Review
"A novel of majesty and power." -- Chicago Sun-Times
Review
"A novel of majesty and power." -- Chicago Sun-Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
264 of 278 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I dont care what the rest of you think, but I loved this book. I am a hardcore fantasy reader and was really loath to start this 1076 page monster. But a 2 week holiday with the kids loomed ever near, and I decided that this was the perfect thing to while away those long evenings.
We went camping in Southern France, it was hot, the van was cramped and we had no food as we were miles from a shop. Every time I felt sorry for myself I started reading about 12th century life and thanked my lucky stars, looked around and felt gratefull that raping and pillaging were no longer a problem and my only real worry was getting 5 kids ready for bed in less than 2 hours!
If you love medieval history, romance, factual events and treachery all woven together with fantastic characterisation, great descriptions and dialogue then this is the book for you. It depicts the life and times of the dark ages in a very real way, nothing is romanticised. The rawness of the descriptions was a refreshing change and I feel I could build a cathedral from scratch thanks to Follets excellent descriptions. (which are not boring but facinating)
It describes the lives of the aristocracy, peasants, royalty and follows the individual lives of about 5 various people including a monk Father Philip (for 63 years of his life_)and about some other very different characters who's lives and destiny's are all irrivocabley interwoven.
The opening paragraph describes a hanging in the most brutal way, and the descriptions of the behaviour and attitude of the observers just had me gripped from the begining.
I was so impressed that the minute I got home I was on the net trying to verify some of the facts therin. And sure enough it was all there. Follett has taken key moments in medieval british history and woven around it 3 dimensional characters which just bring it all to life.
I'm now off to buy some more from this time period!
We went camping in Southern France, it was hot, the van was cramped and we had no food as we were miles from a shop. Every time I felt sorry for myself I started reading about 12th century life and thanked my lucky stars, looked around and felt gratefull that raping and pillaging were no longer a problem and my only real worry was getting 5 kids ready for bed in less than 2 hours!
If you love medieval history, romance, factual events and treachery all woven together with fantastic characterisation, great descriptions and dialogue then this is the book for you. It depicts the life and times of the dark ages in a very real way, nothing is romanticised. The rawness of the descriptions was a refreshing change and I feel I could build a cathedral from scratch thanks to Follets excellent descriptions. (which are not boring but facinating)
It describes the lives of the aristocracy, peasants, royalty and follows the individual lives of about 5 various people including a monk Father Philip (for 63 years of his life_)and about some other very different characters who's lives and destiny's are all irrivocabley interwoven.
The opening paragraph describes a hanging in the most brutal way, and the descriptions of the behaviour and attitude of the observers just had me gripped from the begining.
I was so impressed that the minute I got home I was on the net trying to verify some of the facts therin. And sure enough it was all there. Follett has taken key moments in medieval british history and woven around it 3 dimensional characters which just bring it all to life.
I'm now off to buy some more from this time period!
57 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have never read any of Ken Follett's work before but was intrigued by The Pillars of the Earth at is purportedly based on Salisbury Cathedral .It is certainly about cathedral building in 12th century England. The story follows Prior Philip, a monk with ambition to build a great cathedral, allied with architect Tom. It is an epic novel (900 + pages )and took me a considerable time to read. The author's love of the project shine through and he draws a very realistic picture of the period, with strong characters and plot full of the timeless struggle of good versus evil. If you like Epic Classics, this is the book for you.
Anon
The Spire Chronicle
Anon
The Spire Chronicle
98 of 104 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
From the outset, Pillars of the Earth gripped me. My imagination was captured by the day to day lives of some of the most real characters I have met between the pages of a novel. Each character evokes a response: compassion, respect, revulsion or even lust. The story spans many years, yet gives remarkable detail concerning the changing politics, lifestyle and even architectural and building practices of the day. I was given the book by a friend several years ago, and have given copies as gifts several times. My own copy is so battered from being read, reread, lent and returned that I'm now needing a replacement.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great historical drama
A fantastic read from cover to cover with several independent stories weaving their way in-between each other and the actual history of Norman England. Read more
Published 14 hours ago by Big Man
5.0 out of 5 stars
A nice long read!
I haven't read any of Ken Follett's books before, but I really enjoyed this and will certainly read more. Read more
Published 20 hours ago by Maggie Oakman
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Pillars of The Earth Ken Follett
Wow, I love this book, I am just over half way through it and I love it. Reading the book you can almost imagine you are living in the town of Kingsbridge and part of the... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Claire
1.0 out of 5 stars
don't waste your time
Sorry but this is awful. I can't believe all the five star reviews are genuine. I put this on my kindle so at least I've saved myself a trip to the charity shop.
Published 3 days ago by wife of rhtp
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read.
Having seen the paperback version and feeling the weight of it I thought straight away that the kindle version was a must. Seeing the price made it an easy decision. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Mrs. Jane Steer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pillars of the Earth
Only read 10 per cent of the book so far but I am enjoying getting to know the characters as they emerge.
Published 4 days ago by J D Attridge
4.0 out of 5 stars
REVIEW OF THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH
I liked the style of writing( it was my first Follet book) good story line, strong characters but it could have done with a little less architectual detail concerning the building... Read more
Published 5 days ago by THOMAS RYAN
4.0 out of 5 stars
Long but great
AN epic tale, not really my cup of tea but I persevered. Well researched and written..Will read Follett again though
Published 6 days ago by Mrs S Cawthorne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read.
I've read it as a paperback. It was given to me by a friend. I could not put it down. Looking forward to reading it again.
Published 8 days ago by Helen Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follett,s triumph
A brilliant book, with a fascinating mixture of fact and fiction. Give us another please,but don't wait to long this time
Published 8 days ago by Anthony Birch
Popular Highlights
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excessive pride is a familiar sin, but a man may just as easily frustrate the will of God through excessive humility.’
Highlighted by 35 Kindle users
Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing that you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically.
Highlighted by 18 Kindle users
‘Any fool can get into a fight, but a wise man knows how to stay out of them.’
Highlighted by 13 Kindle users
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