Amazing story - Rated 
I bought this book based on a recommendation made by Amazon, and I wasn't disappointed.
I've read most of the reviews written, and with some I agree, with others not so much.
Most have said much about the plot, and I think I don't need to say much more.
What I can tell you is that, this book has some memorable characters. Usually a character doesn't bring to dislike him like I did with William Hamleigh.
I was in a constant array of emotions such as love, hope, despair, anger, just to name a few.
Although this book is about a 1000 pages long, it's a very pleasurable book to read.
And it was a bit difficult for me with some technical terms regarding the cathedral, since English is not my primary language.
I would recommend this book to anyone I know.
WOW - What A Marathon ! - Rated
This is a fabulous book of over 1000 pages but don't be daunted by the size of it. Many authors would have made this into a trilogy costing the reader 3 x 6.99 but this single book is very good value for money. The story follows three or four main groups of people through around fifty years of their lives with never a dull moment. It's a great reminder of how our ancestors used to live and how Medieval Britain used to be a savage, tribal country with much lawlessness. The story smoothly flows between monasteries, castles and the building of a cathedral. Although monks play a large part I certainly wouldn't say it is a religious book, on the contrary, it shows deviousness and politics between the monasteries and the people who run them. This book is a great find and very much look forward to reading the next book set in Kingsbridge - World Without End.
Don't mind the snobs! - Rated 
It seems to me that most of the people who dislike this novel have their heads shoved so far up their own arses, that it would have been very difficult for them to actually read the thing! More than one reviewer griped condescendingly that it wasn't "intellectual" enough, while the other poor reviewers mined a similar vein. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's vividly written, at times shocking, introduced me to a time and place in history that at the time (more than 10 years ago)was entirely new to me. It's not going to change the world, it's not going to make me a different person (a reason one reviewer gave for disliking it!), but it was a damn good read, and hugely entertaining. And surprise, surprise, that's what some of us look for in a novel!
Great read! - Rated
I really enjoyed reading this book! It gives a very interesting view about cathedrals were built and why. It makes one want to read it at least twice to get all the details because the story is so filled with life and history!
Didn't really get it - Rated 
I was looking forward to this book - I like historical fiction and visiting cathedrals - but I found it distinctly underwhelmimg.
Mr Follett clearly knows how to keep a story going - but the slow building of a cathedral is really not very dramatic. So the plot devices thrown at the protagonists (mostly by stereotyped villains) in order to bring excitement to the tale become progressively more forced and unlikely.
Maybe 2 stars is a bit ungenerous, its certainly better than books like Sarum, but it really isn't up to the standard of other Maud/Stephen era fiction by the likes of Sharon Penman and Ellis Peters.
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