I finished reading Pillars of the Earth about a week ago. I just got around now to write a review about it- why?- because I still really don't know how I feel about the book.
This book was a selection in Oprah's Book Club back in 2007- and although I do like Oprah, I don't always agree with the books that she chooses (well, other than Middlesex which was a great thought provoking book) But I only found it that it was a previous Oprah book after I already started reading it.
The plot of the book is about the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral.. which may not seem too interesting at first but it represents the dreams of a builder and a priest. The cathedral also represents the constant struggle for power in England between earls, kings and monks.
There are too many characters and too many subplots to go into the book in detail without revealing too much- so I am not even going to try. I was swept up in all of the emotions and hardships that the characters had to endure to build the castle. There were hidden loves, impossible loves and loves lost. The story moved fast and spanned 40 years with villians that you grow to loathe and suffering heroes that you know will somehow conquer in the end. There were many many twists in the story which made it sometimes frustrating but worth it in the end.
So why did I not throughly enjoy such an engaging book? Too many characters and strange plot twists. Follett tried very hard to let his reader in the mind of each and every character but can you really do that to the fullest when you have at least 10 main characters and 15 more supporting characters? Each section of the book focused on specific characters- but there was enough material in each section to write a novel in itself. I found myself dissappointed by the end because I wanted to know more about Ellen, Martha and even Walderan but knew too much about Aliena, Jack and Phillip. There were many many plot twists in the book- some that added interest to the story and some that were just far fetched. The love that Aliena and Jack shared was a great story but was Aliena's hunt for Jack through several countries in Europe really necessary? Did this really mesh in with the rest of the book?
So all in all- Pillars of the Earth was a very engaging book. It has love, drama and war- all the elements of a good book. But sometime less is more. I would have prefered a less complicated plot and just a few main characters instead of an army of them.
This book was a selection in Oprah's Book Club back in 2007- and although I do like Oprah, I don't always agree with the books that she chooses (well, other than Middlesex which was a great thought provoking book) But I only found it that it was a previous Oprah book after I already started reading it.
The plot of the book is about the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral.. which may not seem too interesting at first but it represents the dreams of a builder and a priest. The cathedral also represents the constant struggle for power in England between earls, kings and monks.
There are too many characters and too many subplots to go into the book in detail without revealing too much- so I am not even going to try. I was swept up in all of the emotions and hardships that the characters had to endure to build the castle. There were hidden loves, impossible loves and loves lost. The story moved fast and spanned 40 years with villians that you grow to loathe and suffering heroes that you know will somehow conquer in the end. There were many many twists in the story which made it sometimes frustrating but worth it in the end.
So why did I not throughly enjoy such an engaging book? Too many characters and strange plot twists. Follett tried very hard to let his reader in the mind of each and every character but can you really do that to the fullest when you have at least 10 main characters and 15 more supporting characters? Each section of the book focused on specific characters- but there was enough material in each section to write a novel in itself. I found myself dissappointed by the end because I wanted to know more about Ellen, Martha and even Walderan but knew too much about Aliena, Jack and Phillip. There were many many plot twists in the book- some that added interest to the story and some that were just far fetched. The love that Aliena and Jack shared was a great story but was Aliena's hunt for Jack through several countries in Europe really necessary? Did this really mesh in with the rest of the book?
So all in all- Pillars of the Earth was a very engaging book. It has love, drama and war- all the elements of a good book. But sometime less is more. I would have prefered a less complicated plot and just a few main characters instead of an army of them.
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