Ken Follett
0451166892
In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess at the outset of this review that this is the fourth time I've read this novel, and that it is in my all-time top five of fiction books I've ever read and in the top ten of all books.
That said, Pillars is a monumental piece of literature. That's literature, as opposed to mere mindless thriller fiction. Ken Follett, known for his taught WWII thrillers, stepped way outside of his box with the writing of Pillars. Set in the 1100s, the book's plot centers around two monumental figures. The first is a monk named Philip - a pious but somewhat naive servant of God who disciplines wayward monks and seeks constantly to improve the monastic devotion. The second monument is the massive cathedral Philip seeks to build for the town and for his monastery.
Filled with intrigue, treachery, love and lust, the storyline twists and turns in so many unexpected ways that a reader is hard-pressed to keep up. The characters are incredibly well-developed and the interplay between personalities is authentic and real. All in all, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone at anytime. It's long, but you don't notice it because, after the first few pages, you are so engrossed in the tale of Philip and Tom Builder and others that you just can't put it down!
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