What did you think of Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett?

I discovered this epic while channel flipping. It was the middle of the night and I was looking for something to fall asleep to. I turned it on and didn't turn it off. I love the show, so when I went on my most recent field trip to Barnes and Noble, I saw the book and picked it up. I'm only on page 63 but I love it so far, and I love that the show has stayed pretty faithful to the book.



My friend asked me if it was a historically accurate book, so I went googling and found that some aspects are and some aren't. But mostly what I found were a bunch of negative reviews. It seems like nobody likes it (apparently for 'basic' writing and graphic rape scenes), and I was really put out, despite the fact that rape scenes don't bother me (I'm not a 12 year old) and as for 'basic' writing, yes sometimes I like something to challenge me but every time I pick up a book I don't want to feel like I have to work to understand it. The whole point of reading is to relax and enjoy the story and become unaware that you're even reading.



ANYWAYS.



The reviews I read kind of bummed me out. I'll still the read the book because I love the show so much, but is there anybody out there that actually DID like it?What did you think of Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett?
I loved the book! And I wish we got Showtime so I could see their adaptation. I guess the "basic" writing didn't bother me. I was always entertained and found myself engaged by the characters and situations. There were a few plot points I didn't like, but for the most part it was a riveting story.



I'm not bothered by reviews -- they're just someone else's opinion. I have read many books that reviewers love that I hated (most notably the Twilight series -- apologies if you liked it!). Book reviews are like movie reviews -- good to use as a guideline, but shouldn't rule your life.



If you still like "Pillars" by the time you get to the end, you might try "Sarum" and "London" by Edward Rutherfurd. They are historical novels with the same kind of sweeping scope, and I think they're even better than "Pillars."What did you think of Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett?
Yes, there are legions of us who enjoyed the book. I can't comment on the miniseries -- haven't seen it. The novel was popular when it came out in the 1980s and then sales went through the roof when Oprah Winfrey recommended it more than a decade later. It is as historically accurate as most of Shakespeare's historical dramas, which compressed time and characters to fit the story. "Pillars" is popular, accessible and engaging. I hope you enjoy the rest of the book.