A review by lanternheart
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.75

A sprawling, enchanting epic that was, for all the time it took me, hard to ever fully put down — I found myself deeply invested in its characters, especially Aliena and Jack, and was devastated at the

death of Tom Builder in William's raid

. If there's one thing that was truly difficult about this book, it was being in William's head as he ages — as a young man, he is quickly shown to be spoilt and cruel, and only ever comes a

rapist and warmongerer

before actively turning his hatred to the

murder of Thomas Beckett

. (The latter is historical event, but spoilered for the sake of its role in the story for the unfamiliar.)

I've always been a deep lover of historical fiction, and watching Jack's explorations across medieval Europe and Spain as he became an adult were especially interesting — I wish we'd spent more time with him then! Aliena's perspective was always riveting, and her story was such a wild run of twists and turns, falls and triumphs. Despite not being a religious man myself, at least not a Christian one, I also found deep empathy for Prior Philip, and loved the way his story illuminates the politics and zeal of the medieval church. 

I'm borrowing the next one from a relative, and I know I'll start it soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse