I felt that I must review this book here for the benefit of book-lovers. It is my intention to make you read this book as book lovers will have genuinely missed a chance at a superb reading experience if they do not read it. At present the book is available only in hard cover edition.
I suppose that may be the reason it is missing from this site and has not been reviewed so far. I did see its paperback edition a couple of days back but I am not sure. It is a sequel to ’Pillars of the Earth’ and takes on from where that book stopped---the 14th century England. The author excels at writing in simple narrative, an absorbing read, making us want to keep turning the pages of the book.
The characters of the book, the human relationships, though based in 14th century, seem as if they exist in contemporary times. This is thanks to the genius -- Ken Follett. The book goes into the politics of governance, the battle for supremacy between the Church and the nobility and how it affects the common man. The architectural details of the Churches, bridges, and palaces of Europe are astounding in their detail---described in simple and easy-to-understand language.
The customs of the times make for an interesting read. Medical practices of the times are eye-opening. It is interesting to note that doctors of England had to be ordained priests as well. Females could at best be nurses. Churches doubled up as hospices and hospitals. Surgeons were called barbers, even though they played an important role in the wars of the times. Doctors refused to be associated with any surgical practices.
One realises that what has not changed over the period of time is the human ego and relationships.The book does full justice to an abundance of complex inter-personal relationships which keep one thinking long after having read about them. The only weakness of the book is acceptance of a live-in relationship of a nun by the general public which seems highly unlikely, even though the nun was a very popular character of the times.
To summarise here is a period fiction, based in 14th century England, an absorbing, easy-read.
A fast-paced book which is impossible to put down once you have started it. The feel-good factor after having completed this book will make you want to thank me for my strong recommendation of this great novel.
So, what are you waiting for---rush and pick it up or borrow it from the lending library----Pillars of the Earth was among my best five books of my life. This sequel comes very close to that too.