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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
sakly_chakly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kepkeppy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
teachered's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A clever amalgam of plot and character to tell an engrossing story of power,greed,survival and hope. A well researched book with a real sense of time place.
jmihalov's review against another edition
5.0
I started a bit slow with this epic, but once I gave it the time it deserved I found myself unable to put it down. A fun read for sure.
gerbilreads's review against another edition
2.0
I had this billed to me as a sweeping epic of human lives akin to Ken Follett, but I found it instead to be lacking the required depth of human emotion to really engage me. Sure, stuff happened but that's kinda where this book ends. Stuff just happens, but the impact of that is lost to me as I never developed any interest or pathos with the characters. The first character we're introduced to, for example, begins the book full of hope and wit and then disappears almost entirely to a life of ignominy, ending in a sudden death far far away from the narrative. Disappointing.
There was also an almost total lack of women who take any kind of first-person narrative (the first rare instance of this covers 3 pages and ends with her being burned at the stake). I find this severely limiting when this is meant to be a sweeping tale of humanity, to ignore 50% of the population.
Saying all this, the book is well written and quite engaging throughout. The two stars comes mostly from how it has left me feeling afterwards. A bit hollow, not having learnt much or felt anything of note.
There was also an almost total lack of women who take any kind of first-person narrative (the first rare instance of this covers 3 pages and ends with her being burned at the stake). I find this severely limiting when this is meant to be a sweeping tale of humanity, to ignore 50% of the population.
Saying all this, the book is well written and quite engaging throughout. The two stars comes mostly from how it has left me feeling afterwards. A bit hollow, not having learnt much or felt anything of note.
laruss211's review against another edition
5.0
For all the intrigue and treachery and violence, the most thrilling bits are about the cathedral itself - descriptions of stone being cut, hauled, and lofted into place.
joshuaperry's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mamurray's review
4.0
A beautifully written historical novel in the 1100/1200s in German’s Black Forest. Dozens of characters and plot lines so it’s not a casual read. It focuses on the people involved in or around a cathedral that was begun in the 1100s. The clergy, the nobles, the merchants and the Jews everyone gets their part in the story.