Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

26 reviews

katieluvs2read's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: War

siniandi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I understand that this is one of Follett's most beloved works. It is a densely packed work spanning several decades; the plot is nicely interwoven with historical elements and makes one reflect on power structures and injustices that in some form persist to this day. I honestly loved most of the characters and the way the flaws of even the "good" characters reflect in the story. Follett makes sure to create a strong female protagonist, which I love. She seems believable and strong and wields power in ways realistic for the era.

The description of women and sex scenes are a quite male gaze-y though (as is usually the case in Follett's work) and the ending comes a little abrupt and too neatly, as if he really wanted to finish after 1000 pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

joey1914's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Abandonment

staceyh13's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I disliked this book, I was looking for something along the lines of C J Sansom's Shardlake series, which I adore, but this fell very short of that standard. The characters are very poorly presented. The bad guys were very bad and that was it, and the good guys were in the main pretty dislikeable.

Tom having sex with a stranger mere hours after his wife dies horrifically in childbirth?! What?! Are we supposed to root for him after that?!

Also far too many graphic rape and animal abuse scenes, very uncomfortable to read and unnecessary.

we get it, Ken, William is evil!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Rape, Violence, and Abandonment

charitie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, Abandonment, and War

baileyes's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A fantastic story and I learned so much about cathedrals and building  practices in the time period. Some parts felt a bit rushed to me with dialogue or actions at times feeling like a way to get from a to b rather than unfolding naturally but it’s also hard to ask for it be more drawn out with such a hefty book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence

Minor: Violence and Abandonment

worm_book's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

karingforbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

MISOGYNY CENTRAL. 
Look, it’s a treatise on cathedral architecture with some characters thrown in.  Think moby dick for cathedrals in medieval England and you’ve nailed it. Except moby dick wasn’t so heavy on the anti women front, which says something because it’s 100 years older than this book. I liked the setting, Jack, Aliena, Elizabeth, and sally. Martha got forgotten which is sad. Tom was oblivious but nice enough. I desperately hate William and alfred for *reasons* and the pacing is not there. It’s so slow in the first half then gets better at the end then slows down but speeds up simultaneously in the last hundred, which is not great. I did like the historical context in which it occurred (white ship, Henry ii) but thought there was just a bit too much close connection with real historical figures. Course that could be because by halfway through I was just angry at the book in general 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

thecatladybooknook_penny's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Wow what a great story!  I loved the setting and characters, their growth as well as how Follett kept you hanging on wanting to know more!  There were definitely a lot of violent scenes (lots of killing and descriptions of that which I don't mind so much because it is true to the historical facts but also lots of sexual assault scenes as well as being in the head of the scum committing those.  I did lots of skipping over those as well as skipping a few lines when we were in the scum's head when he started thinking of the next victim.)  There were also a lot of sexual situations and being in the head of a couple main character's heads which I didn't care to read either so skipped over that.  You still get the gist of what's going on without having to read that.  Highly recommend this book IF you are willing to do the "skip method".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

braytum's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment