Book Review of The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth By Ken Follett 973 pages. New American Library, 2007. $14.19

I just finished reading The Pillars of the Earth.  I highly recommend it.  I had planned on reading it over Christmas break and had gotten a copy from the library.  I then discovered to my horror, that Oprah had recommended it.  Somehow, that just taints a book for me.  I tend to avoid Oprah books.  Anyway, my husband got me my own copy for Christmas, not realizing that I had started to read it.  It took me longer to read it than I thought, so I was glad to have my own copy for that reason.
 I am now very happy to have my own copy for another reason.  I know that I will probably read it again and I will be loaning it out.  It is absolutely fantastic.  Now, if you're of the conservative crowd, I must warn you that it is NOT "G" rated.  There are very graphic scenes filled with sex and violence.  This, however, is not like The Kite Runner where you wish you could erase from your mind what you just read.  (As a side note, just don't read The Kite Runner.  Please.)
 I have heard that the sequel to this book is as good as this one, so I will be reading that soon.  Don't let the length of this book intimidate you.  It's worth the effort!!  If you are interested in all sorts of information on this book, you can go to Oprah.com.  Also, Ken Follett will be on Oprah on January 30th.  I'll be watching.