Pillars Of The Earth

I had a friend that I had not seen for some time recommend this novel to me. He had memorized the first line of the book and boomed it to me, putting on dramatic fervor to convince me to read Pillars Of The Earth. Well, it worked as the first line is something like this: "The boys showed up two hours early for the hanging." Great stuff.

What You May Like:

Besides the fact that this is a great read, it leaves no stone unturned, no character forgotten, no story line unfinished, and has the surprising ability to compel you to see what is going to happen next without tipping it's hand. The pages fly by, making you want more, which is probably why the author, Ken Follett, wrote a sequel. Both take place in medieval England in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.

The villains are not stereotypes, but actual people. They are dynamic. I hesitate to try to mention a name because I may get the sequel's characters confused with the original. The heroes are flawed as well, but not to the point you can't tell the two apart.

What You May Not Like:

The story is very linear and deliberate. I only had trouble with it because I was reading Blood Meridian before this and needed to change how I was reading in order to enjoy it.

Sometimes, the narrative can lapse into what I found to be soap opera situations (long lost sons and such), but if you like that, then it's for you. This is a novel all about human interaction and how that shapes a society. If that isn't for you, skip it. There is a little action, but most of the action deals with characters walking around looking for work or trying to carve out careers within the town. You have been warned.