Reviews - Столпы земли

5.87k reviews for:

Столпы земли

Ken Follett, Ken Follett

4.18 AVERAGE

rachel_mete88's review against another edition

4.0

dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This historical novel is set in 12th-century England, where a fictional town and its community develops in the context of a real civil war. Anchored in historical details, the story imagines a world that could genuinely have existed, bringing the Middle Ages to life.

I came to this book after reading the prequel, which, although written later, has a noticeably more modern style. Initially, I found the shift in tone jarring. But after a few chapters, I settled in and began to appreciate the slower prose and the way Follett draws you into the realities of everyday life.

I’ll never look at cathedral architecture the same way again. The book’s detailed descriptions of how cathedrals were built are both fascinating and (at times) a little painstaking, but they deepened my understanding and awareness of the process.

The real strength lies in the characters. Follett’s people are layered and morally complex. No one is entirely good (though a few are definitely entirely bad!), which makes their arcs compelling.

That said, there are brutal depictions of violence, including sexual assault and misogyny, some written from the perpetrator’s perspective. These sections were challenging to read and may be confronting for many readers.

Overall, The Pillars of the Earth is a memorable read. I rate it a solid 4 stars.

donchongo's review against another edition

3.0

You’re sitting in the parking lot of a cheap fast food taco spot, having eaten an ungodly amount of questionable ground beef and nacho cheese. How quickly you ate it shows you must have, on some level, enjoyed it. Was the food objectively bad? Yes. But enjoyable? At least in the moment, yes.

I stopped this book about 350 pages in. Continuing on for another 600 pages, getting back in the drive through line two more times, did not feel like the healthiest option.