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| Author: Ken Follett
Publisher: NAL Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $9.98
You Save: $10.02 (50%)
New (36) Used (37) Collectible (1) from $9.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  1214 reviews
Sales Rank: 92
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 976
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1.8
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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| Customer Reviews:
 Sweeping Monastic Epic July 21, 2008
I love this book and will miss the characters when I am finally done. Fewer than 100 pages to go and dreading coming to a close (as my friend indicated when she recommended the book). The characters are so well written, you feel you know them. I am surprised that over 200 people rated this 3 or less - I would be interested in what they include on their list of favorites. The building of the cathedral, though central, was simply a way to bind the characters, but those with an interest in architecture or cathedrals should find this aspect very interesting. I have always enjoyed visiting the churches of Europe and this gives me an even greater appreciation. Though 900+ pages may seem daunting, I read it in less than a week during my commute and often could not put it down once home. I was not a reader of Follett, but will likely read many many more of his novels if this one was any indication of his writing style and depth. Bravo Follett!!
An engrossing story, not for those with short attention spans... July 20, 2008
I read this book when it first came out in 1989 and I remember enjoying it. When World Without End came out, I wanted to read that, but figured I should re-read Pillars again, but admittedly a 900 page book wasn't appealing.
Still, I started the book and eagerly read it till the glorious end. I am baffled by the reviewers who knock the characters and say they are one dimensional. I think some people have no patience and can't take the time to enjoy a good book, but feel they need to skim entire sections. They just missed out on something good and then they wonder why the story didn't work for them.
If you can hold your attention for awhile and can see the value in learning about life in the 1100's in England, and how people built amazing buildings, then you can easily enjoy this book.
Yes, there is sex in the book, probably like there was in the 1100's. It covers sex from violence, from prostitutes and from true love. Honestly, I can't see that the book would have been as poignant without including it. If it really disturbs you, maybe there are other issues you should worry about. It is not a central part of the book, but I think some readers can't get past it.
The author was an atheist? Oops, didn't know that, so I guess it isn't reflected in his book.
Criticisms on historical inaccuracy? This is fiction, and the story took place 800+ years ago. How can a reader be so certain Aliena wouldn't have acted a certain way. Heaven forbid a woman be smart back then.
The book is enjoyable, intense and entertaining. Now I must go start World Without End.
SPLENDID READ July 18, 2008
This book took me to places in my soul that have not been touched in a long time. The intensity and cadence of the stories and characters drove me from the first word till the last. I took my kindle everywhere and literally read non-stop to the end. Then, afterwards I went back again to re-read various parts to satiate my hunger for more. One of the most splendid readings of my life.
 Cardboard, one-dimensional, boring July 17, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Is it possible for a person to be ALL good or ALL bad? Yes! If you are a character in this boring, silly book. I managed to wade through over 500 pages of this collosal time waster before I finally tossed it in the bin. Ken Follett could really have created a great story if he had invested more energy in developing his characters into real people instead of cardboard personalities. Sheesh. What a stinker!
 Not bad at all. I'd read it again. July 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I finished The Pillars of the Earth today and all in all, I enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of historical fiction and was interested in the details of "everyday" life, although based on some negative reviews here I'll have to research to find out what Follett incorrectly portrayed. No historical novel is perfect.
As others have noted, this is a character-driven novel. Expect to love it if you enjoy books which immerse you in personalities and personal conflicts rather than grander, larger struggles. Each of the main protagonists was well developed and felt believable.
The antagonists were, I must say, a different story. William of Hamleigh was such a cape-swishing, mustache-twirling villain stereotype that I found it difficult to get into hating him at first, he was just SO bad. We do get a peek into the basis for William's terrible personality but it comes so late in the book that one will already have decided to take him as a cardboard cut-out of a bad guy and enjoy the book in spite of his flatness or one will have abandoned the book long before.
In spite of the somewhat flat "bad guys," though, the interactions between the well developed "good guys" really makes this book hard to put down. I found no problem with the few sex scenes - they were tastefully written and highlighted the love between the characters; they were not what I'd call "gratuitous." Nor did I have any issue with the violence. While a lot of violence occurs, it never felt out of place or over the top to me. The rape scenes were hard to read through but did much in establishing the characters involved and as such did not feel gratuitous either.
Like me, the author is an atheist and I think he did an admirable job of portraying many different points of view in his characters, from the utterly faithful to the unbelieving with all stops in between. He never makes mock of religious beliefs, nor does he make his atheist characters more admirable or worthy than the very religious. His characters simply are what they are, and he explores most of them fully and well.
Minus one star because some judicious editing would have been welcome in some areas; and I also found myself wondering frequently, "Is Aliena REALLY worth all this?"
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