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highly recommended |
Loved it! However... 
I couldn't put this book down for the 3 days it took me to read it. Its large size may scare off some readers thinking this may be a boring, drawn out historical novel. This has it all: suspense, drama, intrigue, passion, revenge and tons of plot twists...
Even though I loved it, I have to point out several negative points. There was an excess of gratuitous sex and violence. Also, at times, the dialogue seemed unrealistic for Medieval times, and sounded more like modern day American English. I would also say that there were times of excess and repetitive description. The book could have been 700 pages without this and not lose one bit of its element.
Great transaction, great book! 
The transaction was fast and easy, the book is the best I have ever read!
Catherdral Ping Pong 
I had a mixed reaction to Pillars.
It is the story of the people working for and against the construction of a 12th Century Cathedral. I ended up feeling like the entire book was a game of ping-pong with the cathedral flying back and forth on the table. Yes they would build it. No they wouldn't. They get some work done. There is an obstacle. The obstacle is overcome. There is another obstacle. That obstacle is overcome. Another appears. The plot is pretty much 900 pages of this back and forth.
Some of it was great and even surprised me. However, there was only so much of this back and forth I could handle. After a while I just wanted it to be over.
On the other hand, I felt like the ending really pulled the book together.
The writing (literally word choice on the page) was boring. A number of words/phrases were repeated ad nauseum. At first I thought this was intentional as Tom Builder was an illiterate man. However, Philip Prior, Aliena, and Jack were all written in the same simplistic (boring) form.
There were also way too many coincidences. What a surprise that a heroine 'accidentally' meets the person who will betray a certain castle 50 pages or so before the castle is attacked. This happens over and over and over again.
There were parts that rivited me. There were parts I skimmed, just to keep the story going. I found the travails of the characters depressing and everytime they overcame a problem I knew that they would just get hit with another one. I half expected the book to end with just one more difficult trial. (It didn't. Like I said, I did like the ending.)
Overall, I'd say that this is a book worth reading for those that read historical fiction. Just do so knowing that it has flaws.
Great read...
I don't usually go for period pieces but these two books by Follett are great, holding my rapt attention over the years, and ages...
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
"Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner," extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it is a beloved favorite of countless readers, standing as a testament to Follett's unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. A spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, 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.
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based on 1174 reviews
