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The Pillars of the Earth (Deluxe Edition) (Oprah's Book Club)
written by Ken Follett
Studio : NAL Trade
by NAL Trade
Release Date : 2007-11-14
Publisher : NAL Trade
Released : 2007-11-14
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780451225245
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 1495 reviews)
List Price : $24.95
Our Price : $9.19
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ISBN13: 9780451225245
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Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
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Notes:
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Product Description |
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A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece. Abridged edition read by John Lee |
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Enjoyable, but not perfect |
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I read this novel twenty years ago, and then again recently. I don't think it aged that well. The story is still unique and gripping, but some of the characters feel flat and forced. I'd recommend it, but think that there is better historical fiction out there, novels such as Shogun. |
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This book is all hype and doesn't deliver |
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When will author's learn that readers must CARE about the characters in order to want to read the story? Isn't that a writing 101 basic principle? I am so disappointed in this book, especially because I bought it after reading all these reviews! What a waste. I'm 400+ pages into it and I still don't care about these characters. How long does one character have to wander around doing the same thing before the reader doesn't care if he dies? Two hundred pages? Three hundred pages? And his name: Tom Builder??? Like Bob the Builder? Are you kidding me? Also, why would I care about someone who does what he does to his child? Did the author really think his reader would care about Tom after that? And it's not just Tom. I don't care about the other characters either. Even the villain is bland. And there are sentences that are so cliched that I rolled my eyes while reading them. There's not even a true sense of place or time in this book because his descriptions of setting are almost nonexistent. The book just seems to go on and on pointlessly wandering. I finally put it to rest last night after 400 pages. I won't waste any more of my life on that one. But hey, why listen to me? Why don't you waste your money and find out the hard way as I did. |
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I tried to like it.......but |
As many have stated before me, so many good reviews, this book does not hold up. It actually starts out just fine, as most books do, but it really starts to drag as you get more into it. He is very predictable and I new exactly what was going to happen 95% of the time! The character development was tedious - ho hum. Now for my main reason for even doing this review. The graphic sexual descriptions are perverted to say the least. I'm no prude, but you have to wonder, with the unnecessary detail for the story, on what kind of man Follett actually is. I listened to the audio version and have been listening to it to and from work and shuttling my teenage kids to all their events. I had to stop the audio on so many occasions due to his perverted ramblings. The events are very far fetched and not believable.
I can not believe this book is such a hit out there, sex aside it does not have it. I fought my way to the end to be able to at least make a fair review here. I will not be reading from him again. |
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all you can expect! |
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The story is very intense and exciting. All you can expect from a good book. Shipping was quick. No Problems at all! |
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Only in One Sense is it Follett's Best |
Ken Follett's agent, Al Zuckerman, told Follett not to publish Pillars until he had made a name for himself with his other books. Why? Because the story didn't have enough of the necessary six creative writing elements to make it a bestseller. (According to Zuckerman they are: high stakes, larger than life characters, a clear dramatic foundation, an outlandish premise, multiple points of view, and captivating settings.) And this is not from a critic but from Follett's biggest cheerleader, his agent. The lack of high stakes alone would have tanked this book's chances had Follett not already established a loyal readership for himself. Also, Follett's writing style in this book is droning, and it is crafted with the lowest common denominator in mind, with simple words, constructions, and absense of subtelties. The language is so simplistic that it often reads more like an English translation of a foreign novel. It is also not tight; it rambles with scenes unnecessary to the plot or character development. Yet, eleven years after its publication, and now bearing the Oprah seal of approval, it remains in the top 100 books sold in the "thriller" category. A loyal readership alone wouldn't have maintained this book's popularity. Probably the ultra rich historical detail is the explanation, along with the romance between highly empathetic characters which is set amidst that historical realism. Follett himself considers it his best novel. It's certainly not his best written novel, though it appears that it will be his best selling novel. In this day and age that's what counts.
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