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swaroux's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Loved this book!
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
As a reader I have always – and probably will always - suspect that the problem with books this size is that pace, progression and quality cannot be maintained over this length. I’ve seen 300 page books that cannot do it, so how on earth would a 1000+ page novel? That is why I’d never have picked up this novel without prodding, despite the fact that it has a lot of elements that I love in a book; history, murder, drama and romance.
It was a novel of two very distinct halves. I read the first 500-600 pages very quickly and absolutely loved the depth of story, the characterisation, the ‘ripple’ effect plot, and the uniqueness of each character’s story. Each character had their own journey and faced unique obstacles, so the constant change of narrator really kept the plot interesting. It felt as though I was reading several shorter novels rolled up in one binding, which was a brilliant tool for such a large tome. It held my attention but only until these individual storylines began to intertwine. Then it turned into one 500+ page novel about one group of people and their cathedral.
I enjoyed the ‘ripple’ effect of this novel; how one event early on would come back to haunt characters in later chapters. Every character had a purpose and a role in the progression of the story, despite how small they seemed at the start.
In the first half of the novel the characters were finding their feet, so you weren’t quite sure who would ally and who would become enemies. There were a few characters that you knew would be good and bad, for sure, but there was this grey area where politics and religion crossed which could have caused anything to happen. Unfortunately by the second half of the book, these rather one-dimension characters dominated.The Bad guys were rotten to the core and unthinkably evil and contemptuous, stereotypical in their actions. The good guys were the forgiving, intelligent and attractive characters who had luck on their side and were always winning the war, even if they momentarily lost a battle. Interesting characters suddenly fell into stereotypical moulds and I lost my interest in their stories a little.
The first half of the novel had an interesting progression, because even if you could see how characters paths would cross, they had individual stories and obstacles to face. This was lost in the second half as their lives merged. Obstacles and plot points became about the whole group, and not just the individual, so there was less to focus on. More so, these obstacles became less naturally occurring and so sincere and engaging, and instead were manoeuvred by the ‘bad guys’. Their interference became repetitive and was almost a lazy progression tactic. Need to liven it up? Send in William Hamleigh to light a fire or rape someone!
The more I read, the more I realised how poorly edited the novel was. Hundreds of pages could – and should – have been cut out. I like how in depth it allowed us to go into the characters’ lives and the build-up of the main plot, but the second half just couldn’t support this level of detail. Whole scenes were often repeated to remind us of earlier events, but not just with a quick summary sentence, with a whole regurgitation of the event. It was a big book, but not big enough for me to forget events to the point where I needed reminders.
Overall I loved the whole idea and if it had been much better edited, a few hundred – at least – pages shorter and the level of engagement had been maintained, then this was going to be a strong 4/5-star rating. Unfortunately those elements let it slide into a strong 2-star for me.
It was a novel of two very distinct halves. I read the first 500-600 pages very quickly and absolutely loved the depth of story, the characterisation, the ‘ripple’ effect plot, and the uniqueness of each character’s story. Each character had their own journey and faced unique obstacles, so the constant change of narrator really kept the plot interesting. It felt as though I was reading several shorter novels rolled up in one binding, which was a brilliant tool for such a large tome. It held my attention but only until these individual storylines began to intertwine. Then it turned into one 500+ page novel about one group of people and their cathedral.
I enjoyed the ‘ripple’ effect of this novel; how one event early on would come back to haunt characters in later chapters. Every character had a purpose and a role in the progression of the story, despite how small they seemed at the start.
Spoiler
I mean, hello super-annoying Peter from the first few chapters! Where did you come from suddenly with your snooty manner and archdeacon job?!In the first half of the novel the characters were finding their feet, so you weren’t quite sure who would ally and who would become enemies. There were a few characters that you knew would be good and bad, for sure, but there was this grey area where politics and religion crossed which could have caused anything to happen. Unfortunately by the second half of the book, these rather one-dimension characters dominated.The Bad guys were rotten to the core and unthinkably evil and contemptuous, stereotypical in their actions. The good guys were the forgiving, intelligent and attractive characters who had luck on their side and were always winning the war, even if they momentarily lost a battle. Interesting characters suddenly fell into stereotypical moulds and I lost my interest in their stories a little.
The first half of the novel had an interesting progression, because even if you could see how characters paths would cross, they had individual stories and obstacles to face. This was lost in the second half as their lives merged. Obstacles and plot points became about the whole group, and not just the individual, so there was less to focus on. More so, these obstacles became less naturally occurring and so sincere and engaging, and instead were manoeuvred by the ‘bad guys’. Their interference became repetitive and was almost a lazy progression tactic. Need to liven it up? Send in William Hamleigh to light a fire or rape someone!
The more I read, the more I realised how poorly edited the novel was. Hundreds of pages could – and should – have been cut out. I like how in depth it allowed us to go into the characters’ lives and the build-up of the main plot, but the second half just couldn’t support this level of detail. Whole scenes were often repeated to remind us of earlier events, but not just with a quick summary sentence, with a whole regurgitation of the event. It was a big book, but not big enough for me to forget events to the point where I needed reminders.
Overall I loved the whole idea and if it had been much better edited, a few hundred – at least – pages shorter and the level of engagement had been maintained, then this was going to be a strong 4/5-star rating. Unfortunately those elements let it slide into a strong 2-star for me.
carlevi7's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
witchvial's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Murder
tinabluemchen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Too long
abbyls96's review against another edition
5.0
This book can take you back in time, to live with the characters. A story of a family on hard times and growing up to find love and happiness. But also hardship. A very detailed book.
tiegongji's review against another edition
5.0
Who would have thought building a cathedral would be so dramatic? This masterpiece of fiction was surprisingly good.
crcomish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5