The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 973 pages
I have spent a considerable portion of this last month obsessively getting through this epic novel- I picked it up because I watched the mini- series awhile ago and remembered it as being a show that I binge watched as well. (thank you, Netflix.) I thought the book was great, considering that Follett gives us a medieval story centered around the construction of a cathedral. He effortlessly weaves in descriptions of the construction, design, and architecture of European cathedrals with the drama of his protagonists. His cast of characters begins with Tom Builder, a master builder who is struggling to find steady work, who dreams of designing a cathedral of his own someday. From there the reader is introduced to a group of people (and a couple of tremendous villains,) who live in a world that can only be described as alien to the contemporary person today.
The Pillars of the Earth read like
Game of Thrones without the magic, which was fairly refreshing for me- Follett gave me a glimpse of what life might have been like for people of several different classes, and what the world was like when there was no such thing as a secular society. The power struggles between the English monarchs and the church trickle down to many of the characters, who must deal with the consequences in creative ways if they wish to continue building their cathedral. Entertaining. I have already put the sequel,
A World Without End, on hold.
