![Picture](/uploads/1/3/7/9/1379571/1407087418.jpg)
Alas, summer gives the teacher the gift of reboot and the luxury to dive back into reading.
Eventually.
I needed a lot of time to wind down and reconnect with good friend literature this summer. In the second week of July, I warmed up with a nice young adult novel. Then I turned for a full-on feast of words. I have several large epic-size books on my shelf that have been crying to me for quite a while. I eventually turned to Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. My aunt Jeanette had long ago recommended the book when I lived in Ontario with her and my cousins. She places it on her top five list and after a few chapters, it's really not hard to see why.
Pillars offers readers a smorgasbord of drama, adventure, historicism and sex. It's a journey of significant length - 410,000+ words to be precise - that you find yourself fully-immersed in. I took my time with the adventure and did need a break after the first third (I was preoccupied with beach-lazing and friend-time). Then I returned to the mega-book and ate up 100 page sections every second day or so.
The stories of medieval England surround the construction of a cathedral. My favourite storyline by far was the political manoeuvring and games of the church between monks, priors, bishops, kings, earls, barons, sheriffs, peasants, outlaws, ladies, lords, masons, master builders and knights. In terms of entertainment, you can't really get any more soap-opera-esque than this book. It's highly dramatic but it works. I did take exception to the excessive rape scenes - that was a bit much - and at times you start to see the cycle of a writer's descriptions become less varied and it can start to annoy you.
This was a fun read. It has some interesting themes around manipulation and politics that I would love to teach and/or explore with a group of fellow readers. One aspect that was a bit disappointing though was the historical simplicities and inaccuracies that pop up throughout the book. I did a wee bit of research and, of course, found extensive criticism from academics of Follett's portrayal of the self-made peasant and trite anachronisms. You kind of have to just accept that Follett is more of a fiction writer here than a historical fiction writer at times. He can come across quite didactic in his lecture-like passages describing the ins and outs of medieval architecture. I'm sure the research around that end is solid but it is a bit clunky and plops down in the middle of the action quite a bit, making for some speed reading exercise time. I'm not a medieval history buff/pro so ignorance was probably bliss for me on many accounts here.
Nevertheless, the novel is an excellent page-turner. It's a lot of fun and you can't help but grow fond of the characters. One critic commented on how the characters are not well-developed but I strongly disagree. Follett develops them on a level that is unique and seemingly 2-dimensional. Yet, it's the simplicity of development that creates a sense of universal connection to them. Their problems are real, overwhelmingly oppressive. And I couldn't help but admire and adore Phillip - one of the central protagonists - despite his high-held moral standards.
Looking for an all-engrossing read? Looking to lose hours of your life to pure, indulgent romanticism? Then pick up Pillars of the Earth, start reading about the hanging and you'll not be disappointed.
4.7 stars/ 5.