The Pillars of the Earth Reviews

The Case

Ken Follett is known for his thrillers. He loves to write the spy stories! But with The Pillars of the Earth, Follett ventured from his normal venue of espionage and intrigue and took the historical fiction world by storm. It was a daring move. As Follett himself has said, "In the book business, when you have had a success, the smart thing to do is write the same sort of thing once a year for the rest of your life...I should not have risked my reputation writing something out of character and overambitious."

Pillars could have been lauded as the biggest mistake of his career. It could...

This ambitious book has it all:  pious priests and evil earls, lovers and celibates, healthy harvests and fallow fields, prayers and curses, castles and whorehouses, with a mélange of war, rape, pillaging, forgiveness and unconditional love thrown in.  Oh, and they build a cathedral.  Whew! 

The Pillars of the Earth is an extraordinary story that took author, Ken Follett, 963 pages to tell.  Once you settle in to read, you can see why it's a #1 international bestseller and why Oprah chose it as her Book Club selection. 

The book begins with the riveting line: "The small boys came early to...

Reading the Pillars of the Earths is going back in time in a time capsule, because the way it´s written takes you to that time and makes you feel like a character in the book.

Every page you turn, the necessity to keep reading grows and your sense of participating in the trama becomes part of your experience in this wonderful book.

Ken Follet has produced a novel that will be come classical as it´s publicity is from mouth to mouth and for every recommendation made probably the outcome is bound to be in the library or the local bookstore.

You become an empirical architect because the description...

I love historical fiction and Pillars of the Earth is a great example of this genre!  I read Pillars of the Earth before going to England on vacation and it was great preparation for appreciating some of the history.  I was able to explain historical aspects to my family as we visited different sites.  It was much more interesting to have read about early developments in this book than to have tried to read a history book ohn it.  Follett develops his characters so that they are memorable.  His description of the scenes make them come alive in the reader's mind. This book and the characters...

I saw this book on Oprah's favorite things episode and oohed and aahed because audience members received autographed copies.  My husband took the oohs and aahs to mean I wanted the book (I was actually oohing and aahing over the autograph!) and he gave it to me for Christmas.

I began reading it in mid-January and had difficulty putting it down!  I'm enthralled by the characters, the settings and the plot line(s).  Truly a page-turner!

The Pillars of the Earth is an enormous book with a lot of pages and worth every word. As a historical fiction lover, I truly enjoyed this dramatic tale of days past. My only complaint is that the book is so big and heavy, even in paperback- it's difficult for public transportation users to travel with on the commute. I don't want to talk much about the story itself because you should just read it! Quite possibly the best book of my lifetime.

I have read this book three times and purchased it four times. I have passed copies on to friends who in turn have passed it along to others. I am a hobby genealogist with an interest in early England. Ken Follet wrote a tale of the cathederal builders that took me back in time. I was sorry when the book ended, but have now informed everyone of the follow-up book (World Without End).