Book · 1989
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
A master builder spends decades trying to raise a Gothic cathedral in a fictional English town while a civil war called the Anarchy burns around him.
What does Reddit think of The Pillars of the Earth?
The single most upvoted quote in this dataset (↑784) is also the harshest: an Amazon review, relayed approvingly on r/Fantasy, saying Ken Follett "is an old man who loves tits" and introduces every woman by her chest. Nobody in this sample defends the book against that specifically, it just sits there as the top-voted take. Everywhere else the tone flips hard positive. r/suggestmeabook runs warm, repeatedly pairing it with Shogun as a matched history-immersion duo (↑299, ↑216), and one commenter credits it with teaching them "11th century England cathedral construction," framing that as the main draw (↑298). Another calls it the first book over 500 pages they'd ever finished and says they were gutted when it ended (↑299). r/booksuggestions carries more raw volume than any other sub in this catalogue for a single title. The two readings, historical-immersion comfort read and dated sexual politics, don't really argue with each other. They're just both true.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Paired with Shogun as a matched historical-immersion duo
- · Cathedral-construction detail cited as the actual draw
- · The Follett sexism critique sits unrebutted at the top of the vote count
- · Gateway book for readers moving into 500-plus-page novels
Common praise
- + One reader calls it the first 500-plus-page book they ever finished and says they were gutted when it ended (↑299).
- + A commenter credits it with actually teaching them how 11th-century cathedrals got built, not just entertaining them for a few hundred pages (↑298).
- + It gets paired with Shogun repeatedly as a matched immersive-history duo, not a solo recommendation (↑216).
Common criticism
- − The single highest-upvoted quote in the dataset calls out Follett for introducing every female character by her chest, and nobody pushes back (↑784).
- − That critique frames the whole book as a vehicle for one man's specific preoccupations, not just an occasional lapse.
- − Nothing in the sample defends the book's treatment of women, the top comment just sits there unanswered.
Who it's for
Go in for the cathedral-building detail, one reader says that's exactly what stuck with them, not just the drama around it (↑298). Shogun makes a natural companion read either direction, the two get recommended as a set on r/suggestmeabook (↑216). Doorstop length isn't a downside here, it's the point, per the reader who calls finishing it a real loss to feel gutted over (↑299). Just know going in that the top-voted take on r/Fantasy is a direct shot at how Follett writes women, reading their chests before their names (↑784).
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Pillars of the Earth?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Anything by Ken Follet. There’s a review for Pillars of the Earth on amazon and it says “Ken Follet is an old man who loves tits and isn’t afraid to tell people about it” There isn’t a single female character who isn’t introduced by the size of their chest. One of the female characters is describe…
“I would recommend "The Stand" of Stephen King and "the pillars of the earth" of Ken Follet. Hope I could help!
“Pillars of the Earth - first book I ever read that was over 500 pages and I was gutted when it finished. So easy to read, rich characters and I got lost in medieval England for a while... I'm going to read Shogun next:)
“Pillars of the earth for English Middle Ages. Shogun for feudal Japan!!
“It's not a fantasy book but Pillars of the Earth is set in the 12th century and about the building of a cathedral. A really fantastic book.
“The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It’s set in medieval England during The Anarchy over a long time line so you get very attached to the characters. Ostensibly about the building of a cathedral it gives a really good insight into life during a very turbulent time in England’s history.
“I would bet my paycheck these would be top 5 lol East of Eden Lonesome Dove Pillars of the Earth I Have Never Know Men Parable of the Sower
“*Pillars of the Earth* is 50% cathedral construction manual to 20% women breasting boobily to maybe 30% actual plot. The cathedral construction stuff is really well-done though and makes you think how societies that were otherwise relatively primitive built these ludicrously beautiful, massive, meg…
“Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett (medieval times) In Pale Battalions - Robert Goddard (WWI era) Both phenomenal books
“Between a few The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut; probably my favorite sci-fi book of all time Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry; just an amazing epic spanning across the American west The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett; I never thought a book about building a church during the Middle Ages w…
“Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is my all time favorite.
“Pillars of the Earth. I’m embarrassed by how much I liked the book.
“The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. 10/10
“Pillars of the Earth ✌️
“My top 5 in no particular order: * **Demon Copperhead** by Barbara Kingsolver * **All The Light We Cannot See** by Anthony Doerr * **A Thousand Splendid Suns** by Khaled Hosseini * **The Pillars of the Earth** by Ken Follett * **The Lincoln Highway** by Amor Towles Honorable Mention: * **The Gol…
Convinced? Pick up The Pillars of the Earth
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Pillars of the Earth — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Pillars of the Earth — frequently asked
Is The Pillars of the Earth sexist, according to Reddit?+
The most upvoted comment in this dataset thinks so. An r/Fantasy quote (↑784) argues Ken Follett introduces every female character by the size of her chest, citing a specific Amazon review to make the point. No displayed comment defends the book against that charge.
Should I read The Pillars of the Earth or Shogun first?+
Either works, per the data. Commenters pair the two repeatedly as a matched historical-immersion set (↑216, ↑299) without ever arguing for a specific order, just recommending both to readers who want doorstop-length historical fiction.
Does The Pillars of the Earth actually teach you medieval history?+
According to one reader, yes. A suggestmeabook comment (↑298) credits it with teaching real detail about 11th-century English cathedral construction, treating the historical texture as the book's actual value rather than a backdrop to the plot.
Is The Pillars of the Earth worth it if I don't usually read long books?+
One commenter's experience (↑299) suggests yes: it was the first book over 500 pages they ever finished, and they were gutted when it ended. That's a single data point, not a guarantee, but it's the exact use case this sample supports.