Pillars of Earth

(Originally Posted Dec 19, 2007)

Pillars of Earth by Ken Follet

I loved loved loved this book. Right from the first chapter I was hooked. I could not put it down. I have been staying up until 2am almost every night reading.
It is a big book, a little over 900 pages, and the story spans about 50 years. It takes place in England, during the time of kings, knights and earls. When the law of the land was left up to Bishops and Kings...they were still working on the separation of church and state thing, and having a really hard time with it.
It follows 6 different families. Of-course they all, in some small or big way, are involved with each other. The characters are so well written. Right from the very beginning you know who to root for, and you are invested in their well being. There is intense heartache, redemption and curiosity through out the whole story. More than once I was brought to tears. One part in particular...Phillip is trying to get his cathedral build, everything is up against him. He comes up with the genius plan to have the towns people come on Sundays to help build. He is on a deadline, and only 100 people show up (I thought that was awesome, but apparently not enough). Phillip is heart broken as he watches all his dreams fall down around him...then he hears them, thousands of people coming out of the forest to build his church. I can not do justice to the moment, but I was holding my breath and tears were streaming down my cheeks. Magical...
To me it is all about enduring to the end. The characters are going through a medieval hell of poverty, famine, death and great great injustice. But they do not give up...
I thought the book was very well written. I felt like I was there. I cared about what happened. I was swept up into this world, and I did not want to leave. I learned a lot of things I did not know before, but I did not feel like I was taking a history lesson. There were a couple very graphic sex (and rape) scenes that frankly I skipped over, but that is the only thing I did not like about the book.
I just found out there is a sequel and I am gonna start it after the New Year. Pillars of Earth is definitely one of my favorites of the year (after Harry of-course and the Twilight series). So thanks to Oprah for the recommendation (she is 0-1 right now, since I wasted 3 weeks of my life trying to read Love in the Time of Cholera).