Review: The Pillars of the Earth
by MW Cook
“The small boys came early to the hanging.”
My mother recommended this to me ages ago. I meant to read it. Really, mom, I did. But I forgot. I picked it up recently on a whim and did not remember a thing that my mom had said about it. And I’m really glad about that. Because if I had known what it was about, I probably would have left it alone.
The Pillars of the Earth is a historical fiction about cathedral building.
Erm… yay?
Let’s be honest, it sounds crazy-boring. Most churches are boring. Old churches are even more boring. Building old churches sounds so boring that I feel like poking my eye just to get a distraction. And on top of all that, the book is nearly a thousand pages long. Wow.
I’m so very glad that I had forgotten what the book was about.
The author, Ken Follett, grabs you by the throat in his first line. And he doesn’t let go until the book is ending. His story is huge and he gives you characters to love and hate by the handful. And then he puts those characters through the grinder. What else could you ask for in a novel?
In the end, the novel is about the inevitability of human suffering and the unbeatable human spirit that has been slowly, painfully, but assuredly making the world a better place.
There is something very special about the book that makes you care about something you have no interest in. I don’t care about building churches. Even big churches. But Tom Builder cared. Prior Philip cared. And since I cared about Tom Builder and Prior Philip, suddenly I cared about their big church.
The Pillars of the Earth is a great read. Its scope is huge, dealing every human struggle from intimate marital relationships to battles between kings and popes. Pick it up. You’ll love it. I swear.
Matt W Cook 
I just finished this book last night. I listen to audio books on my iPod while I commute, I exercise, I run errands, etc. I have to agree. I do not care one iota about the subject matter and the book was mammoth in size. 32 discs in the audio world! However, the characters were so well developed, so intricate, I found myself cheering aloud at their triumphs and nearly in tears at their sorrows. I must look like a freak driving down the road cheering and clapping my hands. Their stories were all so compelling. I am feeling a little bereft trying to decide what to listen to next. Although I cannot say I loved it, I did not hate it either but it was a good read non the less.