Synopses & Reviews
The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known...of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive, KLady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.
A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follet's historical masterpiece.
Review
"An extraordinary epic buttressed by suspense...a monumental masterpiece...a towering triumph from a major talent!" Booklist
Review
"...This will appeal more to lovers of exciting adventure stories than true devotees of historical fiction...." Cynthia Johnson Whealler, Library Journal
Review
"...Follett's impeccable pacing builds suspense in a balanced narrative that offers action, intrigue, violence and passion as well as the step-by-step description of an edifice rising in slow stages, its progress tied to the vicissitudes of fortune and the permutations of evolving architectural style...."Publishers Weekly
Description
In a time of civil war, famine, religious strife and war, 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.