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The Pillars of the Earth | 
 enlarge | Author: Ken Follett
Publisher: NAL Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $10.01 (50%)
New (28) Used (20) Collectible (3) from $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  1148 reviews
Sales Rank: 80
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 976
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.9
ISBN: 0451207149
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
UPC: 051855019006
EAN: 9780451207142
ASIN: 0451207149
Publication Date: February 4, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Book Description
Ken Follett had long been a staple of the bestseller lists for his novels of intrigue and espionage. Then came The Pillars of the Earth, a grand novel of epic storytelling that readers and critics quickly hailed as his crowning achievement. Now, The Pillars of the Earth is available for the first time to a new audience of readers, in this attractive new trade paperback edition.
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.
"A novel of majesty and power...Will hold you, fascinate you, surround you." --Chicago Sun-Times
"A towering tale...There's murder, arson, treachery, torture, love, and lust...A good time can be had by all." --New York Daily News
"Touches all human emotions...truly a novel to get lost in." --Cosmopolitan
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1143 more reviews...
 Awesome May 20, 2008
The Pillars of the Earth was so well written. I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read World Without End. Excellent historical novel.
 Although it isn't an edge-of-your-seat page-turner, I liked it. May 19, 2008
This is an informative, historical fiction that will open your eyes to the magnificence of cathedrals built in the Middle Ages. It is amazing that they were ever completed given all the obstacles to be overcome. This book has also given me a new perspective on the relative comfort of our current lifestyles when compared to the difficulties our predecessors faced each and every day.
The author uses many terms that are historically accurate, so you may want to read this with a dictionary close at hand if you aren't familiar with the era in which the story takes place. The author tends to be redundant on occasion and fails to follow through with the same level of detail near the end of the book as he provides initially, leaving you with a few unanswered questions with respect to a handful of the main characters.
Overall, I liked the book, but it does not rate among my favorites.
 The book lacks depth ... May 18, 2008
This book is disappointedly shallow, the characters are underdeveloped, the details are boring, the events are not woven in an unpredictable way.
It is a chore to get to the end, the language is modern, and the the author gets into too many distracting subplots. A diligent editor would have prevented all this and truncated the book to half size without sacrificing much of the substance.
Get back to your modern thriller-writing, Mr. Follett and leave these historical thrillers to others.
First Ken Follett Book May 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was the first book I read by Ken Follett, and also the first one I read on my Kindle. I was actually reading the VERY large paperback version while waiting for my Kindle to arrive. Reading it on the Kindle was SO much better than carrying around that huge book! But, this is not a Kindle review (altho I adore my Kindle - can you tell?!)
I can't say enough good about this book. It held my interest from the first few pages. The more I read, the more I wanted to read to find out what happened next.
Ken Follett is an extremely talented writer, and just I'm sorry it took me so long to discover his work. I can't wait to get started on "World Without End."
 Just plain ICKY. May 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Historical fiction is my absolute favorite genre and Pillars of the Earth had the makings of great historical fiction: 12th century England, monks, peasants, nobles, kings, etc. For the first hundred pages I was thrilled--then I got to the rape scene, then another, than more sex....and more violence...
I think Follett decided every 75 pages or so needed a disturbing scene to keep readers awake, and it ruined the book for me. I can handle sex and violence when they move the story along and are used to make a point, but Follett uses it for pure shock and entertainment value. All it did was make me feel icky.
Another complaint I have is that the characters are all so flat and predictable--either someone is all good or all bad. Each character clung to their stiff role: good monk, ambitious bishop, forest witch, humble mason, fair lady, evil lord, and so on. In the end, evil is punished and good triumphs (of course) in an eye-rolling ending.
I don't understand why so many people love this book. It's long, drawn out, foul with smut, and predictable. I recommend passing on this book.
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