A review by mjohn058
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

adventurous dark emotional informative tense slow-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

3.0

This book is fine.

However, it is dense. I picked this up four times over the past 5 years and never made it very far because it’s just so detailed and slow-paced. 

That being said, I really enjoyed the world building, and seeing how the characters stories intertwine over such a long time frame. I’m interested in more, but somewhat skittish about taking that on!

I will say, though it’s not pervasive, when the author dips into a violent or gory situation, it rapidly becomes gratuitous and very off-putting. It would take me out of the story to react, leaving me wonder just how long until the plot moves on. 

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