The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Hello again all you wonderfully nerdy book lovers! I fear I have some 'splainin to do. I have not abandoned my blog as it may have appeared the last couple months. Nor have I not been reading. I unfortunately have a much more embarrassing excuse for why I have not blogged in close to three months. It is simply because I am a slow reader. There. Now you know the ugly truth. Combine that trait with a book that's nearly 1000 pages long and a new Yorkie puppy that doesn't appreciate nor observe reading time and you get a three month lapse in blogs.

So, the original plan was to read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and have it finished by the time the Starz miniseries premiered. Yeah, that didn't happen. Not by a long shot. Which doesn't really upset me too much now after the fact since Rusty the Hubbie said the acting was really bad and what I did catch was quite different from the book. Regardless, I will try not to make this entry as long as the book.

Pillars is set in medieval era England when the grandest, most beautiful buildings around were the Catholic cathedrals (natch). The book covers many decades and encompasses quite a few characters but it starts with Tom Builder and his family. Tom is a builder, obviously. A master stone mason to be exact. His goal in life is to build the most beautiful and ornate cathedral in all of England. And he gets that chance at Kingsbridge, home to a poorly-run Franciscan monastery. When Kingsbridge's cathedral burns down, the young, resourceful and bright Prior Phillip hires Tom Builder to design and build his beautiful new cathedral.

Parallel to this story is the story of Lady Aliena, daughter of the Earl of Shiring. Headstrong and independent, Aliena turns down the marriage proposal of a local noble's son, William, setting off a chain of events both devastating as well as redeeming for not just Aliena but Tom Builder, Prior Phillips and all of Kingsbridge.

I haven't mentioned probably about a dozen other major players but I feel if I outlined everyone's role in the book, this entry will take me days to write. People are born, people die, people become knights, people become earls etc., etc.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that the book was bad or even boring. It wasn't. It was quite wonderful. It was just very long and complicated. Lots of story lines, characters and locations set over many decades - the length of time it took to build the cathedral. It was, however, frustrating. Bad things just kept happening to the heroes! But it kept me reading. I absolutely could not wait until the villains got their comeuppance. And I couldn't wait to see how it would happen.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the monks lives in the monastery. Being a newly minted Catholic myself, I greatly enjoy reading Catholic history and theology. I have spent time in a Franciscan monastery and I find the life fascinating - whether it be now in the present day Midwest or medieval England. The book gives an interesting look into the politics, hierarchy and everyday life of not only the monks but all ordained Catholic officers.

Overall, I give Pillars four bows. The story was engrossing, rich and fulfilling. The characters were either lovable or detestable, depending on the role. And the subject matter was unique and captivating. Set aside some serious time to read it, however. 1000 pages, people.