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Originally Posted by Luffy
The Pillars of the Earth (The Pillars of the Earth #1)
by Ken Follett - 4/5
The Pillars Of The Earth is a curious beast. Before writing this review, I read a few reviews others have ge posted, specially those who had rated it one star. This book made me miserable and provided me with a fleeting enjoyment, probably a feeling associated with junkies. Unlike most long books, I can't fault Follet for stretching out his story with filler and padding. In fact, most of my decision for rating the book 4 stars comes from the fact that most chapters feel integral to the book.
The major divergence with many fans is what is balefully called the collateral damage generally, in the book. There is too much suffering. The numbers are only partly the reason for my distaste. It's not also that true justice and ample revenge was late in coming - in my opinion it never did - it's also the senselessness of the violence. The fact that we're supposed to shrug this off and put our onus on the main characters' particular saga against William Hamleigh intensified this malaise. This reminded me of bloody books of the YA genre that I've read. Exampli Gratia would be the 5th Wave, where most of humanity was wiped out in days and civilization was uprooted like that. To temper the blow of savagery, maybe, the character Jack, in the presence of the monk Phillip is made to wonder about reality in the future, where everything would be better. Allow me to scoff.
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I was interested to read your views of this. I think it's a wonderful book. Yes, it's a brutal portrayal of life, but for most people at that time life was short and brutal, with an average life expectancy of less than 30 years. I don't personally feel that Mr. Follett has introduced too much gratuitous "suffering" into the book at all. He writes from a knowledgeable position: he is an expert on the time period and its architecture.
Guess it shows that we all see these things differently.