I’ve finally finished all five books. I’m not sure what year I read Pillars of the Earth, but, yeah, it’s been a while. Amazon says 4600 pages between them. So my specific responses to each are too distant for any in-depth commentary, but I will address them in the order I read them.
1. Pillars of the Earth—was first published in 1989. (What?!). I’m sure I didn’t read it until about the time of the eight-part mini-series in 2010. Don’t hate me. I haven’t seen the films, and I did not much enjoy this book. I stuck with it because I needed to understand what the hoopla was about, and I was less likely to abandon books back then. Besides, it’s hard to find novels set in the twelfth century. The issue for me was: I did not fall in love with any of the characters. I felt the common thread of building the cathedral was weak. It wasn’t horrible. It was just meh.
2. World Without End—2007—Set in the 14th century, I so wanted to love this material that I committed to giving it another chance. I found this one more engaging, more characters I cared for.
3. The Evening and the Morning—2020—The prequel. Something about it turned things around for me. Reaching farther back in history (10th century) is always a hook for my brain, but I also felt more connection to the characters. I cared more. The macro period was fascinating.
4. A Column of Fire—2017—This one I truly enjoyed. Set in the 16th century during Elizabeth’s ascension, consolidation, and reign, I found these characters the most well developed, the micro and macro plots entwined. I wrote about it HERE. I was impressed with how Follett navigated the challenge of the religious divide, something I must grapple with in my WIP. I also thought these villains, although awful, were more interesting. I would not call them sympathetic, but they were human. (See the next one…)
5. The Armor of Light—2023—I can’t say I disliked it, but the story’s focus is scattered. I had to ask myself, what is it about? The social effects of new technology? The Napoleonic War? These storylines run alongside the narrative, but are not really central to the plot. The plot is loosely tied by the characters all being from Kingsbridge and involved in the textile industry. It follows the events of their lives through many decades of trials (real and figurative) and change. Who is the main protagonist? I guess we’d call it an ensemble. There are several duplicated motifs: men longing for married women, women dissatisfied with their unpleasant husbands, the resulting inevitable affairs. The most disappointing are the cringey one-dimensional villains. There are many likeable characters with satisfying internal arcs. However, the most dramatic is that of a minor character. It takes place off page and is explained after the fact. Pity. It might have been one of the best to explore.
General Observations:
As for all fiction, a reader’s response to the characters is key, but I notice I will forgive a lot if I am fascinated by the time and place, immersed in a captivating world. Of course, that’s why I read HistFic.
The long gaps between books give me hope.
Oh, no. Wait. He wrote at least 15 other books over that same time-span. Sigh…
Oh no! 😱 I loved these books, but I think it was probably the unique setting of the series around one place in different times that captivated me more than the plot/characterisation. I also listened to them on audiobook while driving rather than reading them, so probably didn’t pick up on the small details. It’s so interesting how we can respond so differently to cult books/series - and it’s so ok not to like them! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
I remember my parents reading The Pillars of the Earth waaaay back in the 90s but I somehow have never touched any of his books, and your comments on them make it even less likely now. I rarely abandon books because of the story, more likely because of either terribly boring characters (Dune) or terribly infuriating characters (Gone with the Wind). And over the years I‘ve become suspicious of hyped books because way too often they weren‘t delivering the hype for me. Currently I‘m actively avoiding bestsellers. 😂