Name: The Pillars of the Earth
Rating: 4.039511494252873 (348 reviews)
ISBN: 9781447265443

Ken Follett

The no.1 bestselling masterpiece "A novel of majesty and power." Chicago Sun-TimesA spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's classic historical masterpiece. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.If you loved Pillars of the Earth, read the bestselling sequel, World Without End.

The Pillars of the Earth

Ravana Eagleheart

Stephanie 

This was the essence of a building, for it had a roof to keep the rain off and two walls to hold up the roof. 

A church was just a tunnel, with refinements.

That was not the end of the problems, but it was the beginning of solutions.

I‘m enjoying this POV so much more than I expected to. William is a questionable, but entertaining character. 

Who would have thought that torturing people could be so difficult?

‘I’d rather die than marry you, you loathsome, puffed-up toad!’

He knew he would never feel as safe again. 

Now that he knew about hunger, and cold, and danger, and desperation, he would always be afraid of them.

‘Don’t look so sad,’ she said. Her eyes were full of tears. 

‘I can’t help it,’ he said. ‘I am sad.’ 

‘I’m sorry I’ve made you so unhappy.’ 

‘Don’t be sorry for that. Be sorry that you made me so happy. 

That’s what hurts, woman. That you made me so happy

Why did people manufacture trouble when there was already so much of it in the world?

The most expensive part of a building is the mistakes.

The self-confident part of me relates a lot. Unfortunately. 

The child was full of self-confidence – but all the same he fell over at least once a day.

Everything in Tom’s cathedral looked as if it was meant to be. Perhaps her life was like that, everything foreordained in a grand design, and she was like a foolish builder who wanted a waterfall in the chancel.

Suddenly Jack looked boyish, and Aliena felt the difference in their ages: he was five years younger than she, and he still thought he had a right to be happy.

He felt adrift. He could survive anywhere but he belonged nowhere. He had been a carver, a builder, a monk and a mathematician, and he did not know which was the real him, if any.

Listen, I hate romance subplots but these two 🫠

‘How long have you been travelling?’ 

Despite all the trouble the boy caused, he made life interesting.

Philip hated to be manipulated like this but at the same time he was bound to acknowledge that the way it had been done was masterly.

Whenever she thought of those old days, with her clever, proud, rigid father beside her, she felt the pain of loss like a wound.

‘These big strong men are all cowards at heart.’

‘Don’t be so damned arrogant,’ she flared. ‘I’ve killed to protect you, and that’s more than you’ve ever done for me, you ungrateful pig, so don’t you dare call me harmless.’

Dropped it at page 582. The formulaic style got too grating. Character wants something, looks like they are going to get it, but oh no tragedy strikes they don't get it, but by some miracle they get it anyway. Rinse and repeat. Every plot point and cause for drama is so overtly telegraphed I found myself annoyed. Maybe the intent is to make the reader feel smart? It just felt patronizing to me. Not to mention the gratuitous and unnecessary descriptions of sexual violence. What's the point? Yikes. The villains are cartoonishly evil and our main characters in general are bland and unlikeable. I found myself not caring whatsoever about what was going to happen to any of them as the story progressed, so I finally decided to drop it. Another 200 pages could not save this book for me. 

Jørgen Blakey

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH

M. Sosotris

This was a JOURNEY! Follett really knows how to create characters and then RUN THOSE PEOPLE THROUGH THE WRINGER! Yikes.

There’s a ton of sexual assault in this one, so be prepared, but also, the book isn’t relentlessly grim, since so much of the fun of this one is seeing how the main characters outwit and outmaneuver the evil characters. And on top of that, you’ve got characters who are human and flawed and who grow and change in neat ways.

This was gripping from start to finish, and I literally never felt bored or impatient. The pacing is flawless, the drama is impeccable, and the scope and feel of it brought to mind Charles Dickens’ tomes where we follow characters throughout their lives.

I had so much fun with this book. Would highly recommend!

"The first casualty of a civil war was justice."

Well, I finally did it. I finally knocked this one off my to-read list at the expense of my yearly goal (I’m two books behind now!), and I feel good about finally working my way through it. This is a weird book for me to rate, because I’m not very religious and I can’t exactly say I enjoyed it all the way through, but I’m still putting book two on my to-read list for….sometime in the future. Maybe next year.

This is a book about a man with a dream to build a church. Things start small, then quickly snowball as these things do, creating a real mess of church problems and state problems along the way. The lines between the two were, basically, nonexistent back then. Lots of political infighting, jockeying for position within the church/country, stuff like that. Amongst it all we get to know a few members of the village/town/city of Kingsbridge, and follow them as they experience the repercussions of these choices down at the personal level.

I definitely enjoyed some of the points of view more than others. Ailena was far and away my least favorite perspective in the beginning, had some redemption in the middle, and then returned to being my least favorite in the end. Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, ended up being my favorite point of view, as we see his dreams of a new church building come to fruition. His internal struggles the entire way were interesting to read about, particularly when he struggles constantly with personal pride as a member of the church. I enjoyed the writing, the story was pretty great, I just felt like it dragged a bit in places. I guess in a book of almost 1000 pages it’s to be expected, though.

I don’t know, I’m glad to have finished it and have added the sequel to my to-read list, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to. It comes with some religious baggage, so if that’s not your jam, I’d probably pass on it unless you can set your personal feelings aside to experience a good, realistic, medieval story.

altlovesbooks

"The first casualty of a civil war was justice."

Well, I finally did it. I finally knocked this one off my to-read list at the expense of my yearly goal (I’m two books behind now!), and I feel good about finally working my way through it. This is a weird book for me to rate, because I’m not very religious and I can’t exactly say I enjoyed it all the way through, but I’m still putting book two on my to-read list for….sometime in the future. Maybe next year.

This is a book about a man with a dream to build a church. Things start small, then quickly snowball as these things do, creating a real mess of church problems and state problems along the way. The lines between the two were, basically, nonexistent back then. Lots of political infighting, jockeying for position within the church/country, stuff like that. Amongst it all we get to know a few members of the village/town/city of Kingsbridge, and follow them as they experience the repercussions of these choices down at the personal level.

I definitely enjoyed some of the points of view more than others. Ailena was far and away my least favorite perspective in the beginning, had some redemption in the middle, and then returned to being my least favorite in the end. Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, ended up being my favorite point of view, as we see his dreams of a new church building come to fruition. His internal struggles the entire way were interesting to read about, particularly when he struggles constantly with personal pride as a member of the church. I enjoyed the writing, the story was pretty great, I just felt like it dragged a bit in places. I guess in a book of almost 1000 pages it’s to be expected, though.

I don’t know, I’m glad to have finished it and have added the sequel to my to-read list, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to. It comes with some religious baggage, so if that’s not your jam, I’d probably pass on it unless you can set your personal feelings aside to experience a good, realistic, medieval story.

I pilastri della terra

Silvia Lucchini

Un'opera di oltre 1000 pagine, un incontro tra storie e personaggi che si intrecciano tra loro, una piena immersione nel Medioevo inglese. Uno spaccato della sua società, della nobiltà, della religione, tra intrighi, fede, violenza, amore, passioni, morte, vita. Il tutto collegato dall'immensa costruzione della Cattedrale di Kingsbridge.

Ammetto che era da anni che non leggevo questo tipo di romanzo ambientato nel Medioevo e il ritmo delle prime pagine l'ho trovato un po' a rilento. Ma questo è un romanzo dove il lettore non può non affezionarsi ai suoi protagonisti e alla loro evoluzione, alle loro passioni e alle loro storie.

Took me a day to think about this book and what all I wanted to say about it. 

Ken Follett writes such expansive histories of imaginary characters that I often forget that most of them are not real people. No matter which book if his I read I find myself rooting for his characters in a way that I never have for any other historical fiction books/authors.

I think this story is a slow burn, don't read it if you're looking for constant action, because while it does have plenty of sword fighting, war, and other exciting bits, it is ultimately about the journey of life and finding a place in the ever changing world over the course of decades. We see monarchs rise and fall, loved ones growing old and dying, and the ever progressing building of a church, and these things take years. For me, this adds to the book, rather than detracts, it gives me time to feel as though I am experiencing what the characters are feeling, all the love, all the rage, all the grief, it's all there. 

Not to mention, the way the Cathedral is described is very beautiful, Follett has a way of writing about architecture that I can visualize, without knowing a single thing about building. 

I also appreciate the presence of strong female characters that also still feel as though they belong in the period the book is set. They hold positions of power either politically or mentally, and their depictions are different enough that they don't all feel like the same woman dressed in different clothing, I get a sense of their different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Aliena is my favorite, although Ellen is who I feel I see the most of myself in. 

This book, and really any book by Ken Follett, is a 5 star read for me. 

Emma Lechner

Took me a day to think about this book and what all I wanted to say about it. 

Ken Follett writes such expansive histories of imaginary characters that I often forget that most of them are not real people. No matter which book if his I read I find myself rooting for his characters in a way that I never have for any other historical fiction books/authors.

I think this story is a slow burn, don't read it if you're looking for constant action, because while it does have plenty of sword fighting, war, and other exciting bits, it is ultimately about the journey of life and finding a place in the ever changing world over the course of decades. We see monarchs rise and fall, loved ones growing old and dying, and the ever progressing building of a church, and these things take years. For me, this adds to the book, rather than detracts, it gives me time to feel as though I am experiencing what the characters are feeling, all the love, all the rage, all the grief, it's all there. 

Not to mention, the way the Cathedral is described is very beautiful, Follett has a way of writing about architecture that I can visualize, without knowing a single thing about building. 

I also appreciate the presence of strong female characters that also still feel as though they belong in the period the book is set. They hold positions of power either politically or mentally, and their depictions are different enough that they don't all feel like the same woman dressed in different clothing, I get a sense of their different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Aliena is my favorite, although Ellen is who I feel I see the most of myself in. 

This book, and really any book by Ken Follett, is a 5 star read for me. 

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect–a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.
 
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.
source: https://www.davidbaldacci.com/external/title/9781101442197/

Gillian Rose

Ugh. So, I watched the miniseries a few years ago and had no real issue with the story (but likely the cast elevated it for me). I honestly couldn't stand a single character here. They were wildly inconsistent (or consistently making the worst possible decision). The story was pretty basic, in my opinion, and the writing was...okay? A little too much rape. The way women's bodies were described were a little cringeworthy and the phrase "flat male nipples" will never leave my brain. And the final chapter involved a lot of history that I knew but I couldn't figure out how it connected to the rest of the story???? I'm sorry, this book did not work for me.

I know what you're thinking. The book is intimidating in every aspect - the size of it, the premise of following the building of a cathedral over more than 1.000 pages and it being a historical fiction set in medieval England. Doesn't sound that appealing, right? But hell, it was. 

This is one of the most compelling novels l've come across for a long time and I was not prepared to get as invested as I was - Especially because, I picked it up out of pure coincidence. I spotted it at our book swap shelf at work, while I was waiting for my coffee to be ready. The title was vaguely familiar and the author was recommended to me already, so I took it home with me. I started with zero expectations but massive fears of being bored and wasting my time.  Fortunately, I was wrong. After the first 100 pages I was already weirdly fascinated, and hooked to continue. On page 428 I realized how captivated I really was. I can tell you that detailed because I literally screamed about what was happening. 

It's for sure not a quick read, but I don't regret the time spent. Because looking back on the journey, I loved watching all the litte pieces of plot slowly falling in place. I adored Folletts writing and his ability to start with a bunch of individual and unrelated character arcs and wrap them up the way he did. I enjoyed the tension and drama he created. I’m awe-struck about the level of details Follett weaved into the story and the character development. And speaking of characters, I certainly loved how mostly every character is important and a MC of his/her own (and that's probably one of the reasons the book is as long as it is), instead of having one MC and several side characters that just exist to support him. I appreciated that the heroes were failable and made mistakes and morally grey decisions. That he showed not all heroes have to wear capes and swing swords. And that the villains were actually loathsome and threatening. 

Despite a lot of misogynism and violence against women (induced by the setting and timeframe) there were also a lot of scenes with female empowerment and vicious, vengeful, clever, cunning women pulling the strings from the background. This is probably one of the aspects I enjoyed most. Because I feel like, especially in more modern work, we see the same archetype of the bold, sassy yet naive and insufferable FMC sold as strong but is then rescued by her love interest, over and over again. 

The only thing that holds me back from giving five full stars is that some elements started to feel repetitive after a while. Not in a way that I was annoyed or bored, but that it made me sigh with a „oh no, not again“. 

So, if you’re into intriguing storylines, political scheming, plots with twists and turns, betrayal, heartbreak and the beauty of architecture - here's your sign, to give it a try. 

This was epic. 


I know what you're thinking. The book is intimidating in every aspect - the size of it, the premise of following the building of a cathedral over more than 1.000 pages and it being a historical fiction set in medieval England. Doesn't sound that appealing, right? But hell, it was. 


This is one of the most compelling novels l've come across for a long time and I was not prepared to get as invested as I was - Especially because, I picked it up out of pure coincidence. I spotted it at our book swap shelf at work, while I was waiting for my coffee to be ready. The title was vaguely familiar and the author was recommended to me already, so I took it home with me. I started with zero expectations but massive fears of being bored and wasting my time.  Fortunately, I was wrong. After the first 100 pages I was already weirdly fascinated, and hooked to continue. On page 428 I realized how captivated I really was. I can tell you that detailed because I literally screamed about what was happening. 

It's for sure not a quick read, but I don't regret the time spent. Because looking back on the journey, I loved watching all the litte pieces of plot slowly falling in place. I adored Folletts writing and his ability to start with a bunch of individual and unrelated character arcs and wrap them up the way he did. I enjoyed the tension and drama he created. I’m awe-struck about the level of details Follett weaved into the story and the character development. And speaking of characters, I certainly loved how mostly every character is important and a MC of his/her own (and that's probably one of the reasons the book is as long as it is), instead of having one MC and several side characters that just exist to support him. I appreciated that the heroes were failable and made mistakes and morally grey decisions. That he showed not all heroes have to wear capes and swing swords. And that the villains were actually loathsome and threatening. 


Despite a lot of misogynism and violence against women (induced by the setting and timeframe) there were also a lot of scenes with female empowerment and vicious, vengeful, clever, cunning women pulling the strings from the background. This is probably one of the aspects I enjoyed most. Because I feel like, especially in more modern work, we see the same archetype of the bold, sassy yet naive and insufferable FMC sold as strong but is then rescued by her love interest, over and over again. 

The only thing that holds me back from giving five full stars is that some elements started to feel repetitive after a while. Not in a way that I was annoyed or bored, but that it made me sigh with a „oh no, not again“. 


So, if you’re into intriguing storylines, political scheming, plots with twists and turns, betrayal, heartbreak and the beauty of architecture - here's your sign, to give it a try. 

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.
--front flap

Kwan Ann Tan

10/10 for cathedral building & political/religious intrigue, 1/10 for bad writing of women and sex in general

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.
 
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.

--back cover

Most of the ratings I've seen for this are either really high, or really low. I guess I'm going in between. 

Actual Rating: 3.5

First of all, I adore a good historical fiction read. Lately, it's all I've been reading and it feels nice to know that the people and places I'm reading about actually existed once upon a time. Plus I was also interested in medieval England and Gothic cathedrals.

What I really liked about this was overall feel it gave me. The plot was miserable and tragic, filled with soap-opera twists and predictable schemes, like illegitimate marriage, love triangles, politics, secret children, secret wives, witchcraft, murders, rape, arson and sweet sweet revenge. Even if the situations were a little too mainstream, they certainly were a thrill to read. The characters get quite a lot of shit over many many years, and the worst things happen to the best people, but still in the end, the good always wins. Even after all that happened, they still triumphed in the end. That element of hope and survival was charming.

The story is set in succeeding years, and we watch how they grow and change and develop and how their paths cross and diverge, and how their actions can result to many many subplots. Back stories open and close subtly, and Follet deserves cake for that. The characters are very richly described, very real and detailed and admirable. The men, Tom and Jack and Will are so conflicted and colorful. And the women, in an era where they are still shunned, are strong willed and successful!

But, I had a little problem with the length. I felt like it was waaay to long, and that he was beating around the bush and describing meaningless scenes that really did not contribute much to the plot as a whole.

All in all, great story, fun to read.

This is one of my favorite stories of all time, following the family of Tom Builder as they search to build a Cathedral in the 10th century.

Kirby Handley 

Arianna M

First of all, the writing is mediocre when it is not downright boring. And for what concerns the plot - well, to say it's repetitive would be a big euphemism. It's all the same story, again and again and again, and every so-called plot twist is so predictable it's uncanny, up until the point where during the last hundred pages I wanted to shoot myself, or the author, because even if the story was over, finished, ended - there it was, starting again, with yet another unbelievably trite plot twist. Also, Follett clearly has no concept of character development, or of shades. Characters are all good or all evil, black or white, no grays. Even the flaws the writer tries to shove down our throats, if they belong to the good guys... well, they're flimsy at best. Do not go looking for redeeming qualities in the bad ones, because there's going to be none whatsoever, either. And if all this weren't enough, there's more to this bad writing: it's like Mr. Follett forgets what he already wrote! For one, he explains every single plot point. Thank you, but no thank you. Don't treat your readers like they're stupid. Secondly, he repeats the same concepts over and over again, with the same cheesy sentimentalism. Oh, and if that weren't enough, Follett has a disgusting obsession with rape.
Overall: this book is terrible. Don't waste hours of your life.

Shay Henrion

It was really long. And how many times can the building of a cathedral be hindered by THE SAME THING.

The Pillars of the Earth

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