The Pillars of the Earth Overview:
Pillars of the earth book review shows a sweeping historical epic engrossed by layered narration. It includes an extensive landscape, and complex characters. The novel, published in1989 takes place in 12th century England during the construction of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. Follett combines ambition, love, betrayal, and power in an engaging account of life in the Middle Ages.
The Pillars of the Earth Strengths:
Intricate Storyline: Over the course of many years, characters like master builder Tom Builder, noblewoman Aliena, and monk Prior Philip become resourceful here. There are a lot of stories with twists and conflicts abound, all interlinked.
The Immersive Setting: Follett builds the medieval world from the peasantry all the way to the church and nobility. The narrative richness of architecture and detailed descriptions on how a cathedral is constructed–however, do enrich the story.
Interesting characters: the characters are flesh and blood people, with their own needs and strengths. The most memorable figures (besides our heroes) are the villains, particularly William Hamleigh. whose actions propel much of the novel’s conflict.
Exploration of Human Struggles: The themes covered in the book are not only relevant to Syria, but also universal ideas — corruption and how it thrives, progress vs. tradition, and examining the resilience of the human spirit.
Weaknesses:
Length: At over a thousand pages, this behemoth of a book can often feel like a slog and at times it is quite the slow burn as Ian takes his time with architectural descriptions and medieval life.
One-Dimensional Villains: A few critics say the opposition is too simplistic compared to the nuance of the protagonists.
History: The book draws heavily on real events but bends history a bit in the interest of telling a good story, which may irritate purists.
The Pillars of the Earth Overall Impression:
If you enjoy an epic tale, The Pillars of the Earth is a combination of historical fiction and drama. The ambition, struggle and perseverance of those events is intricately woven in its richly woven tapestry and has made the book a modern classic in historical literature. This is a time investment and constant multi-tasking for the reader, but highly rewarding; not something I want to forget.
This is a book worth reading if you like big stories with a strong sense of place and characters.
| Title | The Pillars of the Earth |
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Published On | 1989 |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Rating | 4/5 |
FAQs:
The recurring motif is “what can a man build for all human time” with a specific focus on the Kingsbridge cathedral. Power, faith and religion, good vs evil, and the strength of the human spirit against so many odds are also among the common themes.
Although well-researched and authentic in many ways, the novel plays somewhat fast and loose with some historical details to (safely) expand the dramatic scope. While based on history, this is not a historical re-enactment per se — rather it uses history as its basis to create an immersive story.
The Pillars of the Earth is written series or a standalone?
Yes, The Pillars of the Earth is also the first book in The Kingsbridge Series. World Without End, A Column of Fire, and The Evening and the Morning (a prequel) follow each other thereafter. While each book can be read as a stand-alone work, the novels relate to one another through their connection with the town of Kingsbridge and its development throughout history.
