One of My Favorite Books
One of my favorite books is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. The book opens in the year of 1123. It is about a mason's life-long dream to build a cathedral. And building a cathedral in those times was a life-long project.
Ken Follett's Web site says:
In a time of civil war, famine, religious strife and war, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. 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.
What this book did for me was show an incredible picture of that age and the struggles to overcome the entwining of politics and religion. When people talk about the 'good old days' I often wonder when they are refering to. I know that I wouldn't want to be transported to the 13th century. The 21st century has made me a little too soft.
I have read this book 3 times since it was published in 1996 and I will need to read it again soon. In the meantime, I am willing to lend my copy.
posted by Lunar Mark @ 6:14:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Yes, this is a wonderful book. The first time I read it, I was visiting my parents. My dad had it in the basket beside his chair. I started it when they went to bed and I didn't put it down until I finished it -- next morning.
Wow! This is a big book to finish in one night. But I know why you would want to; the story always sucks me in. I get so mad at what some of the characters are getting away with, I want to keep reading to find out how they pay for their actions. Unfortunately, they don't always pay the way I think they should.
MarkT
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