The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) (Oprah's Book Club)

by Ken Follett

An epic, spellbinding tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece.

A Mason with a Dream

It is 1135 and civil war, famine and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day that he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other.

A Monk with a Burning Mission
Philip is the church prior of Kingsbridge. A resourceful man, he knows that if his town is to survive at all, it must find a way to truly thrive. He decides, then, to build Kingsbridge the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

A World of High Ideals and Savage Cruelty
As the prior recruits his mason, so begins a journey of ambition, anarchy and the struggle for absolute power. Facing enemies that would thwart them, they will stop at nothing to fulfil their grand plans of Kingsbridge. Soon build tensions between good and evil, turning church against state, and brother against brother . . .

The Pillars of the Earth is the first in The Kingsbridge Novels series, followed by World Without End and A Column of Fire.

Reviewed by ibeforem on

5 of 5 stars

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Phew! Epic doesn’t even begin to describe this one. I would consider this to be Follett’s masterpiece. It’s a little slow in parts, but soon you find yourself so sucked into it that you can’t stop. William is an outstanding villain — just when you think he can’t do worse, he does. And Phillip is very compelling as a monk who does not always make the right decisions. His own struggles with right and wrong are a perfect mirror of the struggles between church and state. I’m curious to see if the sequel, World Without End, lives up to Pillars.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 October, 2007: Finished reading
  • 22 October, 2007: Reviewed