I devour books

I devour books. That is my euphemism for being so OCD that I can't put it down and live my life until I finish it. For shorter books, that's generally not a problem, but for the 974 page Pillars of the Earth...well, let's just say we ran out of food, my children clung to my legs asking for food, and the floors did not get vacuumed for a good five days while I whittled away at this book. 

CLIFF HANGER: This book is not a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter kind of book, which makes it easier to read it in multiple sittings. However, Follett does such a masterful job of character development, that I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next whether the end of the chapter contained a cliffhanger ending or not. 

CHARACTER DEV'T: Each character is so beautifully defined and fleshed out, that they become almost real. I felt that I knew them personally, that I could accurately predict how they would react in different situations. None of them were 100% good or bad, just like in real life. Some priests were holy, others evil; some were rich people with big hearts, others with small minds and evil intentions; some poor farmers were judgmental, w/narrow-minded attitudes, others opened their doors to strangers.Sheath/Column Ruching Blue Chiffon Prom dresses 

PLOT/PACE: Foreshadowing was a very powerful convention that Follett skillfully weaved in and out of every chapter. It gave subtle hints, but never so overt as to suggest that the reader may be an imbecile. Backstories meander and come to closure at such a nice pace, that it always feels like something is happening and things are being resolved, for better or for worse. 

THEMES: My favorite theme was that natural consequences followed the actions of the characters. (I'm still a bit out of sorts after reading the deus ex machina riddled Breaking Dawn, where all the natural consequences of three books worth of actions were completely erased-ugh.) There was a natural ebb and flow of triumph and misfortunes in Pillars of the Earth. Good things happened to bad people and bad things happened to good people,Satin Sweetheart Split-front Floor-length Sweep Train Evening Dress just like in real life. Follett does not try to save his characters from themselves, or from each other, and I enjoyed that very much. 

STRONG WOMEN: I absolutely adored the strong women in this book! What a joy to read about Aliena,Simply Chiffon One Shoulder Beaded Evening Dresses carving out her own future after her world had been turned upside down! Life knocked her down plenty, but each time, she got up, made a plan,Purple Chiffon A-line V-neck Beaded Applique Prom Dress and triumphed eventually. Ellen, and Agnes in her own way, were also strong women. 

OVERALL IMPRESSION: As strange as it sounds, with all of the despair and misery that took place, the overarching take home for me, was HOPE. In the face of overwhelming adversity, these characters triumphed.Chiffon A-line/Princess Empire Beaded Prom Dress The road was hard and the journey was long, but they CHOSE hope. They CHOSE faith. And in the end, that was all that mattered.