Maude's son became King Henry II of England.

For most people, however, life would go on with every day concerns being paramount. The book tells the story of a number of these lives. One story is that of Tom, a master builder, whose life long dream was to build a cathedral. The lives of Tom and his family would intersect that of a humble and intelligent monk named Phillip who would become the prior at Kingsbridge Priory. The fates would intervene and provide Tom with an opportunity to pursue his dream.

Their lives would intersect with a number of other individuals, some good, some evil, who would have a great impact on their lives and their goals. Tom would lose his first wife, Agnes, by whom he already had two children, brutish Alfred and sweet Martha, due to complications sustained during the birth of another son. This son was to provide a connection between Tom and Phillip of which Phillip would long be unaware.

Tom would ultimately marry Ellen, a strong willed independent woman of the forest, perceived by many to be a witch. Her son Jack, a sensitive, highly intelligent lad, whose father was deceased, would grow to manhood. His dream would begin where Tom's had left off. In Jack's background, however, was a mystery surrounding his deceased father, a French jongleur. That mystery in some way involved Sir Percy Hamleigh, Waleran Bigod, and Prior James, the old prior of Kingsbridge before Phillip.

When Earl Bartholomew of Shiring makes the treasonous mistake of siding with Maude in the conflict with Stephen, he ends up on the losing side. Sir Percy Hamleigh and his son William, siding with Stephen, attack the Earl's castle, and take Earl Bartholomew captive. Imprisoned for treason, he loses his earldom to the Hamleighs. His young son and heir, Richard, and his daughter, the beautiful Lady Aliena, are left to fend for themselves, but not until William Hamleigh has slaked his thirst for revenge upon them. You see, William had been engaged at one time to marry the Lady Aliena, only to be spurned by her to his vast public humiliation. This was the moment for which he had been waiting. Aliena and Richard would ultimately migrate to Kingsbridge to begin a new life.

Meanwhile, the church itself was having its own political intrigues. Phillip was tricked by Waleran Bigod, an ambitious arch-deacon, into supporting him for the post of bishop. Phillip would later best Waleran and incur his enmity for a lifetime. Remigius, a spy for Waleran Bigod, was a monk at Kingsbridge Priory who saw his dream of becoming prior at Kingsbridge dissipate with the advent of Phillip. He would spend a lifetime undermining Phillip and plotting against him. Moreover, the fate of Kingsbridge and the building of its cathedral would always seem to hinge upon the political vagaries of the time. Its fortunes would ebb and flow with the political winds.

Ever present throughout the destinies of all these characters is the age old battle between good and evil. Complicating it further were those who sought to do good but did evil, believing that the end justified the means. Spanning over fifty turbulent years, this is a spellbinding story of love, hate, faith, betrayal, revenge, and triumph. Against a backdrop of civil war, the sharply drawn characters grasp the imagination of the reader. Twelfth century England is laid out in painstaking detail, providing an unforgettable backdrop for the lives lived within the pages of this memorable work of historical fiction.

I loved this book so much that, having read it a number of years ago, I decided that it would be worth listening to an unabridged audio book version. Well, this book was made to be read aloud. The narrator, George Ralph, does a masterful job reading this spellbinding story. For thirty hours of pure listening pleasure, he holds the listener totally in his thrall, bringing to life all within its pages. This book is simply riveting. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: my favorite
Review: Something drew me to this novel during my blind search for a 'good book' in a local bookstore. Well, I ended up with a bit more than a good book, but rather a few days fixed in 12th century England following the many characters intensly. Unfortunately, this was the first Follett novel that I read, and I say that because though since I have read many of his spy novels, as well as his few others, I haven't yet found one that matches the Pillars.

I recommend this book to anyone, no matter how your tastes vary. This novel has a bit of everything in it. But if you're in search of a spy novel, this is not it, though perhaps better. And if you intend to read more Follett novels, do not read this one first. If you do, the rest will never live up to it in any aspect. This is my favorite novel of all time...so far.

Rating:
Summary: Caution: NO SPIES
Review: I am a huge reader of Follett and love his spy novels. I was about a hundred pages into this when I realized he was no longer giving me an historical setup. There were not going to be any spies in this book. By then, I was hooked in both the study of cathedral building and the characters. The characters have depth and you can hardly put this down. He also has a way of hitting you smack in the face. For example, you get very interested in one of the main characters and then...BOOM...he kills him off.

Of course, I highly recommend all his spy novels, but I think I've come to like his historical fiction even better. This and "Passage to Freedom" are remarkable.

Rating:
Summary: pillars of the earth
Review: There are several books everyone should read.Hereh is one of them.Pillars of the Earth would appeal to a fan of any genre. History, adventure , terror magic. its all in here.D
on't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: His Best Work
Review: According to Ken Follett's website, "The Pillars of the Earth" is Ken Follett's most popular novel. After racing through almost a thousand pages, I can easily understand why this is the case. I was pleasantly surprised (being I disliked Follett's "The Third Twin") to find this book a very entertaining piece of historical fiction. Set in England in the civil war torn years between the reign of Henry I and Henry II, the book winds its way through the lives of a several very engaging main characters (especially the villains) while always bringing the reader back the book's primary theme - the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge. Don't be fooled, even though the building of a cathedral may not sound like a great plot vehicle, Follett makes it work and work beautifully. Best of all, "The Pillars of the Earth" has a little of everything. The novel is all at once a love story, a light history lesson, a view of religion and a taste of war (not to mention Follett throws in a lot of 12th century architectural trivia). Overall, it's an appealing tale of good versus evil and worth picking up off the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Decent read of a historical novel, but flawed
Review: Let me start with what I liked about this book:

1. The setting in 12th century Wales is masterfully crafted. Author succeeds in providing descriptions that are vivid, but not overbearing in detail.

2. Storyline is creative and somewhat atypical for the genre. Heroes chosen are not princes, nor mages, but rather a common monk in a small suburban monastery, a master builder and a daughter of a former earl imprisoned in disgrace.

3. Plot provides plenty of twists and turns to keep you immersed in the book until you've finished it.

Now to what I didn't like about this novel:

1. Characters are somewhat fake. One minute ( or page ) they are described through their actions and you ( the reader ) start getting into the book, next minute author switches to describing their thoughts and feelings and immediately the feeling of artificiality comes over the book. The thoughts of any of the characters, no matter how old or bright, are described at a level of a 5-year old and their motivations are even at a level below that... "She looks good in that dress. Wonder what she looks like under it. I am hungry. Want to eat...." ... something like that. I doubt people at any age were ever that simple.

2. Level of detail throughout the book is very inconsistent. Author spends dozens of pages describing one character's uneventful journey from town to town and then towards the end of the book describes another character's more interesting trip virtually throughout all of Europe in about two paragraphs. Mind you, the second trip in much more paramount to the story, and while the first description might've made you want to skip a page or two, the second one leaves you utterly frustrated with the lack of details. And this is one of many examples of this that can be found throughout the book.

OVERALL RATINGS:

Storyline: 4 out of 5
Setting: 5 out of 5
Characters: 3 out of 5
Language: 3 out of 5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Conclusion: While the author is no Alexander Dumas or even James Clavell, the books is worth a read for any fan of the historical novel genre, especially those with interest in England's historical setting.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! Tremendous Read!
Review: Follett is a master story teller. He also does his homework. What an awesome tale, woven into a very interesting historical period. You'll fall in love with some of his characters and grow to despise others...they're so real! You'll learn a lot about life in the Middle Ages and building cathedrals, too. I guarantee you'll never look at another cathedral without thinking of this book.

Rating:
Summary: An Epic Masterpiece
Review: Wow! Stumbled upon this book during one of the many forays into B&N and one week later emerged from home....it doesn't get much better that this. Many other reviewers detailed the plot, so I won't - all I wanted to say is simply that, once finished, this book does not leave you. The characters, the struggles, and (for me) the BRILLIANT ending have made this book near the top of my list and one that I would give 6 stars to. What a find!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I ever read!
Review: In my opinion this is the best Follett has ever written.
It's a masterful mix of marvelous fictional characters set in a historical time (that of Henry 1st) and using historical events in a way that makes you believe every word of the book. I seek this one out to give as gifts to booklover friends who haven't read it. You wouldn't think a man who writes spy novels could do something like this, but he ought to do more of it.
Wonderful!