The Pillars of the Earth

Rating:
Summary: Historical Fiction / Political Thriller at its BEST !
Review: Staged in England in the 1300's, revolves around a craftsman and his lifelong dream of becoming the master builder of a grand cathedral. Set against a vividly rich historical backdrop, it is at once a quest, a history lesson, an education in architecture, and a political thriller filled with mystery, romance, and intrigue! ( No kidding! ) I couldn't squeeze in the phrase "epic drama" but it certainly fits here. Probably the best book I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: A book well worth reading
Review: It takes a simple story of a man being hanged and turns it into a combined history of the religious life of England, and a history of the beginnings of the Common Law. It doesn't move as fast as one would like to begin with, but one must read and remember each of the details of the first chapters in order to fully appreciate their conclusions. Read and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: I picked this book up on my first visit to Europe and I was completely fascinated. I have read it three times now, and each time I enjoy it more. I own two or three copies of the book, and I habitually lend it out to friends and family members. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction!

Rating:
Summary: If your interested in the medieval era, read this book
Review: The is the longest book I've ever read but dont let the size of it scare you. Its one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. I recommend it to all my friends! I'd like to read more like this.

Rating:
Summary: EPIC
Review: The cover notes said, "Enormous and brilliant... No summary can do justice to this mammoth tale."
Mammoth it is! The story spans 3 generations and centers around much of the same bit of countryside through the entire time. To me, this book is about the battle between good & evil. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the time to take it on... Fantastic!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!!
Review: I started reading this book at one of the busiest times of my life and I couldn't put it down! When I finally went to bed, I would take out Pillars and read until I knew that I had to get some sleep. I recommend it to anyone who will listen!

Rating:
Summary: Take a trip back in time!!!!!!!
Review: My interest in history has never gone farther back than World War II. Not anymore!!! This book is terrific. Follett does a great job of evoking the day-to-day struggles of his characters and the stress of their daily lives.Despite being almost 1000 pages long the book races along at a brisk pace.The novel has great settings, great characterizations, and great plots. The only minor flaw is there are a few times when the dialogue seems too modern for that time period. Even if you are not a medieval history buff, read this book!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!
Review: A pillar of a novel that makes for excellent reading. I don't know about the historical flaws nor do I really care. This book kept me captivated with the adventure and suspense. If I want to learn something historical, I'll read an encyclopedia. Follet did an excellent job with plot and character development.

Rating:
Summary: An excelent book by Ken Follett
Review: This is an excelent work of fiction set in the eleven hundreds. Ken Follett does an absolutly astounding job of telling the story of a man named Tom Builder and his family, his trials, his joys and his sorrows etc. It also goes into great detail of a great number of other characters in the book. This book will keep you rivited to the couch and up far into the night. I highly suggest you buy this book and read it over and over. A masterfull peace of literature.

Rating:
Summary: One For The Ages
Review: Pillars was recommended to me by a college roommate who'd just finished it. I'd never heard of Ken Follett, but I picked it up...and was hooked from the first paragraph. Since then I've loaned it to a half dozen others, many who've told me they bought their own copies to reread. I had (note tense) no particular interest in medieval England or cathedrals or monestaries, so it was obviously the storytelling and characters who drew me in. This is one of maybe four books I've reread in my life, and I'm not ashamed to say I've re-reread it. I think Pillars will ultimately rank with novels like Richard Adams's Watership Down as works of popular fiction that will still be read and loved centuries from now. I can't recommend this novel highly enough for those looking for a couple weeks of reading bliss.