Pillars of the Earth

PILLARS OF THE EARTH: Ken Follet: Penguin Audio, p2007: Books on CD-Fiction: 32 discs/41 hrs.

An extremely compelling saga of the struggle to build a cathedral during the twelfth century, Follet tells a fictionalized, yet historically accurate account of medieval England. Thoroughly researched and well written, the novel’s strength lies in its characters, who become full-fleshed individuals--each with their personal dreams, quests and/or schemes of vengeance. I came to treasure Prior Phillip and his arresting monks, love Tom Builder with his complex family, and despise Lord William and his perfidious men. A November 2007 Oprah Book Club selection, she mentioned she’d never read a book so fascinating, nor had it generated so much positive interest.

Medieval England was a tempestuous time period and the book recounts numerous scenes of rape, pillage, violence, and war with graphic accuracy. Readers sensitive to these subjects be forewarned. As I was listening to the audio version, it was fairly easy to skip to the next section whenever I came to a scene that was more gruesome than I could manage.

DLA