Buncombe Brief Book Review-Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Despite some of my other rambling “brief” book reviews, I will try to be quick with this one.  I want to start off by saying numerous people I really respect and think highly of recommended this novel to me a few years ago.  So, for those reasons alone, I picked it up and started on my way.

This was one of the first books that got me thinking it was okay to stop a book you don’t enjoy and I hated that it was such a struggle for me to get into the book.  I think the characters are sympathetic enough and I was rooting for most, and against others, like that ridiculous Waleran Bigod, obviously but I just got exhausted by the story.

Maybe it was my frame of mind at the time but it seemed the novel had a formula of something bad happens, something kind of good happens, but then offset by something bad happening, then something somewhat good happens, and so on and so on.  

Perhaps it was just my reading of the book or maybe I just didn’t care about some of the storylines and it bled into the whole book or maybe I just have no taste when it comes to The Pillars of the Earth but I just didn’t like it. Again though, after so many friends recommended it, I feel like I have missed something.  Do you love this book and think my dislike for it is misplaced? Should I try again or try other books by Ken Follett.  If so, send me a word of encouragement or chastisement to read.westernNC@gmail.com.