My apology for it being two weeks since my last book post - I'll admit I simply haven't had as much time to read as before and the book I chose was big, almost 1100 pages. Anyway, here is book seven of the lockdown period.
This is a story about people, their lives, loves, fears, challenges and triumphs plus the dark side of human nature and the evil things people can bring upon other people.
It is set in the 12th century (beginning in 1123), at a time when England was plagued by civil war, in which famine and extreme poverty ran rife and the battle over the Crown tore many lives and families asunder. It's central-point, the event that everything revolves around, is the building of a magnificent cathedral in a fictional town called Kingsbridge.
The reader is treated to deep intrigue and treachery, love, happiness and shattered innocence set upon an imaginative backdrop around the design and construction of the cathedral; It's many stories within a story, but concatenates into one all-encompassing saga that is a pleasure to read. It is edge of the seat stuff.
From humble stone masons and their families to royalty, and everyone in between, Follett manages to bring the characters to life through engaging dialogue and the ability to impart to the reader the feeling of true humanity, depth of emotion and feeling of the characters, be it a good, or evil, one. He also knows how to paint a picture with words so the reader feels like they can actually see the story.
Ken Follett is highly regarded amongst the most successful of novelists in the world and it's easy to see why from the moment one begins this book.
Pillars of the earth has been made into a miniseries, which I have seen and enjoyed, however it is the book that takes hero-status and whilst the miniseries fills in a few visual blanks the book is an all-encompassing journey.
I completely enjoyed this book and fortunately for me Follett had enough in reserve to keep writing; He followed it up with World without end, which I'll be reading next and a third, also set in the fictional town, called A column of fire. The three books span the 12th to 14th centuries, set around Kingsbridge, and there is also prequel called The Evening and the Morning.
On the front cover of this book it says, "The classic masterpiece," and it truly is.
It is extremely well written, easy to read, detailed, historically correct and has well-rounded, believable characters. It showcases human nature at its best and worst with dark deeds and shining brilliance...It mirrors the world then, and human nature right now, perfectly.
"In a broad valley, at the foot of a sloping hillside, beside a clear bubbling stream, Tom was building a house."
"The walls were already three feet high and rising fast. The two masons Tom had engaged were working steadily in the sunshine, their trowels going scrape, slap, and then tap, tap, tap, while their big labourer sweated under the weight of the big stone blocks..."
The first two paragraphs of chapter one; Only 1088 amazing pages to go...
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
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