The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett

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• ISBN13: 9780451166890
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of The Pillars of the Earth

Book Review: Engrossing tale of intrigue and heroism
Summary: 5 Stars

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a sweeping epic of intrigue and mystery, love and betrayal and, ultimately, of triumph and justice. It is set in turbulent and war-torn 12th century England. The plot is a tightly woven tapestry that centers on the building of a cathedral in the poor priory of Kingsbridge. The prior is an ambitious young monk named Philip who dreams of lifting Kingsbridge out of its destitution. Throughout the novel, his ambitions are thwarted by the evil bishop Waleran, who wants nothing save the destruction of Kingsbridge and its proud prior.

At the same time, a similarly ambitious builder named Tom dreams of building a cathedral, but for the first several hundred pages of the novel, he roams the countryside in search of work. He and his family suffer from starvation and the death of Tom's wife. Tom and his children later meet up with a wild young woman named Ellen who lives in the forest with her son Jack. Jack looks uncannily like his hanged father with his shock of fiery red hair. Together, they head to Kingsbridge, where Tom hopes to become a master builder.

Lady Aliena, the teenaged daughter of the earl of Shiring, and her younger brother Richard, are cast out of their castle when Percy Hamleigh seizes the earldom from her father. Before his death, her imprisoned father implores her to devote her life to instating Richard as earl. As the novel progresses, Aliena advances triumphantly towards her ultimate goal, but not without many obstacles that threaten her throughout.

The Pillars of the Earth is a novel that gets everything right. To his credit, author Ken Follett eschews the subjectivism and amoralism of most modern "literary" writers. Though one would categorize Follett's novel as popular fiction, he writes with an unpretentious flourish that is refreshing in an age where literary means dull and naturalistic. Follett's characters are not "real" men and women in the modern sense of the term. The heroes and heroines are truly heroic and the villains are truly evil. What Follett does is present the kind of characters that one would like to meet in the real world, if such men and women existed.

It has been said that in an artist's works one sees the heart and soul of the artist. A nihilistic artist, for example, will show man as impotent, determined by forces beyond his control and irretrievably depraved. Ken Follett is not a nihilist, and this is his great virtue as a novelist. In this novel, he paints man the hero as strong, productive and moral. Nevertheless, a good novel is not merely an ode to values as such, but an integrated whole. The plot must have a logical structure that shows the characters' values in action, the conflicts between characters or within a character's soul. On these counts, Follett succeeds admirably.

Despite its romanticism and tightly integrated plot, there are occasional modern touches that mar the novel. Follett's descriptions of the violent battle scenes and his periodic use of four-letter words are inappropriate. While these are minor occurrences in an otherwise superb novel, they are offensive to the discerning reader.

The Pillars of the Earth is a novel that demands the reader's full attention, but it is well worth the effort. It is ambitious in its scope and captivates from the very beginning. One burns with the desire to know what will become of Tom Builder, Aliena, Ellen, Jack and prior Philip. Will they succeed in their goals? Are their lives important? The pleasure of contemplating the story as an end in itself is reason enough to recommend Ken Follett's wonderful novel.

Summary of The Pillars of the Earth

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