#1 New York Times BestsellerOprah’s Book Club SelectionThe “extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece” (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career. Look out for Ken’s newest book, A Column of Fire, available now.“Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner,” extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling … release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.
The Pillars of the Earth 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.
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.
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One of my all-time favorite novels
Possibly my favorite book ever, it brings the Middle Ages to life. Wonderfully written, it is pure escapism for me to my favorite period in history.
I have recommended this book – as well as Follett’s World Without End – to numerous people. Most are intimidated by the sheer number of pages, but the author needs it to tell the magnificent story of something no one on earth has experienced first hand because it happened before we were born. A must read!
One of the best books I’ve read. Set in the Middle Ages about a cathedral builder. One of those books that moves you right into the era, complete with sights, sounds even smells and feelings of the time.
Excellent storytelling! I listened to the audible version and couldn’t wait to take up where I’d left off the day before. And it’s long, which I love when I find a book that captures my interest.
I loved Pillars of the Earth. It made the Middle Ages feel real and immediate in a very satisfying way, with solid pacing and an ever-varying cast of characters and locations. I enjoyed the logistical details (just enough of them! they didn’t bog down the book) of how a monastery, a town, and an earldom are run, how villagers fortify their towns and hold markets and fare against men-at-arms all the rest.
This was a wonderful, rich epic and I’ll definitely be lining up to read more from Ken Follett.
Year ago a friend gave me this book as a birthday gift and though I read four or five books a week this sat on my night table for months. Finally the day came when i had nothing around to read and I picked it up. What could be more boring then a bunch of stone masons building a church and a church that had to much power. Well it started out slow and then I couldn’t put it down. Great book with many layers. Loved it.
I’m a huge fan of Ken Follett. I had read a couple of his WWII novels before I picked up The Pillars of the Earth? It’s a huge book, but I wouldn’t want a single word cut. I love an author who researches. Follett is a master of the craft. He has studied tha time, the people, the cathedrals and how they were built, the feudal system the wool trade and so much more. This is a work of love. It is a desert island book.
The author takes the reader back to twelfth century England, a time of turmoil. The central character is a hard-working but luckless stone mason and master builder who nearly starves, with his family, trying to find work. Finally he is in the right place at the right time–and the Bishop of the church that he’s hired to rebuild drives his new wife away–there is some history between the two, but the reader has to wait fo find out. Altogether yet another tour-de-force for this veteran author.
Not my usual choice of reading but as it was a gift I felt compelled. I enjoy his other genre books so thought he’d be a great writer anyway. Wow, I really did like this book. I didn’t think I would, but I learned so much about architecture and the building techniques used to build our fabulous cathedrals. Enjoyable, rather large, but well worth the time.
I remember loving this book when it was assigned reading in AP English. It was the first epic historical novel I had ever read, and it sent me down a path I haven’t left since!
A story that you can get lost in without realizing how far you have read.
This is a book I should’ve read twenty years ago. It was one of the first subjects I talked about with the person who eventually became my spouse. She’d read «The Pillars of the Earth» and strongly recommended it to me. But as I went looking for Ken Follett in bookstores, I found other books, such as Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, and Triple. I read those and became a Follett fan, inadvertently steering away from «The Pillars of the Earth» until now.
This book is so very different than his World War II spy novels that’s almost unrecognizable as a Ken Follett. I honestly didn’t think he could’ve written a historical epic like this. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fine writer and his spy stories are quite good — but «The Pillars of the Earth» is so grand that sometimes I had to check the cover to remind myself I was reading Ken Follett.
The author created a setting so vivid, so complex, and so rich that you can’t choose who you like the best — all characters are incredibly deep, multifaceted, and believable. The antagonists, though (villains really) are very Ken Follett-y: rotten to the core, so despicable that you hope they’ll suffer immensely in the end; at the same time they’re credible villains, and when the narration switches to them (and Follett is great at narrating from the point of view of the character presently under the spotlight) you almost buy their motivations.
I’m not very fond of historical novels — never read James Cornwell and probably never will — but I’m glad I read this one. Take in consideration that I prefer science-fiction instead and that I gave 5 stars to this book. That’s how good «The Pillars of the Earth» is.
Cathedrals and castles, masons and monasteries. It’s the twelfth century in Kingsbridge, England. Prior Philip and aspiring builder Tom have the same dream: to build a cathedral like no one has ever seen. The villainous William Hamleigh and the calculating bishop Waleran Bigod have their own plans for the surrounding lands. Add in a richly developed cast of characters, including the builder’s bullying son, a woman living wild in the woods with her son, a young foundling raised by the monks, an earl’s daughter, and a royal family fighting for control of the country, along with plenty of historical detail, and you get an immensely satisfying and long read.
I have read a few of Follet’s contemporary novels, but I am always drawn to historical fiction. While the dialogue in this story does tend to seem more modern than one might expect, the reader still feels completely transported into daily life of a medieval village by Follet’s writing prowess. This is a wonderful blend of the informative and the creative. Even if the main characters are fictional, the story’s interaction with the history of the English throne, culminating with the rise of Henry Plantagenet and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, ground the story and give it authenticity.
With the third book of the series being released in the fall of 2017, get your hands on this book (as well as the second book of the series, World Without End), whether you need to experience it for the first time, or to come back to an old favorite.
Question: What is a good rainy day read? I loved Pillars of the Earth, and a rainy day is perfect for getting lost in another time and place. The story of building the cathedral and the people involved was captivating. This is one of the books I will read again.
Ken Follett has written many wonderful novels, but none better than this historical fiction.
What an emotional rollercoaster! I can see why this book is a bestseller. Follett leads you gently towards characters you love and trust, then cruelly rips them away from you, then he builds up hope again, then pulls the rug out from under you, over and over. Through three generations. And I loved it!
Built on a foundation of actual history, you realise life was cheap back in the days of Henry I & II, that the church ruled the kingdom with an iron rod, and that, just like today, greed makes men (and women) do things that go against every teaching of the church, and every agreed moral. And to be honest, not much has changed!
A heavy book – this isn’t one for the beach, but a page-turned nonetheless. I was more interested in the personal interactions than the descriptions of the building of chancels and fonts and windows and cathedrals, but those descriptions are the building blocks of the story, so they work.
There’s a small side trip to France and Spain, and the passages about the Madonna and the cult of Becket were fascinating.
Loved it.
This book was an interesting and informative look into the power play between the church and the monarch in the 15th century. There are many twists and turns that were completely unpredictable.
If you like epic historical dramas this is the perfect read
This is a true epic, spanning many lives, times, and history. Well written with strong character and plot development.