Shirley Curran
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth was no. 33 in the BBC’s Big Read Book of Books. In his modest and engaging Preface, he calls it ‘a word-of-mouth success’ explaining how European readers loved his passionate story of the building of a cathedral. ‘You did it, dear reader’, he says.
We knew him as a writer of thrillers. He was a # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Jackdaws. He says of himself, ‘pop stars should not write symphonies’. A few million readers are delighted that he did.
Follett also says, ‘In the book business, when you have had a success, the smart thing to do is write the same sort of thing once a year for the rest of your life’. His World Without End, published this year by MacMillan and a range of publishing houses, is a magical return to Kingsbridge two centuries after the events of Pillars.
It is the same compelling study of human passions, of the might and blind faith of the fourteenth century church and of the harsh events of history.
It is a rich read for cold December and January evenings. I warmly add my word of mouth.
GenevaLunch, 17 December 2007.
Filed under: Non-fiction
Tags: Arts and Entertainment, Education, Media
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