The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
A historical epic saga is definitely not what comes to mind when best-selling author Ken Follett's name is mentioned, but Pillars of the Earth is exactly that: a medieval page-turner that will have you hooked from page one.
Pillars of the Earth is so untypical of Ken Follett's oeuvre that his publishers discouraged him from writing it and then didn't market it well once it was finished. Ironically, this book was destined to become Follett's biggest best-seller. For an account of the publishing saga of the novel told by the author himself, you can visit his website http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/the_pillars_of_the_earth.html
The blurb on the book reads as follows:
In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge (a fictitious place). Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.
