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A review by meghana34
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
4.0
The Pillars of the Earth is the course of lives over a thirty-nine year period of time in medieval England, apparently with the romance and action the author is famous for. This is actually my first novel by [a:Ken Follett|3447|Ken Follett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1604049089p2/3447.jpg]. It came to my attention when I came across the television adaptation of the sequel, [b:World Without End|5064|World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)|Ken Follett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509545511l/5064._SY75_.jpg|2845518], on Netflix, which I chose to pause until I had read both this and its sequel. And now for my thoughts:
Naturally in a novel whose setting spans almost forty years, the heroine Aliena, a girl of seventeen, is in her mid-fifties at the end. During this time we read as, no, we watch as she grows and develops character, which is vividly described to us using extensive imagery. With tragedy in her early years, Aliena makes a sympathetic, if not particularly strong, character. In her later years her confidence develops at just the right speed, which just barely prevents us from screaming at her in frustration. Still, despite her many (human) flaws, Aliena is arguably the best character in the novel. Those flaws lead us to sympathise with her.
Despite its terrifying length, this novel is not character-driven, but rather plot-driven. Still, there are some very fascinating characters. Ellen makes for an admirable figure. Jack is sympathy-prone. Despite his status as a minor villain, readers will find Waleran more admirable than unlikable.
The Pillars of the Earth starts with a hanging. The man is innocent, but what does it matter to his accusers? Though it begins on a very random note, this will contribute to the mystery, of which Jack goes on a quest to solve (but of course, Aliena chases after him and it revolves instead around romance). After this random prologue we meet Tom and his two (three?) children next, then Ellen and Jack, and the rest of the characters are introduced very quickly in part one. None are introduced in later parts. The novel then proceeds to explore the lives of ALL the characters, which is generally does, though I feel some characters could have been better developed. At times I wondered why they were even included.
Though the ending is not rushed but instead gradual, readers will find fault with it. It ends the story they have been so vividly immersed in. Readers when it came out first had to wait eighteen years for the sequel; I am thankful I have to only wait until my next trip to the library. Though I have the feeling that the sequel will not be as good....
UPDATE: I've marked this as #5 on my top reads of 2016 list.
Naturally in a novel whose setting spans almost forty years, the heroine Aliena, a girl of seventeen, is in her mid-fifties at the end. During this time we read as, no, we watch as she grows and develops character, which is vividly described to us using extensive imagery. With tragedy in her early years, Aliena makes a sympathetic, if not particularly strong, character. In her later years her confidence develops at just the right speed, which just barely prevents us from screaming at her in frustration. Still, despite her many (human) flaws, Aliena is arguably the best character in the novel. Those flaws lead us to sympathise with her.
Despite its terrifying length, this novel is not character-driven, but rather plot-driven. Still, there are some very fascinating characters. Ellen makes for an admirable figure. Jack is sympathy-prone. Despite his status as a minor villain, readers will find Waleran more admirable than unlikable.
The Pillars of the Earth starts with a hanging. The man is innocent, but what does it matter to his accusers? Though it begins on a very random note, this will contribute to the mystery, of which Jack goes on a quest to solve (but of course, Aliena chases after him and it revolves instead around romance). After this random prologue we meet Tom and his two (three?) children next, then Ellen and Jack, and the rest of the characters are introduced very quickly in part one. None are introduced in later parts. The novel then proceeds to explore the lives of ALL the characters, which is generally does, though I feel some characters could have been better developed. At times I wondered why they were even included.
Though the ending is not rushed but instead gradual, readers will find fault with it. It ends the story they have been so vividly immersed in. Readers when it came out first had to wait eighteen years for the sequel; I am thankful I have to only wait until my next trip to the library. Though I have the feeling that the sequel will not be as good....
UPDATE: I've marked this as #5 on my top reads of 2016 list.