PIllars+of+the+Earth

**Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett**

Author: Ken Follett Publication Date: 1989 Setting: Mid 12th century in England Situation: A stone mason names Tom Builder (ironic huh?) loses his job because his boss got turned down when he proposed to his love. Because he and his family are so poor, Tom's wife Agnes dies during the birth of their 3rd child and leaves the child at his wife's grave thinking that it would not live. Tom gets a job working on a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England but dies when it's burned down. The book revolves around Tom's children and how they handle life on their own and find their long lost sibling and rebuild their family.
 * __Short & Sweet Facts__**

Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales to Martin and Veenie Follett. He was born on 5 July, 1949 and lived in Cardiff until he was ten. He and his parents then moved to London and there Follett became interested in reading. He was not allowed to wathc TV and movies so he read in his spare time. He attended Harrow Weald grammar School and Poole Technical College. He also attended the University of London and studied philosophy. After being a student in UL, Follett married his first wife, Mary. In the late 1970's, Follett divorced Mary and remarried to Barbara Broer. [|For more infor on Ken Follett click here!] Follett has also written The Eye of the Needle Whiteout Hornet Flight The Key to Rebecca
 * __About the Author__**

Tom Builder - stonemason, father of 3 children, husband of Agnes Agnes Builder - Tom's dead wife Tom's children - Martha, Alfred, Jack
 * __Characters in the novel__**

Tom Builder is a stonemason and loses his job because his landlord was turned down when he proposed. Tom's wife, Agnes, is pregnant with their 3rd child. They are so destitute that she has the baby in the forest but dies during birth. Tom concludes that the boy would die without the nourishment from his mother so he leaves the infant on his wife's grave. Tom takes Martha and Alfred, his living kids and tries to start a new life for them. During this struggle, Tom meets Ellen and her red haired son Jack. They become partners and consider themselves a family. The family settles down in Kingsbridge where Prior Philip wants to build a cathedral. Tom gets a job working on the cathedral and dies when it is burned down. After his death, Alfred marries Jack's lover, Aliena but before their wedding, Jack and Aliena produce a child. After being married to Alfred, Aliena gives birth to a baby with red hair (like Jack) and Alfred throws her and the baby out. Throughout the novel, numerous cathedrals are built and the characters develop love interests. The characters in the books create their lifestyles around the churches and because they fall and rebuild, the book's a roller coaster. I can't really tell you much else about the plot because there is too much detail that would have to be ignored. You'll just have to read the book to find out all the scandalous details ;)
 * __The BASIC Plot__**

The book didn't really have much action. The most exciting events were the destruction of the cathedrals and the deaths of the characters. There is some suspense because family is reunited but other than that nothing too brilliant occurs.
 * __Style__**

Ken Follett uses a lot of descriptive words. He takes his time throughout the novel to explain every detail. It makes the book seem longer but it helps because reading about the building of the churches deserves that much attention.

The book's length was about right for all that was said. Yes is was a wopping 973 pages butthe chapters were short so it wasn't so bad. And Follett wrote the book mostly in dialogue so it was facinating.

The characters were very believable. Sometimes it was almost painful to read the word of certain people if they were poor or distraught. I could easily picture each person as if they were right next to me. The setting was also well described. Because the setting was in a time that I was not familiar with, the descriptive words were very helpful.  __**Review**__ I would not suggest reading this book. It's well written but pretty boring at times. Someone really needs to love churches to enjoy this.

"Follett is a master." - The Washington Post

"A towering tale...a ripping read...there's murder, arson, trachery, torture, love, and lust." - New York Daily News

"Very good...fine detail...fast-paced, engaging-an enjoyable historical thriller, well told." - Chicago Tribune