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Book Review: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet


Blurb

In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.

Review
"The most expensive part of a building is the mistakes"

The whole story in this book revolves around the building of a Cathedral. Yes!!! mistakes are the most expensive part of a building. This is seen as the story moves forward. I enjoyed the story and it kept me hooked until the end. The best part of the story is the characters never stopped taking revenge till the end. 

Plot:  The plot is set in 1135 AD in a fictional town called Kingsbridge during the civil war in England. The story involves the struggle of characters who dream to build one of the magnificent cathedrals in England during the times of war, famine, corruption, politics and religious strife. The times of civil wars during this century is well captured in this book. The author has given a very good description of the society during this century. The best thing about this is the politics and the deception. It was so difficult for the normal folks to rise against the nobility and church. They never had a chance to prove their innocence because the people in power tampered the evidence or they create their own. The wars are the worst mainly for the people who are poor. The effect of the conquest on the normal folks is very well described. It was really hard to read about the killings, rapes, theft, hunger etc. The writing is really good and it kept me hooked till the last page.

Characters I Liked: 

Tom the Builder: Tom is a dreamer and also a very protective man. The story starts with Tom and his family struggling to feed themselves. Tom is one of the strong characters who despite so many a hardships he never gave up his dream until the end. He is a leader, godly man, loving husband, and loving father. 


Jack Jackson: Jack is one of the weird characters in the book. We can say that he is a nerd. He is too fascinated towards everything. He is very curious and also intelligent. Similar to Tom, Jack is also a dreamer. He transformed from a shy forest boy to a confident gentleman. I really enjoyed reading about Jack.

Aliena: The journey of Aliena is amazing. She faced many hardships but she has grown into a strong woman. She is one of the inspiring characters in this book and I really cared for her.

Prior Philip: He is the man of principles and faith. One of the smartest characters who outwitted many people. He stuck to his principles even when the things were bad. He did everything according to rules and maintained discipline until the end. He was one of the victims of deception but still, he never lost his spirit. He is a very strong leader, good organizer, and a teacher. He believed in the will of God and he followed this till the end.

William Hamleigh: He could be best friends with Joffrey Baratheon. He loved to inflict pain and show his power. One of the cruelest characters in the book. 

Waleran Bigod: He is ambitious and hungry for power. In his journey of power, he deceived many people and he is a good manipulator. He always has a plan to get what he wants. 

Conclusion
This book has really great characters and a very good storyline. The writing is amazing and it was easy to get through. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading historical fiction. 

Rating

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