I had considered buying this book until I read your comments. I do feel that all too often rape is depicted, in books and films, as entertainment. From your description of the rape scene, that seems to be the case in POTE. I was rapped as a child and as an adult and find nothing entertaining about it. Unfortunately too many men still don't get it.

well said. a (hu)man of very few words.

peace and explosions!

sitrus star

I've only read to the fourth chapter and find the book to be nothing more than an ignorant mans wet dream and the characters to be poorly developed. I have read other reviews that call is soft pornography and I believe that it should fall into this category of literature. I am extremely disappointed that it was recommended by Opray's Book Club and will be much more cautious in the future before purchasing literature recommended by her club.

I thought the rape scenes were written to titillate
men. They were far too disturbing for me and because of these parts, I don't
feel comfortable recommending this book to my 15 year old niece.

I read "Pillars of the Earth" years ago, and to be honest with you the rape scenes were not the ones that stuck with me. The story is layered and very deep; the rape scenes, to my mind, clearly articulated William's character by viewing the scene through his eyes. I think it was necessary for the reader to develop the hatred for that character the story requires. I understand why some people might have been offended by it, but I still think it was a very small part of a very large story, and not really worth the kind of controversy this board suggests!

plain and simply: rape is a pageturning device. but at the cost of taking the book and its writer seriously. it drops the book and writer down a few feet away from the category of Good Writer/Book. Demotes it from Literature with a capital L, to a bodice-ripper, a harlequin romance. Surely the "dr" in ur name is not from having a phd in Eng lit.

write on. right on...

I know I am trailing behind thousands of readers who have already read Pillars of the Earth, but having recently read it myself, I was thrilled to gain further insight into the life of best selling author Ken Follet, when I joined Oprah's Book Club in October. I was very interested and somewhat surprised to read some of the comments regarding the rape scenes in the book. Isn't this what writing is all about? To evoke emotions, (as complex and as varied as indivuals themselves) to educate and entertain and invite the reader to look inside themselves to see how they would react to any given circimstance or character? I so admire Ken Follets skill in characterization and the vast wealth of research obviously undertaken to produce a book such as this. With his expertise, we were transported back in time and we reacted to many scenes as if we were there ourselves. Whatever period, whatever subject or whatever message the author wants to portray in the countless hours spent in writing a masterpiece, I as an author would love a fraction of his ability to do this in every work I produce. If we read books soley based on the principles and philosophies on which we live our lives, how bereft of knowledge and understanding we'd be, of our contemporaries, not to mention our ancestors who we are priveleged to meet and know via books such as POTE and decide which role models we'd like to follow.