The Pillars of the Earth (original 1989; edition 2007)

One of those rare books that you read and you don't want it to end. ( )

Follett is the kind of author that I will gladly read again; both plot and characters are well-made and his study of architecture for this particular book gives me the sense that he will research his primary focus well for any other books he will write or has written already. The subplots too wind in and out bringing in the conflicts and winding out to their respective resolutions in a very satisfying manner. Again, Follett writes what I would call the heroic romance genre. Here, he has envisioned the world of 12th century England and created a cast of characters that drew me fully. A couple of points that lessen my enjoyment: one is that the villains are not as well drawn as I would like, they are too much cardboard cut out figures for me. They are evil, despicably so! But the origins of that evil just don't provide enough back story, background for them to be fully as evil as I would want. And secondly, the sex scenes are too numerous for my liking. Don't get me wrong: he does most of the sex scenes with skill, and some with sensitivity. They will make Follett's books eminently salable for the movie or TV movie of the month markets. Sex sells, as is said, and Follett has enough to sell this story and more. Again, it is not that I as a man do not/have not fantasized about intercourse/ It is that sexual fantasies, in my opinion, are common enough without more being added...and Follett adds plenty here.
As other reviewers have said, there is a lot of brutality here and places where architecture takes over for pages at a time. You go from frantic blood soaked gore, to dry as dust explanations of building techniques and yet, if you give it the time, the stories do keep adding layer upon layer. The monk was one of my favorite characters as, finally!, there was a sympathetic man of faith in a book. I guess I should back off on that a bit. Chesterton has Father Brown and...and... I am sure I could come up with others, I just can't right now! Of course, Philip, (the good monk) is surrounded by the intrigues of church politics and the ambitious striving of the ecclesiastical world, but he is not alone! And political maneuverings abound with the nobility of England too, so the church based connivings are part and parcel of human life rather than set up as being more sordid than the rest. ( )

Amazing.

I had no idea this book was so fantastic. Then I started reading it and couldn't stop. I finished it 3-4 days!

I'm pretty sure I hate William Hamleigh more than any character in literature. He is atrocious...ZERO redeeming qualities. In many cases, villians have a reason to be bad (bad childhood or something). This guy had none of that. He lived a life of privilige...maybe that's the problem. And I feel disembowelment would have been a better end than hanging. I think it would have been far more painful for him...and he deserved to feel pain. ( )

Wow what a great book. I can't wait for the sequel to come out in paperback. ( )

this epic is fantastic in its power to transport you to twelfth century england. it is a total page-turner and absolutely worth picking up. i've read it twice and i'm on my third reading at the moment. i wanted to read it again before reading his new one. ( )