The Pillars of the Earth focuses on the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England, and is set in the middle of the 12th century. It gives an account of things that happened at the time, like the sinking of the White Ship, and the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. However it is told through the eyes of fictional characters.
I loved the way that all the characters in this book were interlinked, and we saw how their paths kept crossing. In the first part we meet so many people, and hear all their stories separately. There was Tom Builder and his family, who move from place to place trying to find work, as Tom is intent on building the most beautiful Cathedral the world has ever seen. Then there are the monks, lead by the determined and clever prior Phillip. We also hear of the evil William Hamleigh, who thinks nothing of murdering innocent people, and the brave Aliena who is determined to avenge her father and carry out his dying wish. Later in the book all the characters are intertwined, and we see who helps who, and who is there to cause distress and problems.
There are some pretty gory scenes in the books, mainly with William Hamleigh, who is an arrogant man who is determined to be named the Earl of Shiring. He destroys anyone who gets in his way, murdering innocent villagers, and raping young girls. I detested William, and was pleased to see that he got what he deserved in the end.
The hero of the book for me was the ginger Jack Jackson, who carried out his stepfather Tom Builder’s wish to build a grand Cathedral and saved the town by building walls when it was under attack from William Hamleigh. I also really liked Prior Phillip, who is a fair and clever man, and also there to offer help and advice to those who need it.
A really interesting read, and a book that I was disappointed to reach the end of! This book is a classic example of good triumphing evil, with the good coming out on top and the evil getting what they deserve in the end.
Rating 10/10
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