How to build a cathedral in 4 million gruelling steps. I don't understand readers' fascination with this novel. It's overdone and overlong. ( )

I had read Follet's sequel, "World without End"(1200+pages), prior to reading this book and had found that book to be immensely entertaining. On reading Pillars of the Earth, I realised that both books were based on very much the same story plot with similar characters in the same setting (Kingsbridge Priory). His sex scenes were a bit over played, as in romantic novels, there was a lot of repetition of a character's thoughts of previous years and the description of small details of architectural details was over done.
However, I actually enjoyed the read and was curious enough to check up on some of the historical information, which was factual. ( )

What a wonderful journey! Ultimately, it was a commentary on putting together two teachings from St. Paul: “If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise,” and “But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

What gave the book its power was Follet’s ability to portray passion and pain in an environment foreign to my own, but in such a way that it seemed as real and anything I have personally experienced. Follet’s resolution, unraveling throughout the book, is a masterful parable of what it means to find strength in weakness and for the wise to appear foolish. This stands alongside The Sparrow, Contact, and The Unlikely Disciple as a mysterious example of how a non-Christian can capture a soul of believers in a way that rings true to those of us in the faith. ( )

I was initially excited to read this book – I had heard tons of good things about it, had seen people everywhere reading it, and was intrigued by the author’s foreword about wanting to writing a serious historical fiction about the lives behind the people who helped build the beautiful Gothic cathedrals we see in Europe. The novel itself started out only so-so though, with far too much detail on mundane issues, unnecessary repetition, and the thing I hate the most: authors who try to psychologize their characters when they have no idea what they are talking about (i.e., no concept of psychology). That, however, was probably the highlight as I soon realized that this book is not really a vehicle for looking at cathedral building but a vehicle for gratuitous violence and sex. And to make matters worse, the author often likes to combine the two, giving the reader explicit details about one character’s multiple forays into raping women (charming, right? I actually wondered about the author while reading this book and hoped that I never came into contact with him). Follett’s background as a thriller writer is more than evident in the way he writes, particularly when he feels the need to conjure up some ridiculous conflict to keep the plot moving. However, this book garners two stars from me because the plot is compelling enough to keep you reading and a few of the characters are engaging enough that you actually care what happens to them. Nevertheless, these are not reasons enough to encourage me to read the sequel, especially as the last few chapters of this book dragged on and the end fell sour. Overall, I would not recommend this book unless you really like to read about gore and sex (I mean, *really* like) and don’t mind repetitive plot and writing (900 plus pages worth). I’d honestly rather just pick up the dry nonfiction book about medieval cathedral building. ( )

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 crackerjack of a book. This was not.

B) Here's where this book and I really parted ways: Tom Builder's beloved wife, Agnes, dies in childbirth on the side of the road. Only hours later, Tom's rolling in the leaves with an attractive forest wench in a sex scene so ridiculous I could practically hear the "bow-chicka-wow-wow" music in the background. Poor Agnes' body isn't even cold yet and Tom's getting it on with a woman he had a 15 minute conversation with earlier in the book.

C) It's hard to believe this is medieval England, what with all the modern sensibilities and modern vernacular.

C) It could have been whittled down by about 500 pages if the scenes of people eating had been omitted.

E) The women, oh, the women. Witches or whores or victims of tag team rape.

Here's the basic rundown of the plot:

--Building a church, building a church, building a church . . .
--Oh, crap, a plot complication! We might not be able to build the church.
--Crafty Phillip overcomes the complication.
--Insert licentious sex scene.
--Building a church, building a church, building a church . . .
--Oh, crap, a plot complication! We might not be able to build the church.
--Crafty Phillip overcomes the complication.
--Now insert gratuitous sex scene.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. For 900 pages. ( )