#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 the best books I have ever read!
Outstanding read! A book for everyone and one everyone should read. Feats of engineering marvels, history, family, bad guys, truly something for everyone.
All time classic! Excellent read!
Epic story!
The first book I read by Follett. I read it twice. I love the story and the people. I felt like I was in the time.
Loved it
LOVED!!!!!
This is one of the best ten books I’ve read in my adult life. It places the reader in a period of time one can only speculate about. While set in the Dark Ages, these people were at the cutting edge of their civilization. Yet, characters reflect the same attributes and flaws with which we deal today. Compassion and ruthlessness, generosity, greed, love, hate, success, failure, poverty, security, sickness and health.
A epic tale spun by one of the very creative minds of today’s literature: Ken Fowlett.
One of my favorite books ever.
Classic piece of historical fiction! Not recommended to those looking for a light, easy beach read though.
This is absolutely my favorite fiction book in the world! I recommend this book to everyone!
Love this. Ken Follett is one of my favorite authors. It was almost 1000 pages and I didn’t think I’d be able to read such a hefty book, but it captured me from the first page!
I Love the way this Author can take three different storylines, engineering, storyline, church versus the nobles, and weave it into a wonderful book .
First book in the series, and I could not put it down. It is a awesome page turner with gripping tales of the Old Ways. Looking forward to more.
my favorite book I’ve read to date
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Characters feel like you might know them. I found myself thinking about them and what was going to happen in their lives when I had to put the books away and “do real life”. This book got me hooked on Ken Follett.
Don’t be out off by the number of pages, you will not be want to put it down. It is a very informative story of a monk and others in a Medieval English village set in the twelfth century.
The only real problem with this book, and with all Ken Follett books, is the repetition. Endless repetition. If he didn’t go over the whole story every chapter and re-explain the characters the book would be 500 pages shorter. Yes it is a good story. Yes the people are rich in character detail. But, I wanted to quit long before it ended or throw it across the room out of frustration; only the fact that I finish every book I start kept me going.
I LOVE his books
Love love love “Pillars of the Earth” & “World Without End”… I think of them as one continuous story. I have a tradition of reading them both at least once (and sometimes twice) a year! The story is original and will rattle around in your mind for months after putting it down…
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s beautifully written and really holds your interest. I never wanted it to end.