The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth ,in short, is about a small village, known as Kingsbridge, building their own cathedral. The basic plot alone is not enough to fill the 970-some pages that are needed to tell the whole story. During the course of approximately  50 years, colorful characters such as Prior Philip, Tom Builder, Aliena, William Hamleigh, and Jack interact on a level that expands from peasantry to royalty. Historical events, such as the murder of Thomas Becket, affect the final outcome of the book and human intellect and generosity are shown to be the most precious of all gifts, but only if used to their fullest extent.

The coolest aspect about the novel is that the book never gives you what you expect, even the writer who wrote a book about a church doesn’t even believe in God…how intense. But the facts and figures given aren’t just made up; this guy actually researched medieval architecture and culture. I also felt better about living in today’s day and age…the things men with power could get away with was horrific. There are examples of murder, rape, thievery, and unfounded revenge; however, there are countless examples of devotion, loyalty, faithfulness, love, generosity, and forgiveness.

On the negative side, there are parts of the book that seem to drag on and they can last for up to 70+ pages, but if the reader is willing to take the good with the bad by the time the last page is read, I guarantee you wont regret it.