Review by fionagerman - The Pillars of the Earth

fionagerman 's review for:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

5.0

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What an absolute cracking read. This had me hooked from beginning to end the characters were fleshed out and flawed as all humans are. Who knew a book about building a cathedral should be so enthralling. Obviously the length allows more character development but it never drags very much and seeing the characters grow and change over the course was a true delight.
Was the graphic descriptions of women's bodies being brutally raped necessary? Animal torture? One could argue its reflective of the times and provided necessary character insight but I'm not sure.

Content Warnings