Sunday, November 20, 2011

pillars of the earth by ken follet

This is the latest book that I am reading. It is massive...really thick. Six parts and each part has at least three chapters and each chapter has an average of 500 pages (I'm reading e-book using the iphone). Usually I would give up on such a thick book but this book has me glued to it almost all the time. I can't stop reading it!!

Ken Follet tells the story beautifully. Every character has depth and every scene is vividly described. This can be quite gory and I had to skip certain parts. But I guess that is how the society is those days.


It is set in the medieval time. To me the most important person is Prior Philip, a monk who fears God and strive to do what is right in God's eyes. The next person is Tom the Builder...he plays an important role in building the cathedral of Kingsbridge; where Philip is the prior. Then Jack and Aliena...(these are my favourite characters).

As in all stories, the good and the bad characters are very clear. The bad are not necessarily the commoners but many of the priests and monks are shown to be bad and greedy.

Building a cathedral is not all that simple. Elements of vengeance, romance, violence, war are all intertwined to bring about the cathedral. A power struggle between the church and the crown. Only a great story teller can make a simple story become so complex and yet at the same time keeping the interest of the reader going.

Every time I read the book, I'm transported into the middle ages. A must read book for adults but teenagers....can wait till adulthood as there are lots of gory scenes.

After finishing such a thick book, I feel lost. Now I need to look for more of Ken Follet's books.

2 comments:

PreciousPearl said...

been made into a mini-series. looked very slick and impressive but a bit dark and depressing for my taste

AJ7 said...

Read Storm Island by the same author too.. not bad. I was going to look for one of his other book to read but forgot about it until I read your post. 8)