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jruhal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
I decided about a third of the way through that this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Absolutely incredible characters and long, winding inter-generational story lines. Injustice and romance and machinations. Moving from the first page to the last!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
theenglishphan's review against another edition
3.0
At certain points, this book was gripping and hard to put down. Now here at the end, however, it is difficult to remember exactly when that was.
At a certain point, you get tired of the formula and of how everybody seems to be a perv. I get that back then there was little else to stimulate people mentally such that sex was a really big deal but this is fiction and it's not my cup of tea to have to brace myself for the next rape when I read a book.
The characters are all quite cliche and pretty easy to wrap your head around; you know them from the moment they are introduced and do very little to surprise you.
That being said, I found my brain taking refuge in the parts with Phillip, who is enough of a good guy to give satisfying feelings of closure when he succeeds... at least for the first 3 quarters of the book.
Lots of narration and things happening between scenes - telling rather than showing.
I read this book for 15 minutes a day for 2 months. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of it. It's definitely worth reading once, but I doubt I'm keen to read any of the sequels or watch the miniseries.
At a certain point, you get tired of the formula and of how everybody seems to be a perv. I get that back then there was little else to stimulate people mentally such that sex was a really big deal but this is fiction and it's not my cup of tea to have to brace myself for the next rape when I read a book.
The characters are all quite cliche and pretty easy to wrap your head around; you know them from the moment they are introduced and do very little to surprise you.
That being said, I found my brain taking refuge in the parts with Phillip, who is enough of a good guy to give satisfying feelings of closure when he succeeds... at least for the first 3 quarters of the book.
Lots of narration and things happening between scenes - telling rather than showing.
I read this book for 15 minutes a day for 2 months. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of it. It's definitely worth reading once, but I doubt I'm keen to read any of the sequels or watch the miniseries.
lunajulie02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
this book was amazing! it had everything you can think of. definitely worth the read
sjatas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
heloisejld's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
testaroscia's review against another edition
3.0
I actually read the "prequel" first ([b:The Evening and the Morning|49239093|The Evening and the Morning|Ken Follett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585140756l/49239093._SY75_.jpg|73816656] and I do feel it works better as a book than this one - less ambitious but more focused in its plot line. Pillars has to be admired for the courage to be written out of love of the subject when everyone is telling you are a WW2 novelist. I loveed the attention to the bulding the Cathedral, but i disliked how he would pack great detail in a one year period and then skip 10 years and abandon or wash over characters. In the end this is Historical escapism, crafted well but not in the top bracket, but for as long as it was it never dragged and i never thought I was not being entertained (and learned a few things about the reigns of Stephen and Maud. ( I thought the Thomas Beckett part was a gratuitous epilog, but i do admit I went off and read more on the subject when i finished the book.
johnthebiker300's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book covering a 30 year period.
Really enjoyed the whole story.
It is a big book to read at almost 1100 pages.
Really enjoyed the whole story.
It is a big book to read at almost 1100 pages.