Paperback, 1076 pages
English language
Published Oct. 8, 1990 by Pan Books.
It begins with a curse, a song and a hanging, and builds into a magnificent adventure no reader will ever forget. The Pillars of the Earth is, without doubt, a masterpiece--at once a tale for all time and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a bygone age.
The worldwide best-selling epic of family drama, violent conflict and vaulting ambition set around the building of a great cathedral. --back cover
Follet does am amazing job of world building and recreating history. This was one of the first books where I was genuinely sad to finish, as it meant I had to say goodbye to the characters.
It’s a long time since I struggled to put a book down. More than once I just had to continue reading into the early hours to find out what happened next.
This book was a roller coaster of emotions and events that highlighted the violence, greed, passions, revenge of the main protagonists. It also really portrayed the ebb and flow of power and influence that royalty and religion had against each other, as well as the poor peasants who were caught in the middle.
A really enjoyable read and I can see why this book is one of Ken Follett’s all time best sellers.
It's been sometime since I read this but I read it at least 4 times. Great story.
