Review: Pillars of the Earth

Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follet
Read by John Lee
Produced by Penquin Audio
Released October 2007

From Goodreads:

In 12th-century England, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral signals the dawn of a new age. This majestic creation will bond clergy and kings, knights and peasants together in a story of toil, faith, ambition and rivalry. A sweeping tale of the turbulent middle ages, The Pillars of the Earth is a masterpiece from one of the world's most popular authors.

Tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known... of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

My Thoughts:

This book was highly recommended to me by a co-worker. After reading By Fire, By Water by Mitchel Kaplan, I was ready to read another historical novel. While Pillars of the Earth wasn't even loosely based on actual events, it was definitely a pieces that was true to it's time period. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were so many colorful characters and the book spanned such a large period of time, I never wanted it to end.

If you enjoy period books and like the medieval era in literature this is a great book for you. There is a lot of interesting plot that focuses on the way the monastic church was organized and run during this time period. I was fascinated too to hear the descriptions of the old churches being built. The idea that it could take decades for a building to be finished is overwhelming, and the dedication that drove these medieval architects was wonderful to read about.

There is plenty of drama and intrigue. What I loved about this novel was that there was a little bit of every genre. There was mystery and suspense, there was a love story, there was pure literary genius in some of the writing. I cannot sing this book praises highly enough.

I think this book is a classic. Everyone should read it. I look forward to listening to World Without End, which is the follow-up to this book.