The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) in Books I Want To Talk About

Nov 19, 2007 Sera rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, historical-fiction

For some reason, this book has readers in either the love it or hate it camp. I'm in neither, but I'm closer to the love it group than the hate it group. I found the book engaging and amusing, even though it was full of flaws. Here's a list of some:

*Follett struggles with keeping with the time period so that the book floats between the medieval and modern day in tone;

*There is excessive, graphic violence, and in particular against women and animals, that I wouldn't even label gratuitous - it's r ...more

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Nov 26, 2007 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: owned

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Historical fiction isn't really my thing, but I can handle it if it feels authentic. I don't like reading a book where I feel the author is trying too hard to make the language seem period, and I really hate it when they don't try hard enough and there are anachronisms. At first, I thought this book would fall into the last camp. There were a couple of things throughout that bothered me (like Ellen saying the word "puke" in 1136, or like the married Aliena not being shunned for bearing the basta ...more

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Nov 26, 2007 Jennifer Zimny rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Whew! Now, where do I begin with a book that took me over a year to get through it all. . .now, granted, there were a good 8 months or so I didn't pick up the book, but overall, it took me over a year.

There are certain things I absolutely loved about this book. I loved every single character Follett created. With the length and epic scope of the story, we see these characters, some of them, from their birth to their death. Every single one is so wonderfully drawn by Follett. The storyline shifts Whew! Now, where do I begin with a book that took me over a year to get through it all. . .now, granted, there were a good 8 months or so I didn't pick up the book, but overall, it took me over a year.

There are certain things I absolutely loved about this book. I loved every single character Follett created. With the length and epic scope of the story, we see these characters, some of them, from their birth to their death. Every single one is so wonderfully drawn by Follett. The storyline shifts from different character's point of view, and I enjoyed each point of view. I was never wishing to skip over the sections with Phillip to get to the sections with Aliena. I loved listening to Phillip's strength and wisdom beyond his years as well as his struggle with envy or rage. Watching Jack grow from an awkward young boy into a raging young man to finally a strong and dedicated man was a fantastic journey to watch. I even loved when the story switched to William Hamleigh's sick and evil point of view, and I appreciated Follett consistently making him a God-fearing man, his only redeeming quality. He could have easily been just "the villain." Instead, he was a human who had no one to guide him properly when his greed, lust, and anger overtook him.

There were many time throughout this novel though where I would roll my eyes saying, "Good Lord, how can it get any worse for these people?!" The constant wars, William Hamleigh raiding Kingsbridge AGAIN, and many other life-devastating events could have been pulled back a little in my opinion. I would have much rather seen less warring and more expansion on the section of Aliena searching for Jack all over Europe. This was my favorite section of this book, and I felt it was a bit rushed. When they finally saw each other in the church, it seemed somewhat anti-climactic.

However, this book is like dominos. One thing follows another which follows another and so on. So it's hard to just "take out a war." However, I also felt the story could have been split up into two different books, one focusing on Tom's life, the other focusing on Jack's life. Maybe then Follett could have expanded on those sections I felt were rushed.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone who is dedicated enough to read a nearly 1000 page book. I have only committed myself to two such books in my life. I'm happy Pillars of the Earth is one of them.
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Aug 24, 2008 Fyrmanz rated it really liked it

I finished reading this book yesterday and it gave such a huge effect that i must force myself to put it down.
Ken Follett has such a unique way of storytelling, actually at first i consider it a little "dry" and serious. But the surprises and turns in the story keep the sparks of interest in my mind.

The book tells about a lot of values, some of them aren't much revered by today's fast-paced, materialistic community due to the comforts and easy access of today's technologies. the book tells about ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Jennie rated it really liked it

Shelves: europeans, listened-to

I did it! It took a loooong time for me to finish, but I did it. I enjoy Follett's writing, and I am glad I have read a mainstay of saga writing. Pillars of the Earth filled in some holes in my knowledge about medieval history, amd I am grateful for that, because I barely made it through a well crafted novel -- I am certain I wouldn't be able to finish a nonfiction tome about this era. ...more

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Dec 08, 2007 Cody Codebo rated it it was amazing

There were moments, that I just couldn't put this down. I mean, how else can I explain finishing this ENTIRE book during the same week as final projects AND exams? It was so good that I kept sneaking it into my reviews and reading it any chance I got. Ken Follett is a wonderful story teller. ...more

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