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khazag169's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
jontalk5's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn't get into it.. much too long and slow moving for my tastes
paperrhino's review against another edition
5.0
This epic novel set in 11th century England has sat on my to read list for years, intimidating me with its length and subject matter. At the very surface it is a novel about the building of a cathedral but that is just an excuse to tell the story of a few key families over the course of a generation. This focus on characters and their relationships is ultimately what rescues what could have been a boring story about architecture and creates an epic which brings to mind some of the best writings from authors like James Michener.
The plot revolves around a relatively small collection of characters and their families and Follett sets the characters up along an almost Manichean good versus evil dividing line. On the good side there is Brother Philip, a Benedictine monk and prior, Tom Builder and his family, Ellen and Jack Jackson, outlaws, and Aliena and Richard the children of Earl Bartholomew. On the evil side there is the Hamleigh family, Bishop Waleran Bigod, and Alfred Builder.
This all good verses all evil opposition between these opposing factions is one of my two primary complaints about the novel. William Hamleigh is one of the most foul, evil, irredeemable characters I’ve encountered in literature in a long time and Brother Philip is one of the most moral, kind, and good and this extreme dichotomy took away from the believableness of those characters and ultimately the plot of the novel over all. It also took away some of the suspense of the novel because one could always guess what actions each character might take. Finally, it impeded the character development of all of the major characters. Only Aliena and Jack Jackson exhibit any real character growth over the course of the novel. Except for some relatively radical shifts that mostly happen off screen, the rest of the characters are the basically the same throughout the entire novel.
The second major complaint I have about the novel is how repetitive and formulaic the plot is presented. Each part of the book follows the same story arch with a character from the good side wanting to accomplish something for the betterment of themselves or Kingsbridge, Hamleigh or Bishop Waleran scheming against them resulting in a conflict and ultimate resolution. By part five and part six of the novel there is no doubt about what will happen or the ultimate outcome.
Despite these major flaws I still give The Pillars of the Earth four stars. This is because Follett’s writing style is just descriptive enough to immerse the reader into the world of 11th century Kingsbridge without becoming a burden on the reader. Even though it becomes repetitious, Follett’s ability to construct and pace the plot of each section and of the novel overall kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting to read on without falling my feeling like a driven horse being wipped on like I do when I read an author like Dan Brown.
I highly recommend this novel to all readers who enjoy epic family stories from authors like Michener and Clavel, readers who enjoy reading historical fiction, and readers who enjoy epic fantasy from authors like Tolkien and Jordan. The Pillars of the Earth blends elements of all of these types of novels beautifully.
The plot revolves around a relatively small collection of characters and their families and Follett sets the characters up along an almost Manichean good versus evil dividing line. On the good side there is Brother Philip, a Benedictine monk and prior, Tom Builder and his family, Ellen and Jack Jackson, outlaws, and Aliena and Richard the children of Earl Bartholomew. On the evil side there is the Hamleigh family, Bishop Waleran Bigod, and Alfred Builder.
This all good verses all evil opposition between these opposing factions is one of my two primary complaints about the novel. William Hamleigh is one of the most foul, evil, irredeemable characters I’ve encountered in literature in a long time and Brother Philip is one of the most moral, kind, and good and this extreme dichotomy took away from the believableness of those characters and ultimately the plot of the novel over all. It also took away some of the suspense of the novel because one could always guess what actions each character might take. Finally, it impeded the character development of all of the major characters. Only Aliena and Jack Jackson exhibit any real character growth over the course of the novel. Except for some relatively radical shifts that mostly happen off screen, the rest of the characters are the basically the same throughout the entire novel.
The second major complaint I have about the novel is how repetitive and formulaic the plot is presented. Each part of the book follows the same story arch with a character from the good side wanting to accomplish something for the betterment of themselves or Kingsbridge, Hamleigh or Bishop Waleran scheming against them resulting in a conflict and ultimate resolution. By part five and part six of the novel there is no doubt about what will happen or the ultimate outcome.
Despite these major flaws I still give The Pillars of the Earth four stars. This is because Follett’s writing style is just descriptive enough to immerse the reader into the world of 11th century Kingsbridge without becoming a burden on the reader. Even though it becomes repetitious, Follett’s ability to construct and pace the plot of each section and of the novel overall kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting to read on without falling my feeling like a driven horse being wipped on like I do when I read an author like Dan Brown.
I highly recommend this novel to all readers who enjoy epic family stories from authors like Michener and Clavel, readers who enjoy reading historical fiction, and readers who enjoy epic fantasy from authors like Tolkien and Jordan. The Pillars of the Earth blends elements of all of these types of novels beautifully.
2catmom's review against another edition
5.0
Book that has it all... good, evil, comedy, irony, and a big cathedral. I loved this book
achda's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ipreferquiet's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book immensely. Worth all the time it took to finish its 872 pages.
littegreenreadinghood's review against another edition
5.0
this is the kind of book that makes me stay up all night reading and then call in sick the next day to finish
tshrope's review against another edition
3.0
Ken Follett says in the forward of this book that he wanted to create a popular historical novel, and that is exactly what he has done-nothing more, nothing less. The story which is set in the 1100’s in Knightsbridge, a small English village, has something for everyone; clearly defined good and evil characters, a couple of love stories, betrayal, loss, fire, famine, battles, political intrigue and of course sex.
The basic story is about a Pryor and a Builder who come together to build a grand cathedral in Knightsbridge and all the many, many, many (did I say many already?) things they must overcome to see this cathedral become a reality.
While I liked this book for what it was, popular fiction, my main complaint was it was too long. I recently read Follett’s Fall of Giants which is about the same amount of pages, and I didn’t feel the same way about that book. I think it was because this book was so melodramatic. Right after one bad thing happens another crisis begins, and while that keeps the story moving along, it starts to become a little unbelievable and exhausting if kept up too long, as in this case.
This novel also feels very contemporary. Follett did not transport me back to medieval England like Karen Maitland’s Company of Liars. His language and descriptions are too modern, throw in a couple of computers and the internet and the story could be set in 2011.
I listened to this on audio and as always John Lee does an amazing job.
I would recommend listening to this on audio so that you could be doing something else at the same time (getting from one place to another, painting the house, working out) and wouldn’t feel like you wasted all of your valuable free time just reading this book.
The basic story is about a Pryor and a Builder who come together to build a grand cathedral in Knightsbridge and all the many, many, many (did I say many already?) things they must overcome to see this cathedral become a reality.
While I liked this book for what it was, popular fiction, my main complaint was it was too long. I recently read Follett’s Fall of Giants which is about the same amount of pages, and I didn’t feel the same way about that book. I think it was because this book was so melodramatic. Right after one bad thing happens another crisis begins, and while that keeps the story moving along, it starts to become a little unbelievable and exhausting if kept up too long, as in this case.
This novel also feels very contemporary. Follett did not transport me back to medieval England like Karen Maitland’s Company of Liars. His language and descriptions are too modern, throw in a couple of computers and the internet and the story could be set in 2011.
I listened to this on audio and as always John Lee does an amazing job.
I would recommend listening to this on audio so that you could be doing something else at the same time (getting from one place to another, painting the house, working out) and wouldn’t feel like you wasted all of your valuable free time just reading this book.
thywizard's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0