Title | Pillars of the Earth |
Author | Ken Follet |
Call Number | PR6056.O45 P55 1989 |
Location | 2nd Floor Humanities |
Rating | Highly Recommended |
Book Review | Anyone who is interested in historical fiction should read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth. The story is set in 11th century medieval England and follows the life of Tom Builder. As his surname suggests, his occupation is that of a builder, but at the present moment, he is out of a job. Having no savings and no work to do, Tom is forced to drag his family of four through the brutal English countryside as he embarks on his bitter quest to find employment. Finally, the kind-hearted but devout prior of Kingsbridge Priory, named Philip, takes on Tom for the ultimate job: the construction of a cathedral. As Tom and Philips' destinies become forever intertwined, their joint quest is marred by black-hearted bishops and ruthless earls who want to see the demise of Kingsbridge for a variety of political, economic, spiritual, and outright selfish reasons. Pillars of the Earth is a work that grounds the reader in the there and then. One feels the hunger of a family subsisting on meager horsebread, the agony of a princess whose castle has just been besieged and upended, the cruelty of an innocent man struck down on behalf of the crown. Pillars of the Earth is the first book in Follet's Kingsbridge series and is an excellent work for the novice armchair historian or the curious reader looking for a new world to get sucked into alike. |
Submitted By | Jacob Zamore |
Department or Major | Fowler School of Engineering |
Status | Student |
Chapman Email | zamore@chapman.edu |
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