An Unexpected Surprise

Anyone who knows me well would be surprised to have me be interested in a book about building a cathedral in 12th Century England. My wife and I are in a reading group that chose the book for the summer and so read it together. The book the group chose for this summer is The Pillars of the Earth written by Ken Follett. There is an Audible (Unabridged)
version of the novel read by John Lee - who is perfect for the role. (The illustration is from Follett's website. The book has a number of illustrations - although his descriptions are so vivid that I actually found them a distraction.)

The story is interesting in at least three ways. First, Follett, who is known for his thrillers, wrote this book because he was interested in how cathedrals were built. HIs publisher was skeptical of the change in genre. And in the first few years of the book it did not sell very well - but it has maintained steady sales for a couple of decades. He began this book in the early 1970s and it was not released until 1989. It now sells about 100,000 copies a year in the US. That is remarkable for any novel but especially good for a long book about a time long ago. Second, Follett weaves together a couple of stories that involve the confrontation of good and evil in both the political and religious realms which makes the themes of the book fascinating. The interlocking stories and the scope of the story makes it a wonderful mix of part wonder with the construction techniques, part explanation of life in the middle ages, and part exposition of universal themes which is hard to put down. HIs description of the challenges of construction also are very good. Many of the greatest cathedrals were constructed using relatively primitive technology - but they have stood the test of time. Follett makes two important points - first the role of the commerce of ideas helped advance the technology. Second, because of the relatively unsure political situation and the complexity of the task - these projects took generations to create. That required a set of commitments that had to be sustained over many individuals - religious and political leaders as well as the construction leaders. I had never thought of the scope of those projects. Finally, there is the character development. Each of the main characters is drawn out well and works off the others. So there are a couple of religious figures, a couple of political ones and a couple of builders - each with their own traits.

I am reluctant to retell the story, Follett does such a good job in doing that. But I was interested to see how he linked the rules of 12th Century England with broader themes. I was also interested in his descriptions of the life of monks. Over the last fifteen years I have worked closely with a priest, who has become a good friend, I have seen him struggle with the sometimes tough roles that he is presented with. Follett's description of the Prior's challenges reminded me a lot of my friend's. Although the story is fictional and the cathedral in question is a blend of a couple, in the end he also brings in some historical events, including the murder of Thomas Becket.