Review - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Title: The Pillars of the Earth

Author: Ken Follett

Released: February 2002 (1st published in 1989)

Publisher:  NAL Trade
Pages: 976
Rating: 5/5
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Summary:
An enjoyable historic thriller, well told. A mystifying puzzle involving the execution of an innocent man, the erection of a magnificent cathedral, romance, rivalry, murder, arson, lust, and love. Set in 1135 England.

Tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known... of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

Review:
The Pillars of the Earth follows the lives of Tom Builder & his family, Lady Aliena, Prior Philip, Jack Jackson, William Hamleigh & many others in Medeival England. You witness Civil War, heartless Earls, corrupt bishops, famine, the building of a cathedral, endurance, renewed hope, & love.

Even though I'd heard how amazing this book was, I always pushed it aside for something else, partly because I wasn't sure I cared to read about the building of a cathedral, but even more so because of its near 1,000 pages (32 discs on audio!). This book was going to be a commitment! But man, am I glad I took the time for this big boy. This book pulled me in dramatically from the very start. Follett's ability to bring the characters to life was incredible! I came to a point in the book (a couple points, really) when I felt like I'd been punched in the gut & actually mourned for the characters. At other times, I laughed out loud & rejoiced with them. It shocked me to feel so involved in their fictional lives!

This book alternated between different narrators. In some books this is frustrating b/c certain characters' stories are never as interesting as others'. I didn't find that to be the case in Pillars.  I would get so involved with one narration, & then it would switch to another's perspective. I would hate seeing some narrations end, but would quickly get caught up in the new one. There was hardly an uninteresting moment throughout the book. The story completely captivated me!

I also appreciated the research Follett did in writing this, not only about that time in history, the culture, land, laws, . . . but also the actual construction of the cathedral. I found it fascinating!

This is one of the best written books I've read, & I consider it a new favorite. I highly recommend it!

5/5

"Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically."

~ Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth

Review - The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

I love the cover - it is so gorgeous!

Title: The Gargoyle

Author: Andrew Davidson

Release: August 2008

Publisher:  Doubleday
Pages: 480
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Summary:
An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time.

The narrator of The Gargoyle is a very contemporary cynic, physically beautiful and sexually adept, who dwells in the moral vacuum that is modern life. As the book opens, he is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide—for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul.

A beautiful and compelling, but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was a badly injured mercenary and she was a nun and scribe in the famed monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. As she spins their tale in Scheherazade fashion and relates equally mesmerizing stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy, and England, he finds himself drawn back to life—and, finally, in love. He is released into Marianne's care and takes up residence in her huge stone house. But all is not well. For one thing, the pull of his past sins becomes ever more powerful as the morphine he is prescribed becomes ever more addictive. For another, Marianne receives word from God that she has only twenty-seven sculptures left to complete—and her time on earth will be finished.

Already an international literary sensation, The Gargoyle is an Inferno for our time. It will have you believing in the impossible.

Review:

When I think about Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle, the words that come to mind are grotesque, graphic, disturbing . . . magical, beautiful, unforgettable. After hearing so many wonderful things about this book, I was really excited to read it. But I have to admit it was difficult for me to get into, & I was kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong - I think Davidson is an INCREDIBLY talented & creative writer, & I ended up changing my tune, but I struggled at first with the slower pace & quite depressing subject matter. I was shocked by the narrator's career as a porn star & didn't care for the explicit descriptions involved, (You've been warned!) but was glad I continued reading after some encouragement from my friends.

I found the description of the accident, burns, & medical procedures horribly disturbing & had to skim through parts. At the same time, Davidson's descriptions were so real, uncensored & blunt that I found them surprisingly beautiful!

I very much enjoyed the stories within the story as they transported me to the past & to different lands: Japan, Italy, Iceland, Germany, England; relating the difficult yet beautiful accounts of human love & devotion. It was a constant battle trying to distinguish between a storyteller's wild imagination & the possible reality of a love that had truly lasted through the ages.

The haunting imagery from Dante's Inferno ran throughout the book & was definitely the highlight for me. I also loved the way the character's mindset & horrific situation had me reflecting on my own attitude & appreciation for life, my feelings of self-doubt, the worth of a soul, & the redeeming power of love.

I highly recommend this book (if you can get past some of the difficult-to-read parts). It was one of my favorite reads of the year!

5/5

"None are here by accident. Hell is a choice because salvation is available to anyone who seeks it. The damned choose their fates, by deliberately hardening their hearts."
~ The Gargoyle, Andrew Davidson