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“The first casualty of a civil war was justice". Yep how true is that!!!!

Amidst so much Political upheaval, religious dominance, and economic poverty for many, one man dared have a dream. The impoverished Tom Builder wanted to build a Cathedral and appealing to the vanity of the clergy at the time, this seemed the most likely and comfortable of arrangements, where ambitions would form a partnership, and the lucrative outcome of the cathedral would bring stability of a different kind, but treachery in abundance.

However, this was never going to be an easy read, all you have to do is look at the size of the novel with its @1000 pages and you are set for a rollercoaster that does not shy away from the brutality of the age, the religious fervour of the populist, and the greed of mankind. Yes it is mostly about men!!! It is anarchy, it is a story where the savagery of ‘absolute power�� is not left to the imagination. A clash of state versus the church. Set in the 12th Century but authentic, compelling, and spellbindingly brilliant.

A crude summary of the plot (because it is impossible to capture everything with such an enormous book) so very high level.

The central story to the ‘Pillars of the earth�� is about the construction of a new Cathedral supported by those who want to build a thing of beauty to glorify God, and there are those who want to destroy the dream because they have different ambitions and plans.

While packed with lots of wonderful historical detail, an abundance of themes, it is the characterisation and character development that makes this such a towering classic from the humble stone mason to the tyrannical rulers, greedy aristocracy and the bonds and betrayal within family.

The book opens with a hanging and the pregnant woman’s curse placed on those that murdered the father of her unborn child. From then I was hooked, and it was this feeling of ‘fate��, punishment, and providence that set the tone of the novel that carried on through the stories of so many.

Review and Comments

A richly imagined story that combines real historical figures within the fictional world of Kingsbridge. A magnificent and sweeping tale from a superb author who animates the ugly side of humanity, brings to life the intrigue of the period, embraces the social prejudice, and uses some poignant themes, to deliver such a captivating story of greed, power, lust, betrayal, ambition, and religion.

A story of contrasts, not just good and evil, rich and impoverished, but also of honesty and deception, salvation and damnation, while love is threatened by envy, hatred, and resentment. Where the principled face the corrupt in this showcase of medieval treachery.

I read this over 3 weeks and there is that much going on in the book and it is structured in such a way that you could treat this as a series of novellas (6 to be exact), so I took a break between each section and read other books. I would recommend this approach if like me you are daunted by a 1000+ page book.

As far as historical fiction goes, ‘Pillars of the Earth�� is up there with the best of the HF books written, and as Follett says “Culture clash is terrific drama��, and this does not disappoint. To maintain the rhythm, keep the momentum going, and to hold the interest of the reader for so long, is nothing short of a triumph. In fact I was actually disappointed to have finished which speaks volumes for an oversized book!!!

Mesmerising, hypnotic, addictive, compelling, a book of medieval savagery and timeless beauty.