The Pillars of the Earth
New York: Signet, 1990. Later printing. Mass market paperback. 983, [9] pages. Illustration. Kenneth Martin Follett, CBE, FRSL (born 5 June 1949) is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works. Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the US, many reached the number 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller list, including Edge of Eternity, Fall of Giants, A Dangerous Fortune, The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, Winter of the World, and World Without End. Follett has had a number of novels made into films and television mini series: Eye of the Needle was made into an acclaimed film, starring Donald Sutherland, and six novels have been made into television mini-series: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, On Wings of Eagles (1986), The Third Twin and The Pillars of the Earth (2010) and World Without End (2012). These last two have been screened in several languages in many countries. Follett also had a cameo role as the valet in The Third Twin and later as a merchant in The Pillars of the Earth. The Kingsbridge series could be seen as depicting the shifting relations between the Kingsbridge Priory and the Kingsbridge merchants and artisans. In Pillars of the Earth, monks and townspeople are allies, standing together against the Earl of Shiring. Building the cathedral is a joint effort benefiting both - the cathedral's construction draws new inhabitants and trade, turning Kingsbridge from a backwater village into a thriving town, while the Priory's income from taxing this increasing trade finances the continued construction of the cathedral. Derived from a Kirkus review: Here, Follett gives us a long, steady story about building a cathedral in 12th-century England. Anyone who has ever been moved by the splendors of a fine church will sink right into this highly detailed but fast-moving historical work—a novel about the people and skills needed to put up an eye-popping cathedral in the very unsettled days just before the ascension of Henry II. The cathedral is the brainchild of Philip, prior of the monastery at Kingsbridge, and Tom, an itinerant master mason. Philip, shrewd and ambitious but genuinely devout, sees it as a sign of divine agreement when his decrepit old cathedral burns on the night that Tom and his starving family show up seeking shelter. Actually, it's Tom's clever stepson Jack who has stepped in to carry out God's will by secretly torching the cathedral attic, but the effect is the same. Tom gets the commission to start the rebuilding—which is what he has wanted to do more than anything in his life. Meanwhile, however, the work is complicated greatly by local politics. There is a loathsome baron and his family who have usurped the local earldom and allied themselves with the powerful, cynical bishop—who is himself sinfully jealous of Philip's cathedral. There are the dispossessed heirs to earldom, a beautiful girl and her bellicose brother, both sworn to root out the usurpers. And there is the mysterious Ellen, Tom's second wife, who witnessed an ancient treachery that haunts the bishop, the priory, and the vile would-be earl. The great work is set back, and Tom is killed in a raid by the rivals. It falls to young Jack to finish the work. Follett's history moves like a fast freight train. Details are plenty, but they support rather than smother. It's all quite entertaining and memorable. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Building, Architecture, Cathedral, Kingsbridge, Priory, Earl of Shiring, Bishop, Mason, Relationships, Faith, Spirituality, Economic Development
[Book #80205]
Price: $15.00