Comments (92)

What did you think about this title?
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Jul 28, 2023
#1
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Aug 21, 2022jcamenga rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Jan 16, 2022
Recommended by Annalisa
Dec 10, 2021Anita_Dickey rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read this book because it was on LIstopia's list of 300 books everyone should read once list. It is long but it is action packed. It had a lot of surprises and intrigue. I can't wait to read the sequel
Nov 26, 2021EljayJohnson rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I liked it, but I'm disappointed because I expected to be blown away. Definitely a case of appreciating the accomplishment more than enjoying the book. I've certainly read better epic historical fiction (I'm talking about you, Sharon Kay…
Nov 01, 2021Cidherman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This sweeping historical novel was written 25 years ago, but this is the first time I have read it. Usually I am put off by adjectives like "sweeping" "saga" and "multi-generational" when I read a blurb describing a book. That may be why…
Mar 17, 2021tjdickey rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Follett takes his skills as a thriller writer into a completely new milieu, with a generational tale of lust and power, violence, love, and revenge, with faith always providing the background - families rise and fall, and keep ancient…
Mar 09, 2021jovi3jean9 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
No. 3 in my lifetime top 10. Engrossing and educational.
Feb 04, 2021HooeyB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Yes on this
Jan 09, 2021cdarin11 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Will read the sequel and much more. Just ordered Becket from Netflix. Very glad not to be alive in the 12th century. Ken Follett is a very entertaining story teller. He is not the least stuffy in interviews. Can't imagine where he…
Aug 07, 2020grammycarol49 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A long story. Too much specific detail of how the churches were built for me. Too much explicit sex. I'm sad that people don't understand that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. These people tried to…
May 30, 2020kfhoz rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Repeated treachery interspersed with bad luck and misery. If the bad actors don't win in a small skirmish then they always come back later stronger. I read for enjoyment and escapism, but there are to many downers in this book.
May 19, 2020writermala rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a great story teller Ken Follett is. "The Pillars of the Earth" had been described as the story of how a cathedral was built in a fictional town in the 12th century. The theme didn't appeal to me at all and the only reason I started…
May 05, 2020betsymarzoni rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Great, complex story with multiple fascinating characters and so well written that you never get lost. The detail was so rich I felt like I was living in that time and place. A wonderful escape from all the upheaval of our current lives.
Jan 10, 2020
I tried, and I like the writing, but I couldn't finish it.
Oct 29, 2019kvanmooresma rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is crazy long and does read a bit slowly at times, but it's also really good and entirely worth reading. I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed reading even the descriptions of how the old cathedrals were built.
Aug 27, 2019kwsmith rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Yes, this is 1000 pages about some peasants building a stone cathedral in rural England during the twelfth century. Yes, the writing style is overly simplistic at times. Yet, somehow the plot and the characters are so compelling that it's…
Jul 27, 2019SFBookAddict rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
**Spoiler Alert** Hearing great things about this book, I thought I'd give it a try. After reading 80 pages, I gave up. First, I didn't like Follett's simplistic writing style which was jarring. He didn't completely transform me to 12th…
May 04, 2019
p. 64
Apr 17, 2019taylortribe rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
GREAT book!
Jan 29, 2019InsJavert rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A finely written and engaging story! It is one of those books from the very first page until the end, simply and wonderously draws you in, written in such a way, the whole story is just the way it is supposed to be, a natural flow and ebb.…
Jan 21, 2019Howie2020 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
For those who like thousand page books, this one is a great story for those who enjoy historical fiction, medieval times, and European history. Other than a few places where the writer gets a little too long winded on some rather vulgar…
Oct 03, 2018WestSlope_TheaH rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was completely engrossed in this novel. I found the characters very compelling and well-developed, with distinctive voices for the four narrators of the story: Tom Builder (a stonemason), Philip (a monk), Aliena (an earl’s daughter), and…
Aug 06, 2018
Follett is a must for historical fiction fans. This particular title is centered on the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge in 12th century England and is the first in a trilogy. The Pillars of the Earth has been…
Feb 22, 2018legadillo rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Dynasty in all it's Joan-Collinsesque glory in 1100, with some architecture thrown in. Just fun.