Book Review: The Pillars of the Earth



Follett, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth. 1st ed. New York: William Morrow, 1989.

Book Review: The Pillars of the Earth

Introduction

The historical novel “The Pillars of Earth” is written by Ken Follett, and presented an insight about the world of twelfth century. All the events in the story center on the building of Kingsbridge Cathedral and the feelings of people associated with it. In the book, Ken Follett has excellently portrayed the views about women of 12th century. Ken Follett has been considered as one of the most famous British author of historical novels and thrillers. According to the author himself, through his novel, he wanted to reveal the reasons why the medieval cathedrals were built? (Follett, 2013) Although, he has used the colors of fiction to narrate the story of cathedral building, the history also confirms to most of the points presented in the novel. The story is about the struggle and dream of thousands of men which came true in the form of Kingsbridge Cathedral.

About the Book

The story is set in the period of 12th century, where the builder Tom was desperately looking for work. He always wanted to build a cathedral; he became frustrated as no one hired him even to build some small project. During the same time, another man Prior Philip found himself swept by the politics of England; he was the one who fought for the decaying Kingsbridge priory. He had a strong desire to build the cathedral but the hurdles he faced included schemes of Lords and Bishops, and the political situation. The two men, Tom and Philip united to build the cathedral and they continued to face many hardships on their way. The most important difficulties included collapses and fires of the building, and political maneuvering and war. Additionally, the story of a lady Aliena progresses in parallel. Thus the author has woven three story lines into one central story, which is the building of Cathedral (Prewett, 2008). All the characters influence each other in their life events and decisions.

In addition to the description of feelings and hardships faced by the people while building the Kingsbridge Cathedral, Follett also wrote about the suffering of women in the same time period. During the 12th century, the women of England were considered to be at lower rank as compared to the men. Under the same theme, Follett ...