For the first, oh, 40 pages I thought the book was just ok. Average to be honest. I had to admit that the subject was very interesting, and I really hadn't ever read a book like it before, but it just didn't grab me. Well, with our moving to Seattle, driving cross-country, multiple trips to Alaska, a very very long flight to Thailand, and a few weeks now without a job- I slowly picked away at reading 973 pages of what I had only heard raving remarks about. And then, when I least expected it, around page 200- I was a gonner. I can safely say that The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is one of the best books I have ever read! Ken Follett's historical novel is about the building of a cathedral in Kingsbrige England in the middle of the 12th century. And until I read this book, I never would have imagined a craft to be so sexy. His characters are so incrediably complex that I find myself thinking of them all of the time. Even wondering how they're doing. After all, that's what makes a good book great. Only when you can actively take a character with you, captured in your imagination, for the rest of your life has a writer really done himself justice.
And, for what it's worth- this is one of the only books that has stirred my emotions to the core. You will simply loathe some of the characters in this book. At times, I found myself sizzling mad, incrediably overwhelmed, and surprisingly happy. The Pillars of the Earth, added to Oprah's book club in 2007, has definitely found a place in my heart, and a space on my bookshelf. Enjoy!
1 comment:
I LOVED this book!! I saw Oprah talking about it and thought it didn't sound that interesting. But my aunt gave it to me as a gift and it blew my mind. I'm so glad you liked it, too. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and how much I could relate to some of them, even though we're centuries apart. It did start a little slow, but man, once you got going.... I spent many nights up way too late reading this one. Glad you liked it too!
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