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Устоите на Земята. I част

(Kingsbridge #1)

Ken Follett (Goodreads Author),

Валерий Русинов (Translator)

4.32 · Rating details · 664,069 ratings · 31,892 reviews

„Устоите на Земята“ е разказ за Филип, приор на Кингсбридж, благочестив и находчив монах, наел се да построи най-голямата готическа катедрала на света;
За Том, зидаря, станал неговия архитект, човек с раздвоена душа;
За красивата загадъчна лейди Алиена, изтерзана от таен позор…
И за стълкновението между добро и зло, което ще обърне църква срещу държава и брат срещу брат.
Плени ...more

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Paperback, 544 pages

Published 2010 by Студио Арт Лайн (first published October 1989)

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Ken Follett - author, philanthropist, guitarist

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Aug 28, 2008 DeLaina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult

I devour books. That is my euphemism for being so OCD that I can't put it down and live my life until I finish it. For shorter books, that's generally not a problem, but for the 974 page Pillars of the Earth...well, let's just say we ran out of food, my children clung to my legs asking for food, and the floors did not get vacuumed for a good five days while I whittled away at this book.

CLIFF HANGER: This book is not a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter kind of book, which makes it easier t I devour books. That is my euphemism for being so OCD that I can't put it down and live my life until I finish it. For shorter books, that's generally not a problem, but for the 974 page Pillars of the Earth...well, let's just say we ran out of food, my children clung to my legs asking for food, and the floors did not get vacuumed for a good five days while I whittled away at this book.

CLIFF HANGER: This book is not a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter kind of book, which makes it easier to read it in multiple sittings. However, Follett does such a masterful job of character development, that I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next whether the end of the chapter contained a cliffhanger ending or not.

CHARACTER DEV'T: Each character is so beautifully defined and fleshed out, that they become almost real. I felt that I knew them personally, that I could accurately predict how they would react in different situations. None of them were 100% good or bad, just like in real life. Some priests were holy, others evil; some were rich people with big hearts, others with small minds and evil intentions; some poor farmers were judgmental, w/narrow-minded attitudes, others opened their doors to strangers.

PLOT/PACE: Foreshadowing was a very powerful convention that Follett skillfully weaved in and out of every chapter. It gave subtle hints, but never so overt as to suggest that the reader may be an imbecile. Backstories meander and come to closure at such a nice pace, that it always feels like something is happening and things are being resolved, for better or for worse.

THEMES: My favorite theme was that natural consequences followed the actions of the characters. (I'm still a bit out of sorts after reading the deus ex machina riddled Breaking Dawn, where all the natural consequences of three books worth of actions were completely erased-ugh.) There was a natural ebb and flow of triumph and misfortunes in Pillars of the Earth. Good things happened to bad people and bad things happened to good people, just like in real life. Follett does not try to save his characters from themselves, or from each other, and I enjoyed that very much.

STRONG WOMEN: I absolutely adored the strong women in this book! What a joy to read about Aliena, carving out her own future after her world had been turned upside down! Life knocked her down plenty, but each time, she got up, made a plan, and triumphed eventually. Ellen, and Agnes in her own way, were also strong women.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: As strange as it sounds, with all of the despair and misery that took place, the overarching take home for me, was HOPE. In the face of overwhelming adversity, these characters triumphed. The road was hard and the journey was long, but they CHOSE hope. They CHOSE faith. And in the end, that was all that mattered.

Pillars of the Earth will be on my favorite books list for a very long time. ...more

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Mar 30, 2016 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2017

“The most expensive part of building is the mistakes.”

Look, it's difficult to explain exactly why I liked this book. Seriously, if you take a look at the blurb, note the 973 pages, and the fact it's a very long story about building a cathedral in Medieval England, you might think I've been smoking something. But for me - and I'm assuming for a large number of other readers - it was so damn compelling.

I'm going to get the crap out of the way first - if you are sensitive to scenes of rape, DO ...more

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Aug 30, 2009 Amanda rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-made-me-do-it, crap, blog

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was popular? As in a mini-phenomenon? Seriously? Am I being punked? Tell the truth--no one else read the book. It was all an elaborate media/pop culture scheme to trick me into reading this book. Please lie to me about this. I'm not sure I can go on living if I have to believe that this is what my fellow man is reading these days.

My utter disdain for the book comes from many a source:

A) It's 900 pages. Mind you, I'll read 900 pages, even 1,500 pages, if it's amazing. But it has to be a ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: 2018, favorites, audio, classic, library, tear-jerkers, revenge, historical-fiction

7.2 MILLION STARS!

Did I just read one of the most amazing books I have ever read? Yes, yes I did!

I cannot say enough about this book, the story, the writing, the characters, etc. etc. etc. Everything is perfect!

If someone had said to me, “Here is a 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral 1000 years ago in England” I probably would have fallen asleep before the end of their sentence. But, do not judge a book by its description – it is a 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral, 7.2 MILLION STARS!

Did I just read one of the most amazing books I have ever read? Yes, yes I did!

I cannot say enough about this book, the story, the writing, the characters, etc. etc. etc. Everything is perfect!

If someone had said to me, “Here is a 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral 1000 years ago in England” I probably would have fallen asleep before the end of their sentence. But, do not judge a book by its description – it is a 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral, but Follett does an amazing job of crafting a historical fiction story around it that will keep you engaged from page one until the very end.

With 1000 pages, there has to be filler, right? There is not! Every sentence, every word – all of it adds to the story. And, events on page 25 may have ramifications on the events of page 825. How the author kept the storyline together, intertwined, and fully applicable throughout is amazing. I picture him referencing a very complicated flowchart covering his entire wall while writing this book. Sounds confusing – it is not! Despite the intricacies, it was very easy to follow.

Do you love to hate evil characters and feel passionate emotions for the ones you love? READ THIS! I don’t think I have ever wanted to reach into a book more and strangle a character than I did with this book. Then, I found myself audibly cheering and groaning as the relationships of my favorite characters developed, succeeded, and sometimes failed. I was emotionally spent loving and hating these characters – and it might be the most I have ever been emotionally invested in characters in a long time (if ever).

I cannot say that this book will be for everyone, but it is worth giving it a try. Especially if you like any of the following:

• Historical Fiction
• British Fiction
• Stories about church vs government
• Knights, monks, kings, and other medieval dramatis personae
• Character studies

This comes with a warning, though: I know I have some book friends who do not like violent depictions of sex. If that is a problem for you, either go into this story being aware that you will be uncomfortable, or steer away from it completely. ...more

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Dec 27, 2007 Francine rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-don-t-care-for, historical-fiction, epic, medieval

I did not hate this book (hate would be too strong a word, and I can't hate it because I applaud the fact that Ken Follett attempted to write an epic novel). But I did not like it. I didn't like it from the start; his writing style hit me like a brick, but Jim thoroughly enjoyed the book that I kept trying to convince myself that I ought to give it a chance, hoping it would get better. When I was about 500 pages in, he saw how miserable I was and asked why I didn't just stop reading it, but at t I did not hate this book (hate would be too strong a word, and I can't hate it because I applaud the fact that Ken Follett attempted to write an epic novel). But I did not like it. I didn't like it from the start; his writing style hit me like a brick, but Jim thoroughly enjoyed the book that I kept trying to convince myself that I ought to give it a chance, hoping it would get better. When I was about 500 pages in, he saw how miserable I was and asked why I didn't just stop reading it, but at that point, I was invested in it; I had spent all that time getting that far, that I needed to finish it, and I couldn't wait to come to the end. I kept counting down: "Only 450 pages left; only 300 to go; last 200 pages...yay, I have 50 pages left!" Those fifty pages were the toughest to get through. By the time I was at the end, I thought it was a wasted effort - both on his part and mine.

It's so much easier to explicate on what I did not like because there were so many things:
- I loathed the writing style (he vacillated between pages and pages of highly complex architectural discourses to third-grade level simple sentences grouped into short paragraphs). Sometimes it was bearable. Other times, I wanted to pull my hair out. There were times when I felt the only time he came alive as an author was when he was discussing architecture, but these parts were so didactic in nature that it couldn't hold my interest for long periods of time.
- I did not like the author's narrative style. He had to tie everything together (causality was so prevalent throughout the text that I wondered how he didn't work in how the killing of a fly affected events 60 years later). Every single storyline was wrapped up - too neatly for my liking, in some cases. Everyone was tied to someone else (it was like playing Six Degrees); every single character had to have a denouement; every little plot twist had to be explained; closure had to be achieved, no matter how preposterous the circumstances, over time and space.
- The characterization was poor. In fact, it was appalling how two-dimensional these characters were. Good people were good. Bad people were loathsome. As time went on, the good were always suffering one thing or another; they were put upon; they were harrassed; they were constantly challenged and put to the test like Job (something Follett actually used as a sermon!). The badfolk became more oppressive over time; they were not only detestable, but they had absolutely no redeeming qualities. And to go with a typical medieval stereotype, the good were always excessively beautiful, honorable, intelligent (geniuses or savants, even!) - and if they weren't rich, they would be at the end (I half expected Havelok the Dane and his refrigerator mouth to pop up somewhere, proving once and for all that in the medieval period, to be good was to have the purest light shining out of your mouth each time you opened it). Nevertheless, the bad became uglier, became more despotic, scheming throughout life to get the better of their enemies (the goodfolk). But in the end, good always triumphed over evil; those who could, repented and were forgiven. Those who couldn't, were killed off somehow, because apparently, death is the only way an evil person gets his (or her) dues. And then everyone had a happy ending. I hate happy endings when they're so obviously contrived. And this work was so elaborately, exhaustively, thoroughly contrived. (Maybe it's not too late for me to change my mind and say I hated it. *grin*)
- Historically speaking, there was so much left to be desired. Granted, this novel was written two decades ago, and there have been new discoveries about the medieval period since Follett started his research. But he got it all wrong anyhow. His idea of medieval life was so...off, that it hurt my head to continue reading sometimes. I had to pause periodically and rant to Jim about what I currently found off-putting (for example, there weren't many literate people at the time; at the time this novel was set, there was still a distinct divide between England and Wales; reading and writing were two separate skill sets, and people who knew how to read did not necessarily know how to write and vice versa; orality was a prevalent part of storytelling back then and books not so much and yet somehow, he conflated much of both; manuscript writing was either orally dictated or copied tediously by the monks - his concept of a scriptorium was incomplete, defective - and there has been so much written about this that it saddened me; he used modern translations of medieval poetical/verse works and couldn't explain even alliterative verse form effectively - I even wonder if he knew what it was; his understanding of the languages of the period - Old English, Middle English, Latin, Norman French, Old French, Middle French, etc. - and what was spoken by the aristocrats vs. the peasants vs. the growing middle classes disgusts me; he showed a lack of understanding of medieval law, medieval rights, the social classes, gender roles, even the tales and legends of the period, in both England and France; priests were quite low on the totem pole, in terms of the religious hierarchy, and were quite disparaged yet somehow, that didn't quite come across in this novel...I could go on and on, but I won't).

And the historical part of the novel I just found lacking. There are enough histories and chronicles, contemporaneously written, of the time, that he did not have to deviate much from history. There is so much written about the period between the death of Henry I through the civil wars between the Empress Matilda and King Stephen, to the time that Henry II ascended the throne (including the martyrdom of Thomas a Beckett), that I don't quite understand how he couldn't have mined the chronicles for better material. I understand that this is why it's called historical fiction, and that there will always be some element of fiction interspersed with historical fact. But the fictional aspects usually have to do with surrounding characters and situations that bolster the history. The fiction is not necessarily to the history itself. Many times, when writing historical fiction, the author has to beware the pitfalls of creating a revisionist retelling, interspersing his or her own ideals or beliefs of what should have been to what was. If this novel had been marketed as a revisionary narrative, it would have been okay. But it wasn't. I'm just glad that the historical aspect of the novel just served as the background and not the real story. Because then, I probably would've stopped reading.

The premise was a good one and held a lot of promise. It could've been a great historical epic had it been handled by a more assured writer. By someone who was more of a visionary, someone who had the patience to do exhaustive research or who knew how to craft richly developed characters. It needed an author who understood the epic genre, who knew how to mold the epic, who knew how to keep the narrative going, seemlessly binding time with narration and the human condition, without resorting to stereotypes and grating drama. And most importantly, it needed someone who understood when the story had been told; that while there will always be other stories to tell, that each book has its own natural end, and that these stories may not belong in this book.

Ken Follett may be a bestselling author of suspense novels (and even historical fiction such as Pillars of the Earth and World without End), but he is no writer of epics. Compared to writers of historical fiction such as Edward Rutherford, James Michener, Bernard Cornwell or Margaret George, Ken Follett has a long way to go. ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, religion, plantagenet, architecture

”He was mesmerized by the challenge of making soft, round shapes out of hard rock. The stone had a will of its own, and if he tried to make it do something it did not want to do, it would fight him, and his chisel would slip, or dig in too deeply, spoiling the shapes. But once he had got to know the lump of rock in front of him he could transform it.”

photo Pillars20of20the20Earth_zpsdxd1nexw.jpg

There are so many memorable characters populating this epic novel that I would be hard pressed to even say who is the main character of this no ...more

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Nov 18, 2007 amelia rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one! apparently oprah fans

This is seriously one of the worst books I've ever read. The only reason I finished the book is because I cannot put a book down once I start.

The writing is terrible. The plotting may be dramatic, but I had almost zero interest in any of the characters; they seem to exist merely for events to happen to them, like actors in a disaster movie. Beyond that there seemed to be three characters in the book: Bad guy, good guy, and good victimized-yet-able-to -overcome girl.

What got me most was: Ken Foll ...more

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Jan 17, 2014 Sean Barrs rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, 5-star-reads

This book was so completely fantastic that I almost forgot the outside world existed when I was reading it. I’ve never be so emotionally invested in a story, as I was with this. It’s a rare book that does this to me. I think it’s because it follows the characters through such a large proportion of their lives, resulting in a large amount of intimacy and investment with them. Indeed, this novel spans a massive period of forty years and has 1000+ pages; this is no light reading; it is deep, emotiv ...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Misfit rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: wall-banger, die-in-a-fire, it-doesn-t-get-much-worse-than-this, will-this-book-never-end, medieval-make-believe, off-to-the-charity-box, one-time-read-only, shelf-of-shame-material, get-it-from-the-library, work-is-better-than-this

I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but this is truly one of the worst books I have ever read. I came so close to throwing the book across the room on several occasions, and ended up skipping through many pages just to get to the final and not too surprising finish.

The characters were flat and lifeless and seemed to have been transplanted from the 20th century into medieval England. The book was rife with unnecessary profanity that in no way enhanced the storyline and obscene gratuitou I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but this is truly one of the worst books I have ever read. I came so close to throwing the book across the room on several occasions, and ended up skipping through many pages just to get to the final and not too surprising finish.

The characters were flat and lifeless and seemed to have been transplanted from the 20th century into medieval England. The book was rife with unnecessary profanity that in no way enhanced the storyline and obscene gratuitous sex (I mean how many times did William have to rape someone to prove that he was a really really bad guy?). I noticed that at least one other reviewer commented that this book was required reading in his child's school, which if you are a parent I would recommend you take a good look at this book and perhaps take issue with your school district. As an adult I was shocked at the language and violence in this book, and find it totally inappropriate for a child and/or young adult.

I also noticed comments about the historical accuracy and research that must have been involved in writing this book. If that is so, it must only be in regards to the building of the cathedral and the civil war between Stephen and Maud. As for the rest, I must disagree, I have read many well written and researched books of medieval times (thank you Sharon Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick for such awesome reads), and I was infuriated on numerous discrepancies in this book. Examples and anyone may correct me if I'm mistaken as I am not a history major:

* Aliena is frequently described as having long, curling loose flowing hair. Women in those days wore their hair braided and covered, it being quite scandalous for any man other than her husband or lover to see it loose.

* After the attack on the castle, and the imprisonment of their father Aliena and Richard are allowed to live alone in the castle with only the steward? I doubt that the king would punish the children so for the sins of their fathers, and most likely would have been made wards of the king until they reached their majority. This was most desirable as the king could then skim the proceeds off the estates and funnel them to the crown's use. Sometimes a king would give ward ship to another party as a reward for service, etc.

* Young boys of the noble class were typically sent to another noble household to be raised and educated, first as squires and then trained in that household as a knight. What on earth was a teenaged Richard doing living at home?

* Much was made of William's warhorse. These were formidable beasts that were not easily handled by strangers. Yet Aliena and Richard were able to not only saddle the warhorse, but to get right on and ride it? I don't think so.

* The English nobility of that period were Norman French and did not speak the language of the peasant class. So how did Aliena manage to not only communicate with them, but could set up a successful business in that atmosphere?

I could go on with more examples if I had remembered to take notes, but there were many similar instances to this throughout the book. All I can say is that if you want to read a very well written and researched book on this period, please see Sharon Kay Penman's When Christ and His Saints Slept and Time and Chance (Ballantine Reader's Circle). JMO.
...more

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Mar 22, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Emily May

Shelves: library

This was incredible. After reading this for weeks, I'll need a bit to sort out my thoughts on this one. Review to come.

Also, how great is the feeling when you're the first person to check out a brand new replacement copy via the library? ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 James rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-multi-book-series, 4-historical-fiction, 1-fiction

I read this out of order as once I read "World Without End," I was so captivated that I had to go back to read this one. It was good, but I much preferred "World Without End."

Follett creates such a remarkable world full of characters you love and you hate. And to think it takes place over 500 years ago... so many historical adventures, realities... I love the relationship people had with the church -- not so much from a religious perspective, but in how it defined every action and thought in the ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: confession-time, homework-from-the-ladies, 2013, kitten-squisher

Confession time: This is not a book I would have picked out for myself. First of all, look at the size of this kitten squisher! Second of all, Amanda's hate-filled review of it is one of my favorite reviews on Goodreads. However, it's one of my girlfriend's favorite books and when she suggested I give it a read, I knew what was good for me. Lucky for me, I enjoyed it.

Pillars of the Earth is a multigenerational tale about the construction of a cathedral in a fictitious English town in the 1100s. Confession time: This is not a book I would have picked out for myself. First of all, look at the size of this kitten squisher! Second of all, Amanda's hate-filled review of it is one of my favorite reviews on Goodreads. However, it's one of my girlfriend's favorite books and when she suggested I give it a read, I knew what was good for me. Lucky for me, I enjoyed it.

Pillars of the Earth is a multigenerational tale about the construction of a cathedral in a fictitious English town in the 1100s. Many threads are followed for it's nigh-1000 page girth. Tom Builder goes from being an expectant father to a widow to a master builder. Philip becomes a prior and the ruler of Kingsbridge. And lets not forget Jack, Aliena, Richard, Waleran, that bastard William Hamleigh, or any of the many other characters.

Ken Follett was primarily known as a thriller writer before Pillars and it shows. Every time things appear to be going right for the good guys and it looks like the cathedral is back on track, another monkey wrench is thrown into the works. For a book with very little in the way of action, I was enthralled. You can squeeze a lot of plot complications in nearly 1000 pages and Follett jammed in as many as he could. I have to admire the kind of planning it took to write something like this.

As I said before, I always found the size of this thing daunting but I probably shouldn't have. It's a best seller, and best sellers aren't known for being difficult reads. Since Follett is a thriller writer, he tended to keep things to the point for the most part, though I thought he was ignoring Elmore Leonard's rule about not writing the parts people skip a few times.

I don't really want to say much about the plot for fear of spoiling anything. It's a long read but the ending is worth the time it takes to get there.

Parting thoughts (may contain spoilers):
- Tom Builder sure jumped into bed with Ellen pretty quickly. Agnes' body wasn't even cold yet.
- Lots of rape in the 1100's
- Since Kingsbridge is fictitious, does that make Pillars of the Earth historical fantasy?
- I really hate William Hamleigh.

...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Peter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction

Epic
If you ever wanted to use the words Epic and Classic in a book review, The Pillars of the Earth is a book that upholds that accolade. It is a fabulous masterpiece of historical fiction, based in England in the 12th Century. The sense of time and place are vividly drawn and the fragility and harshness of life shadow each of the characters.

The array of characters are impressively developed, and with over 1000 pages in the novel, this becomes a generational journey spanning many decades and gi ...more

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Jul 11, 2008 Jax rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: People with iron wills and a surfeit of free time.

Recommended to Jax by: My mother, who thought I'd like the cover art.

Shelves: awful

A massive tome with a spine thicker than Arnold Schwartzenegger’s forearm, Pillars looks intimidating enough to make even the most avid readers wary; its 973 pages are densely packed with unforgiving walls of 8-point text with nary a line break in sight. Before I was more than a hundred pages in, however, it became apparent that length was among the least of this behemoth of a book’s problems.

Follett's concept—a medieval, generation-spanning epic built around the construction of a cathedral—is A massive tome with a spine thicker than Arnold Schwartzenegger’s forearm, Pillars looks intimidating enough to make even the most avid readers wary; its 973 pages are densely packed with unforgiving walls of 8-point text with nary a line break in sight. Before I was more than a hundred pages in, however, it became apparent that length was among the least of this behemoth of a book’s problems.

Follett's concept—a medieval, generation-spanning epic built around the construction of a cathedral—is exciting and full of potential (as are the illustrations, which are far too beautiful to serve as bookends to such trash); but the snaillike pacing, nonexistent characterization, and stilted, robotic prose ruin whatever potential the book might have had. Things start off on a sour note as we must bear witness to a painful prologue in which Follett tries to establish some sort of basis for an intersection that we are led to believe is soon to come – only to abandon this plotline for so long that we’ve forgotten what the point of the book is by the time it comes around again.

Then we fast-forward a decade, ending up in a rolling green valley alongside a totally different cast of characters. Before even a single word of dialog has appeared, Follett has described in exhaustive detail the lives thus far of Tom Builder (guess what his profession is), his moderately pregnant wife, Agnes, and their children, Martha and Alfred. Here we run into one of the most irritating faults of the whole book—a descriptiveness that borders on—and then completely transcends—the excessive. One wonders what on earth Follett’s editor was off doing when he should have been cutting Pillars down by several hundred pages’ worth of unruly tresses and twinkling eyes.

A thorough editor, armed with a hacksaw, could have perhaps fashioned this mammoth mishap into a passable pulp page-turner; but left as is, Pillars proves infantile, taxing—and oftentimes just plain disgusting. Fight and torture scenes are pointlessly gratuitous; descriptions of the architecture are historically accurate but impossibly long and boring; attempts to make the solidly one-dimensional characters charming only render them crass, impulsive—and, frankly, kind of gross.

It’s all downhill from there—with the exception of plucky prior Phillip, who could have been the novel’s saving grace if not for Follett’s iron resolution to curdle what little cream rises to the top of this mess. Phillip is smart, tenacious, and intensely likable, and his involvement in Tom’s life (being the prior of Kingsbridge Priory, where the cathedral is being built) gives the impression that he’ll be a key player for a long while. We are sadly mistaken; Phillip barely has time to settle in to his newly-acquired prior’s quarters before he is cast aside like a ragdoll. Oh, sure, he’s still around—but he does little more than pace hallways, issue stale anecdotes, and wring his hands over his inability to keep Kingsbridge safe after it is attacked again and again and again by the bad guys—who, in typical Follett style, would not have looked out of place twirling their moustaches and cackling maniacally. Waleran Bigod (I kid you not) and William Hamleigh fill their roles of ‘cold-hearted evil mastermind’ and ‘sadist thug’, respectively, with menacing glares, cold, unsmiling eyes, and appropriately villainous hubris all around. Follett abandons all pretenses with these two and instead goes for pure shock value, thereby rendering even his silliest characters uniformly unlovable.

This is all well and good (well, truly, not)—but what really had me sputtering with disbelief was the author’s warped sense of justice. Does he honestly think that making William fat and gouty by the book’s end will bring closure? If anything, I found it a little extreme; Willy and Wally (as I took to calling them) were the only ones who even tried to relieve the suffering for the reader brought on by Tom’s (literally) witchy girlfriend (yes, girlfriend) Ellen, her funny-looking son Jack, and his improbable beau Aliena (I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried); the men deserve pats on the back!

For that matter, so does anyone who managed to overcome the temptation to throw this bloated Colossus out the nearest window halfway through. Congratulations. Now how about that sequel? ...more

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Aug 04, 2013 Matt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, buddy-read

Ken Follett leaves his comfort zone with this epic tome, which highlights the development and building of a massive cathedral in Kingsbridge, a rural English community. Follett takes the reader back to the 12th century, where Tom Builder is looking for work. After the death of his wife in childbirth, Tom leads his family from town to town hoping for employment scraps to ensure his brood has a means to survive. Meanwhile, a young monk by the name of Phillip travels to Kingsbridge on business, onl Ken Follett leaves his comfort zone with this epic tome, which highlights the development and building of a massive cathedral in Kingsbridge, a rural English community. Follett takes the reader back to the 12th century, where Tom Builder is looking for work. After the death of his wife in childbirth, Tom leads his family from town to town hoping for employment scraps to ensure his brood has a means to survive. Meanwhile, a young monk by the name of Phillip travels to Kingsbridge on business, only to show his leadership skills and curry favour with some of the other monks, earning himself the role of Prior. This local leadership role could prove important, as the priory is badly in need of repair. When news of the king’s death passes throughout the kingdom, there are whispers surrounding the rightful succession, which leads to a civil war and puts the priory’s plans in a precarious position. King Stephen takes his place on the throne, though a coup is in the works. When Tom makes his way to Kingsbridge, he reports some news and pledges loyalty to Stephen, which may work to the benefit of everyone. A fire leaves the local cathedral destroyed, though Tom is able to begin creation of a place of worship for the monks. Armed with his past experience and work ethic, Tom is permitted to build a new cathedral, grand and elegant in nature. It will, however, take years to complete, as the political and economic situation in Kingsbridge continues to evolve. The story continues with the evolution of Kingsbridge as a local hub, creating much needed markets and economic fluctuation in order to sustain the costly building that is being erected. There are some who wish to see Kingsbridge falter, not the least of whom is the recent earl of Shiring. Tom and his family continue to toil on the cathedral, though they, too, are struck with calamitous news on more than one occasion. Prior Phillip seeks to forge onwards, though must use his theological knowledge and guidance to shepherd the people of Kingsbridge towards the Word rather than temptation. As the narrative continues to evolve, layers of new characters emerge in this multi-generational story, all of whom bring their own struggles to the forefront, while one, looming theme binds it all together. Full of forks in the story, Follett has undertaken a massive project with this book, which is only the first of the trilogy. Patient readers will lose themselves in this epic tome, only to demand more by the time they reach the end (though one cannot fault them if they need a breather!).

As early as the preface, Follett agrees that this was likely his most difficult literary project to date, tapping into a genre and backstory with which he has no experience. Follett lays the groundwork for an amazing series here, fleshing out countless characters, storylines, and developments while never forgetting to overarching idea of the Kingsbridge Cathedral. The scores of characters who grace the page do not receive equal representation throughout the chapters, though there is an evolution of central players as the story moves forward and time passes, layering generations atop and beside one another. Phillip and Tom remain the central characters whose ideas prove to be stalwart themes throughout, but the reader is graced with the likes of Alfred and Jack, offspring (literal and through marriage) of Tom, who seek to continue the build for as long as it will take. There is also Aliena, who sought to hold onto the earldom for her brother and whose business sense brought economic growth to the region. Weighing in on the antagonist side of the ledger would surely be William Hamleigh and Bishop Waleran, whose plotting seeks to bring Phillip and the cathedral to its knees. The interaction between these characters enriches the novel and keeps the reader wanting more. Some have criticised the book for being too long or too detailed, going so far as to inject the words “slow” and “boring” into their comments. I would disagree with that assessment, for this is not the type of novel that can be both rich and brief. The slow and methodical development of characters and storyline takes time and, I would venture to surmise, all would be lost with brief parachuted mentions throughout the narrative. Follett purposely takes the reader on an epic journey and that is not to be curtailed to compete with the ‘slap together’ mass printings of novels today. There will be some whose attention span cannot last the entire novel, which is no criticism. Leave it to those with the patience to take the journey to express excitement about it in hopes of filling in the gaps. There is still much to go in Kingsbridge and its cathedral, the true lifeblood of the novel. The end of this piece is but a resting place for many more adventures, sure to arise if readers pledge to continue reading the other two novels in the trilogy. I am packed and ready to go, Mr. Follett. Let the journey recommence with the next novel.

Kudos, Mr. Follett, for stepping out of your espionage thrillers to bring us this wonderful piece. I can admit that I am fully enthralled and I want to see what you have in store for us and the townsfolk of Kingsbridge.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-sweeping-epic, historical-fiction, owned, my-very-best-reads, books-reviewed

A tapestry of medieval cathedrals centered around an epic drama and some would term it melodrama but that's open to debate.

Ken Follet actually wanted to write this book years before it was published. But his agent told him to build up his base of fans by writing several more thrillers. His EYE OF THE NEEDLE pushed him up to the best seller list.

At a later point, after writing those novels and studying medieval cathedral architecture, Follet got to write his 900 page novel centering around t ...more

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Jun 14, 2016 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction

There aren't many things left to say when it comes to Ken Follett's masterpiece. The Pillars of the Earth is one of the most beautiful, haunting, exquisitely well-written novels of all time. It is a ''showstopper'' book not only in the Historical Fiction genre, but in Literature in general. Still, for an obsessed reader of historical novels like yours trully, it can become the standard by which all other historical sagas are measured. I don't know whether this is just and right, but it does happ ...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Jason Koivu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

A monumental undertaking! An achievement to last the ages!

Want to know how it feels to build a cathedral? Read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. By the time you're done reading this huge book you will feel as if you've spent the better part of your life hoisting brick and laying mortar.

description

The details are marvelous and intricate. Follett obviously did a lot of research in order to construct this mammoth book. This is reminiscent of Moby Dick in the minutia of its attention to detail. It acts ...more

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Mar 17, 2008 Troy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ahem.
"Pillars of the Earth" is a very long book. It's got a lot of soap-opera-like twists and turns - no amnesia, but just about everything else, including mistaken identities, illicit marriages, illicit lack of marriage, illegitimate children, questionable parentage, love triangles, revenge, greed, power, a few murders, rape, witches, politics, knights, swords and horsies. OK, that last bit is not so soap-opera-like. There's also lots and lots of architecture. And it's a very long book.

Main st Ahem.
"Pillars of the Earth" is a very long book. It's got a lot of soap-opera-like twists and turns - no amnesia, but just about everything else, including mistaken identities, illicit marriages, illicit lack of marriage, illegitimate children, questionable parentage, love triangles, revenge, greed, power, a few murders, rape, witches, politics, knights, swords and horsies. OK, that last bit is not so soap-opera-like. There's also lots and lots of architecture. And it's a very long book.

Main story follows a single family of stone masons for (roughly) three generations, and the extended families associated with re-marrying, etc. Around this family revolves an aspiring monk/prior, a powerful but morally questionable bishop, a ruthless Earl (title, not name), and several kings. The thing is, even with all the re-marrying and such, there are so many evolving inter-relationships between these main characters as the struggle for political power unfolds, and of course everybody grows up, has children, etc - that EVERYTHING seems to happen to this small group of people. And just when you think things have settled down for a while, something else happens, or attempts to happen. And these things keep happening for approximately 980 pages.

Along the way, you learn a lot about medieval culture - particularly the role of religion, the political power of a monestary, priory, or diocese - how life is funded, and just how much it sucks to be a serf. There's also quite a bit of focus on the reason for, and the means to, building cathedrals - Follett muses in his Foreward that one of the things he never could understand is why people in such destitute times would have put so much energy into buildings of such scale, and this book addresses that. You also learn a lot about architecture and the evolution of cathedral-building. I can also now tell you the difference between a nave, chancel, transept, cloister, and clerestory. Oh, and probably 7 different words for "horse".

Really though, I very much enjoyed it, despite its very lengthy nature. Very full of words. Long. Not a day went by I didn't read at least 50 pages (note - at that rate, it will still take about 3 weeks to finish).
The building is a constant, its a reason to keep the central family of masons from wandering off and having more illicit marriages, and its a reason for the ongoing political power struggles. It's essential, but it's not distracting, and the cathedral is not the focus. The people are. They're engaging, you feel for them, you assign labels (good, evil) you change labels several times (he's pretty self-serving and conniving for a "good" guy), and you constantly wonder just what more can possibly happen to these people. There's also an underlying mystery that keeps you wondering... right up until 100 pages too soon.

My only complaint is this - the big climax occurs, the mystery is revealed, it all comes together - and there are still 100 pages to go. The last part of the wrap-up, the rise and fall, takes a while, has an interesting but probably unnecessary historically accurate reference to English church vs. king to give the whole novel an air of "this could have really happened in some obscure English medieval village somewhere, I wonder which cathedral this is supposed to be? Can I go see the real thing?" But it loses momentum right at the very end. Loose ends nicely tied up, but it wasn't the gripping page turner it had been in the first 900 pages. By that time, though, you've got so few pages in your right hand you just keep going because the end is in sight.
...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: lovers of a good story

Shelves: war-and-conflict, epic, historical, smilingdamnedvillain, heroes-flawed-n-great, formidable-women, kings-queens-n-fools

How does one review a book that one cannot even describe?

So many times after gushing about how good Pillars was, people ask me, What’s it about?

And I, swirling in the happy aftermath of a mind so blown away that it’s still traveling near the speed of light, struggle to gather what’s left of analytical thinking and dumbly blurt, “Um, it’s about building this cathedral…”

Way to not to sell a book.

I still have trouble really describing Pillars in a way that satisfies. Because while it is about build ...more

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Sep 19, 2009 Dem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, recommended

This is an amazing novel, A 5 Star Historical Fiction read
A lengthy novel at over 900 pages and not for the faint hearted and yet the story moves at a surprising quick pace. The characters are so well portrayed and engaging that you cant wait to turn the pages to unravel their fates. I loved the twists and turns of this story and as historical fiction goes this is among the best I have read as the research is excellent and the sense of time and place so real and vivid.

Set in 12th-century En ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, british, 20th-century, literature

The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1), Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett, published in 1989, about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England.

It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture, and the fo ...more

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Nov 17, 2013 David Putnam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I read this one awhile ago. I remember it as one of my top five reads of all time even though I mostly dwell within the mystery/thriller genre. I'm hot and cold on Ken Follett books but this one is a wonderful read. I am always on the look out for a book that first and foremost immerses me in the Fictive Dream and this is one of them. And it's an epic so the ride was long and comfortable. My world fell away as I entered this one.
Highly recommend.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series. ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Luffy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pretty-good, historical-fiction, review-worth-reading, popular

The Pillars Of The Earth is a curious beast. Before writing this review, I read a few reviews others have posted, specially those who had rated it one star. This book made me miserable and provided me with a fleeting enjoyment, probably a feeling associated with junkies. Unlike most long books, I can't fault Follet for stretching out his story with filler and padding. In fact, most of my decision for rating the book 4 stars comes from the fact that most chapters feel integral to the book.

The ma The Pillars Of The Earth is a curious beast. Before writing this review, I read a few reviews others have posted, specially those who had rated it one star. This book made me miserable and provided me with a fleeting enjoyment, probably a feeling associated with junkies. Unlike most long books, I can't fault Follet for stretching out his story with filler and padding. In fact, most of my decision for rating the book 4 stars comes from the fact that most chapters feel integral to the book.

The major divergence with many fans is what is balefully called the collateral damage generally, in the book. There is too much suffering. The numbers are only partly the reason for my distaste. It's not also that true justice and ample revenge was late in coming - in my opinion it never did - it's also the senselessness of the violence. The fact that we're supposed to shrug this off and put our onus on the main characters' particular saga against William Hamleigh intensified this malaise. This reminded me of bloody books of the YA genre that I've read. Exampli Gratia would be the 5th Wave, where most of humanity was wiped out in days and civilization was uprooted like that. To temper the blow of savagery, maybe, the character Jack, in the presence of the monk Phillip is made to wonder about reality in the future, where everything would be better. Allow me to scoff.

This book possesses flaws from both the grimmest of realistic books, and the fluffiest of escapist ones. The suffering goes on and on, more than the hanging scenes - or rather scenery - in the Game Of Thrones books. But the invincibility of the main characters in such a feral environment, the serendipitous pairing of the two major personages, Jack and Aliena, the fulfillment of a desperate oath, the selective trait whereby most of the good guys have a high IQ, the parable like twist where the wicked are undone by the very victims they helped populate, all of this result in a book that I don't like. The reasons of my respect for this book are themselves quite unsound. The ease of the writing, the uncomplicated, two dimensional characters, and the suspenseful exposure to danger between such characters are what made me feel hypocritical to rate the book 2 stars. That's a rating I would give, but I cannot ignore the reluctant pleasure the book gave me. It's a book I will never ever touch, as it's one in a long line of disillusionment and disappointments in my recent experiences as a reader. I celebrate, hail, and acknowledge the reviews of people who have rated the book one star, and I envy their immunity to the rural and cynical charms of it. ...more

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Apr 18, 2010 Stephen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 1980-1989, epic, historical-fiction, 6-star-books, ebooks, romantical

6.0 stars. An absolutely amazing reading experience. This one may actually make it on to my "All Time Favorite" list. I listened to the audio version of this book, which means just over 40 hours of content, and when it was finished, I actually believed it should have been LONGER. This book grabbed me from the opening pages and kept me interested and engaged throughout the entire novel (a very rare feet for a 1000 page novel). With as much as I had heard about this book, I went into it with very ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 Dana Ilie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is one of those novels where you come to care about the characters (most of them; others you come to hate), where you are cheering them on and hoping things will finally go their way. As in his previous novels, Follett doesn’t shy away from hard truths; this was a brutal time in history, and there are some horrible and disturbing acts of violence in the novel (and not all occur during battle), but that only makes you root for the main characters even harder. I even found the scenes describi This is one of those novels where you come to care about the characters (most of them; others you come to hate), where you are cheering them on and hoping things will finally go their way. As in his previous novels, Follett doesn’t shy away from hard truths; this was a brutal time in history, and there are some horrible and disturbing acts of violence in the novel (and not all occur during battle), but that only makes you root for the main characters even harder. I even found the scenes describing the cathedrals and building process interesting, much to my surprise.

Despite its length, the book never dragged for me. Follett writes with his usual talent for pulling the reader in and moving the story along at a fast pace. Don’t be afraid of the size of the book – just dive in and enjoy the ride. I didn’t want it to end.

**************

Genul este fictiune istorica, actiunea petrecanduse in Anglia inceputul secolul XII. O poveste de proportii epice, fascinanta cu personaje credibile si foarte bine schitate, pe care Ken Follett le creioneaza cu mare arta. Nu te mai saturi sa citesti, e o carte plina de istorie, saracie cumplita, boli, invazii, tradari, crime, conflicte religioase, razboaie civile si lupte pentru succesiune la tron, tot felul de orori din care nimeni nu scapa, fie nobil sau cersetor, dragoste, conspiratii, rasturnari de situatie , in permanenta esti tensionat ( in sens pozitiv ).

Autorul incepe cu trei planuri narative, in care protagonistii par a nu avea legatura intre ei, insa destinele lor incep sa se intersecteze. De la prima pagina pana la ultima totul este atat de bine scris, se intampla atatea evenimente ca nu-ti dai seama cand ai ajuns la final. Sunt mai multe personaje centrale, toate cu povesti interesante, unite de incercarea de a construi o catedrala de proportii mari intr-o staretie nu prea mare si nici de importanta majora in lumea catolica.

E foarte interesant sa aflii cum traiau atunci oameni, tot pachetul socio-economic de atunci. Ce era valoros pentru ei, cat de periculoase erau acele vremuri pentru toti indiferent de statusul social, cum dormeau, ce mancau, si asa mai departe. Intri intr-o lume primitiva si straina noua, iar talentul incontestabil al autorului de a descrie peronajele, locurile, atmosfera si chiar mirosurile te ajuta sa vezi totul clar ca si cum esti acolo.

Recomand tuturor persoanelor peste 18 ani indiferent de genul literal pe care il preferati, e o carte ce trebuie citita, are de toate.
...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Simona B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1900, in-english, historical

4.5

“What you’re doing is wrong,” he said. “I mean evil. To give up happiness like this is like throwing jewels into the ocean. It’s far worse than any sin.”

Since there is pretty much nothing I didn't like about this book, and since the only reason why the fifth star is missing is that Medieval history isn't really my thing and so I loved the Century trilogy far too much more in comparison with The Pillars of the Earth to give the latter the same rating as the former, in this review I will only b ...more

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Jul 28, 2008 Michael rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A friend recommended this book. He is no longer a friend. I confess a snooty predisposition against pulpy books. I was going to the beach so I thought this would be a good beach book.

So what's it about? A master builder wanders medieval England looking for work. He's with his family--pregnant wife ("she was his soul-mate"--the author actually writes that twice), medieval Bart Simpson-ish son, scrawny daughter. He Dreams of Building a Cathedral. Along the way he meets a witch in the forest--a pul ...more

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Nov 10, 2008 Lucy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I hated this book. Let's just get that out of the way so there is no confusion later on.

Ken Follett describes a gloomy, dismal, nearly barbaric society whose citizens' greatest concerns seem to be their egos and their lust for power and control. He uses the building of the great European cathedrals as the impetus for his story; the magnificent structures were made possible through trickery, lies, greed, criminal acts and selfish ambition. Forget about the Glory of God...that's just history's cov I hated this book. Let's just get that out of the way so there is no confusion later on.

Ken Follett describes a gloomy, dismal, nearly barbaric society whose citizens' greatest concerns seem to be their egos and their lust for power and control. He uses the building of the great European cathedrals as the impetus for his story; the magnificent structures were made possible through trickery, lies, greed, criminal acts and selfish ambition. Forget about the Glory of God...that's just history's cover story. But Follett's cathedral in Pillars of the Earth serves as much purpose as the hospital in the soap opera General Hospital. He focused much more on the personal drama, romance, and rivalry of his weak characters. This was historical fiction a la Daytime television.

The story didn't even feel historical. Follett tried. He mentioned eating with a knife almost as frequently as the tunics his characters wore (Setting it apart from modern day. We no longer wear tunics, you know). But everything felt too modern - their speech, their attitudes, even their relationships. I read the mammoth 1,000 page story quickly but I can just as easily get sucked into Guiding Light. The plots are interesting enough...just mind-numbing and unlikely. For example, the Alfred-Aliena-Jack love triangle had my interest but then the high drama of Aliena's secret pregnancy followed by her truly unbelievable delivery (during the same time the ceiling of the cathedral fell....underneath the stone rubble....really?) along side Jack's odyssey was just too much. And could someone please just get kill William Hamleigh before he rapes someone else? (They don't. The reader is required to experience one too many grotesque acts by an inhumane man who supposedly fears hell. Once was MORE than enough, Ken. We get it. He's baaaaaad).

Even if there is some historical truth to the background story - the difficulty in building a cathedral (oh yeah..remember that?), it is overshadowed by all the non-historical melodrama. I don't think Follett did that period of history any favors by making it all seem so salacious.

Here Be Dragons does a much better job of storytelling the tumultuous middle ages. Read it if you want to experience the pettiness of power. I'd even recommend Philippa Gregory's novels over this. It was about 900 pages too long. ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books

I loved this book! It is one of my favorites.

This really is an EPIC book set in twelfth century England. How can a book about building the largest Gothic cathedral be so goods? Because it is also a story about good vs. evil and brother vs. brother. This book comes down to people. People who build, people with tremendous faith, people who are corrupt, people who love, people who cheat, people who lie, people who tell the truth. In essence it comes down to people being people in a time that was ha I loved this book! It is one of my favorites.

This really is an EPIC book set in twelfth century England. How can a book about building the largest Gothic cathedral be so goods? Because it is also a story about good vs. evil and brother vs. brother. This book comes down to people. People who build, people with tremendous faith, people who are corrupt, people who love, people who cheat, people who lie, people who tell the truth. In essence it comes down to people being people in a time that was harsh, where harsh rules were in place, where class divided people, where religion was often law, where hard work really was HARD work. I could go on and on.

Tom Builder wants to build a Cathedral. But where will he get the funds? Who will hire him? What hoops must he jump through?

Philip Prior, raised in a Monastery finds himself drawn in and tries to always put the interest of the church first. The politics of it all.

This book is HUGE. Do mot let that stop you from reading it. It is HUGE but rewarding and beautiful. The writing is beautiful and spellbinding. There are a lot of characters. There is a lot going on, but with that, I did not feel overwhelmed or like any part of the story took away from another. It takes a community and lots of people to build such a Cathedral. It does not happen overnight and we see these characters through it all.

I was captivated and engrossed in this book. I feel that my review of this book is not enough. I don't know how to say how much I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of history here and I imagine a lot of research took place prior to writing this book.

In short, this book is 100% worth the effort. I found it did not take me long to finish it. I did not want to put it down. The beauty in this book is the writing, the characters and the character development. Would I have ever thought I would love a book about building a cathedral? NO! But Follett hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Sometimes the right story paired with beautiful writing can make any subject interesting, moving, affecting and a pleasure to read.

Highly recommend.

See my other reviews on www.openbookpost.com ...more

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About Ken Follett

Ken Follett

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Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.

Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of t Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.

Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.

He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.

Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.

In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.

Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.

Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.

Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors. ...more

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Kingsbridge (4 books)

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Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)

Winter of the World (The Century Trilogy #2)

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Quotes from Устоите на Земята...

“Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically.” — 343 likes

“The most expensive part of building is the mistakes.” — 266 likes

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