The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) in Reading with Style

Oct 18, 2010 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, bookmooch, dymocks-booklovers-best

What attracted me to this book was primarily because everyone was raving about it and the title was quite intriguing. I would not usually go for an epic historical fiction but… I would usually give many books a go anyway. I have to admit though that this copy has been sitting on my shelf for possibly more than 2 years!

The sheer size of the volume is intimidating. On top of that, it’s set in Medieval England – NOT my favourite setting. Life was just, more often than not, too miserable in that tim What attracted me to this book was primarily because everyone was raving about it and the title was quite intriguing. I would not usually go for an epic historical fiction but… I would usually give many books a go anyway. I have to admit though that this copy has been sitting on my shelf for possibly more than 2 years!

The sheer size of the volume is intimidating. On top of that, it’s set in Medieval England – NOT my favourite setting. Life was just, more often than not, too miserable in that time of history so I try to avoid it. I don’t read to be miserable…

Aliena is a woman to be admired – she is such a strong, beautiful, and intelligent character. I couldn’t believe the number of times she was knocked down and yet, she managed to get up to get going again. And not only that, she continues to be noble, enterprising, and yet good. If I was in her shoes, I think I may have curled up & died in the first instance of terrible happenings! She is verily the strongest female character I’ve read to date (okay, so she doesn’t wield a sword but there is more to kick-ass heroine than an ability with sword).

[hums: I get knocked down / But I get up again / You're never going to keep me down]

Tom Builder is by far the easiest character to like. Besides being overall likeable – he is an intelligent & gentle man with a penchant for beauty and a vision. His vision in life is to build the most beautiful cathedral. Whilst he is not of nobility, he is noble in his intention (most of the time) and will stand for what is right despite the dangers. I’m just a bit sad that this character wasn’t taken further (‘Nuff said – without being spoiler-ish).

Phillip, on the other hand, makes you wonder whether you would like him in real life or not. Reading him on these pages and having access to his thoughts are what makes him likeable and even, at times, admirable. A through & through man of God, he represents the truly faithful.

This book definitely caught me by surprise though – or better put, I was caught by surprise by the number of times that I am in ignorance of what’s going on around me whilst I’m reading this book. The world building was just so richly textured and the story & characters grabbed hold of my attention sooo very completely that I’m just not aware of the goings-on around me. That was really something I did not expect. A masterpiece it is, indeed. ...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Harold rated it it was amazing

An excellent book, deserving of it's high reputation. A good fictional plot that along the way blends in historical events, the politics of the time and some interesting architectural information as well. ...more

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Aug 25, 2009 Jules rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2010

I went in expecting not to like the book - thanks to a recommendation I didn't trust - and came out liking it a lot.

Despite the book's length, it only took me about five days to finish it. It's a real page-turner that compels you to read on and on even if it's the middle of the night and you need to get up early the next morning. The story may not be without faults, but Follett definitely wins here at writing something that is easy to follow and which you simply can't put down.

To sum the book up I went in expecting not to like the book - thanks to a recommendation I didn't trust - and came out liking it a lot.

Despite the book's length, it only took me about five days to finish it. It's a real page-turner that compels you to read on and on even if it's the middle of the night and you need to get up early the next morning. The story may not be without faults, but Follett definitely wins here at writing something that is easy to follow and which you simply can't put down.

To sum the book up, the main storyline deals with how fictional Kingsbridge's cathedral is built; the cast is made up of the people associated with this cathedral - a family of stone masons, the monks, and their enemies. At times the architectural, the political or simply the portrayal of medieval life is at the centre of attention, and while the political intrigue lacks credibility because of too many unbelievable turns and conflicts (increasingly more so towards the ending), the description of architecture and of medieval life seems so believable as to compensate for that. The ending could have been less drawn-out: taking out the summation parts would have helped a lot with that (where was the editor?), also maybe reducing the discovery of Jonathan's parents or the Beckett storyline; I don't think they were necessary at all to add closure to the main plot. In the more minor department of things I found amiss, Follett shouldn't have written a rather detailed sex scene from the point of view of the female 'virgin', I feel like he glosses over some of the less glorious details of hygiene in the Middle Ages and the characters could have been less black-and-white (William especially, for a character playing such a central role in the narrative). Despite these faults I still feel like I've been well entertained. Follett especially manages to describe the passions of each of the characters in a way that makes them come alive, which keeps the story from dragging along and instead turns it into something where you root for the good guys - and thoroughly wish to be able to torture to death the bad guys. Creating a feeling for the setting is another of the book's positive aspects, making it feel as if the stone mason's set to work right in front of your eye, with the noises of stone being worked on and the market in the background. This, I feel, is something very important to historical fiction. I can't say whether Follett got it right or wrong, but he definitely achieves what I think an author of this genre should achieve.

The novel may not be high-brow literature, but sometimes that's just as well - at least this book doesn't pretend to be what it's not, and this kind of honesty has its own value. A solid 4 stars. ...more

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May 18, 2011 Joanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, historical-fiction, 2011-read, bookish-2011-summer

I listened to all 30 hours of this in audio format (on cassettes, no less!). The reader did an excellent job reading quickly enough to keep the story moving while not seeming rushed.

The thickly plotted novel is set in 12th century England. I wasn't at all familiar with this period of history and a few times turned to the internet to fill me in on the basic historical facts of, say, the civil war between Maude and Matilda/Stephen or the assassination/martyrdom of Thomas Becket. Generally, I enjoy ...more

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Aug 26, 2008 Krista rated it it was amazing

Shelves: setting-eu-england, fiction, setting-eu, historical-fiction-eu, first-in-series, series-historical-fiction, time-1200s, audio-library-dwnlded, pages-over-800

I'm a history buff and have ready a lot of books about English history. This was an interesting interweaving of mediaeval history and the emerging architecture of grand European cathederals. It kept me interested throughout although I had to skip some passages due to the graphic violence.

I think it was a very fair depiction of the era, and helped me better understand the rivalry between the church and state that eventually lead to Henry VIII's dismantling of the monastic system (and Catholic ch ...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Erin (NY) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010

This book was so good! I was reluctant to read it because it didn't sound that exciting (monk building a cathedral.....) and it was very long. But I am so glad I finally finished it! It was a great story with many well-developed characters. The building of the cathedral was a big part of the story but served more of a back-drop. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel! ...more

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Aug 15, 2010 LeslieVA rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, fiction-historical

Pillars of Earth takes place during a period of history that I really enjoy! Overall I enjoyed the book, but I definitely feel that there were a few sections that could have been edited down or cut.

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