Shelf Control #97 – 21/11/2025
Today’s Shelf Control post features a book I’m really looking forward to picking up. It came recommended to me by a former colleague and close friend. I then got a second recommendation for the book from one of the regular readers at our work book club. Put it this way, she confided that she reads the book once a year, every year. If that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is!
Before I share details of the book, here’s a recap of what my Shelf Control regular feature post is all about.
Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 976
Audience: Adult
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: 01 Oct 1989
Goodreads – Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett is known worldwide as the master of split-second suspense, but his most beloved and bestselling book tells the magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.
Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape.
Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.
The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.
My Thoughts
Historical fiction is always a safe genre for me. I love medieval historical books at the best of times – long ones even better! I’ve read similar themed books in the past – Dunstan by Conn Iggulden is probably the closest I’ve read to date and it was a good read.
This book has been recommended to me not once, but twice, and by two people whose reading tastes I trust. The only thing that makes me a little nervous about this books is that it is purportedly a character-driven book. Generally, I prefer some action in my books to help keep the plot moving forward. However, if this is done as well as the recommendations I’ve received suggest, then this won’t be a problem.
Given the size of the book, it’s unlikely I’ll get to this one before the end of the year. However, I can see myself picking up this book next year sometime – preferably sooner rather than later. It’s a classic, and a book from a much-loved genre. Maybe I need to set myself a challenge reading list next year. If so, this book will 100% be on it! I’ve given myself an idea now…
Have you read Pillars of the Earth? Would you recommend this book?
The small boys came early to the hanging. 
where the gallows stood waiting.
Top 1% in Epic