I picked up Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth while at Costco this past summer. 973 Pages of action adventure set in the 12th Century seemed way out of my standard reading genre, so I jumped in, head first! A fellow friend of mine as well as her husband had both read the book a few summers prior (when I had my head stuck in the vampire drama unfolding in Forks, Washington) and were constantly talking and citing this book as one of their favorites.
I was instantly engaged in the story of Tom Builder and his family setting out with nothing on their backs, in search of a cathedral looking for a master builder and later in awe of the series of events that would unfold over four decades that were filled with love, hardship, politics and jaw-dropping twists and turn of events! This was the first of Follet’s books that I had read and I was amazed at how easy it was to keep the story straight between the characters of Prior Phillip, Aliena, Richard, Jack, William Hamleigh, Ellen, Remigus, Bishop Waleran and more. I was more impressed with the detail in the text used to describe the events within the story. From Aliena’s rape, to William’s attempted destruction of Kingsbridge and the market to the completion of the cathedral in Kingsbridge, the picture Follet creates is so detailed, you feel as though you are actually there, and will feel a mix of satisfaction and loss as the tale winds down at the very end.
This book will surprise you... You will want to celebrate victorious battles, drop your jaw at the treachery and rape while shedding a tear when favorite characters come to meet their fate!
I would highly suggest this book and throw in a disclaimer that Starz has done a remarkable job with the “Pillars of the Earth” series (Fall 2010) however, nothing can replace the attention to detail that Follet has provided for his readers within this novel.
