Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

18 reviews

linda_wolf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Bullying, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Blood, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, War, and Domestic abuse

heartfelthullabaloo's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I honestly am struggling with what to rate this because on one hand I want to give it five stars for an epic tale, but on the other I want to give it two for all the rape. Oh my gosh! I’ve never experienced so much rape before in my whole life! I bet if you took every single movie I’ve watched, every book I’ve read, every person whose told me they were raped and put them together it still wouldn’t add up to all the rape that happened in this book. It was crazy! And descriptive! Like super descriptive! Also, the author is clearly a tits guy. He looooves to talk about big tits, and nipples and how heavy they are, and soft and the way they hang and sway and move and feel. There was a lot of sexual stuff going on for a book about monks. Maybe the author was fascinated enough about the way cathedrals were built to write a book, but he’s equally fascinated with top heavy women. 

William was the WORST bad guy! I absolutely loathed him and I cannot believe how much he got away with, it was OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!! So, kudos to the author for writing someone to root against. 

The politics of the Catholic Church! The things that they sanctioned is sickening and infuriating. Trying to play a giant chess game to rise to power and using God as a tool to justify your actions is awful. I can’t imagine why anyone is still catholic to this day. Sure, they’re not all like that and they did some good and helped some people but man, the corruption is hard to look past. 

The actual story itself, was great. Will I read the next one? Sure will because we’re about to go on a plague kick and I’ve heard that’s coming up next.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Murder, and Sexual violence

motobart's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a long read, but it flows well and the verse is economical and simple in the best ways. Folletts writing style is very minimal, but used to great effect. It took me a bit before I realized how brilliant it was. This book is unlike anything I've read before, and has many elements that make it a  remarkable achievement in modern literature.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, War, Classism, Rape, Pregnancy, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Domestic abuse

This book takes place in the 1100s, and some things that were commonplace then will seem abhorrent by today's standards. It is best to be open-minded reading this as historical fiction, with the understanding that the world was a different, though often similar, place.

cheazcakeguy's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I only finished this because I read it for a book club. Way too much unnecessarily explicit SA & pedophilia (just because it's "historically accurate" does not mean I want to read full details of a 14-year-old being r*ped by someone twice her age), characters were mostly one dimensional and often more like caricatures, and the pacing was uneven. The plot and the character Philip were the only things keeping me going, as it is ultimately a good story. The descriptions of the cathedral and the building process were also great. However, all of the tension and story beats ended up feeling super repetitive and recycled, and for the last couple hundred pages I was rolling my eyes at the dramatic twists and turns which felt contrived and meaningless at that point. I really wanted to love this book, but ultimately it was unremarkable. Hard to recommend, unless you like to read soap operas with one-note characters and you're okay with repeated graphic SA. I suppose if you *really* like drama and architecture, and have extreme patience, this is the book for you.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Stalking

Moderate: War and Emotional abuse

Minor: Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, and War

sonygaystation's review against another edition

So many parts of it are boring and when they’re not boring they’re exceedingly graphic. Sex scenes are wholly unnecessary and always written with the male gaze so the woman’s perspective is so unrealistic. I can’t deal with the graphic rape, assault, and abuse; the graphic descriptions of stoning cats; the unrealistic and boring “love” between Tom and Ellen; and the weirdo random anti-semitism sprinkled here and there throughout. I LOVE fantasy but I don’t understand how people can stomach this book and find it not only read-able but actively enjoyable. Y’all have suspect taste

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Sexual harassment, War, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Classism, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Torture

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Rape, and Antisemitism

stellabyproxy's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

“Build a beautiful cathedral for me.”

It is not every day that I pick up a book of this volume, but the title immediately caught my eye. Though deathly slow, akin to the ennui of a long dreadful winter, I found it rather fascinating. 

The trials and tribulations of a monastery prior, an outlawed woman and a widowed carpenter do not sound like the makings of an interesting plot, but set in the 1100s, we see the church and its pillars rise, fall, and rise again within these pages. 

I must say, after the first 800 pages I began skimming, simply skipping to the dialogue to try bulldoze through what remained but as I reached the sixth, and final, part of the book I became immediately invested again. For all its vulgarity, and violence, and frustration, it is a well written book and I cannot take that away from Follett. I feel rather optimistic with the idea of finishing the trilogy (something I would’ve done regardless, out of pure spite) however I pray that it does not become more graphic. Going into a book starting in 1123 I knew what to expect, historically, however I can’t help but be left with a bad taste in my mouth from all the brutality forced upon the main female character, and the almost lack of regard for her suffering. Though resilient, powerful and graceful to the end, as happy as i was to see Lady Aliena get her justice, I’m of the option that she should’ve never had to seek it to begin with. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexism, War, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Blood, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

susanknights's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, War, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, and Child abuse

turtlebucket's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Amazing read (twice) but I cannot give a 5 with the gratuitous and constant violence and sexual assault of women and the overt ways all male characters describe women. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Xenophobia, Classism, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Rape

cassie7e's review against another edition

Intricately crafted and with a long view in mind. Personally, I found the inclusion of sexual assault and sexual relationships the characters chose hard to read. I also found the swing of fortune and misfortune tiring. Finally admitting to myself 3/4 in that I'd rather read something else and stop stressing over completion.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Murder, War, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Violence, Death, and Religious bigotry

worm_book's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, War, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Antisemitism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Ableism, and Religious bigotry