I’ve always like Ken Follett’s spy novels, and THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH had been recommended by my architect husband and several other people.  So I downloaded it onto my IPad mini and started reading.

I was struck initially at the rather pedestrian, workman-like quality of the prose, and the rather arm’s length almost omniscient POV despite, supposedly, being in a particular character’s POV, and I wasn’t sure I was going to actually finish the book.

But then I found myself utterly and completely immersed in these characters lives and burning for justice to be done to the two villains of the piece.  Especially William.  I so hated that violent monster.  So I found myself reading a thousand page book in only a few days.

I’m still analyzing how Follett made me care so deeply when as a modern reader I’m far more accustomed to a close third then this rather distant story telling form.  Was it just the suffering the characters endured that made me connect so deeply?  I suspect it was the utter infamy of the villains that had me thirsting for justice and ultimately captured me.

Horrible things happen to the people through no fault of their own.  They make their own misery by making choices that make you groan, but are so understandable and human.  But at the end decency, love and courage are rewarded and they come to safe harbors that left me limp and happy and satisfied.

As a history major it was interesting how Follett characterized the death of Thomas Beckett.  As a secularist and a lawyer my sympathies have always been with King Henry, but Follett sees it as the rise of an engaged citizenry and the first steps toward the creation of Constitutional government which I found very interesting.