Mason’s Reviews > The Pillars of the Earth > Status Update

Long story short, I always felt a slight twinge of despair dropping a novel over 600 pages in, so I've decided to give it another go given that it has been rotting on my shelf. I have been reminded of what I found so compelling in the initial 300-odd pages, particularly the intense readability of the style, as every page breezes by. However, I cannot praise this novel when Aliena is so prominently featured. Jesus.

going to fall asleep fr

so odd how this will quickly switch between impressive bits of writing to the most juvenile sexual comments that could be pulled off in this setting. the latter is often dripping with misogyny but utterly hilarious at least?

another thing of note: the way this novel describes women is a) monotonous and b) fucking hilarious.

if i hear one more thing about big breasts and curly masses of hair i'm going to kill somebody (preferably mr follett)

eh

have appreciation for the characters and attention to detail, but the writing style can be a bit odd, particularly in description. sorta hit or miss i guess? with the real "miss" being anything about alliena or however you spell it

like a medieval soap-opera, intensely dramatic and detailed. at this point i'm mostly sold on it.
chapter 4 was crazy

started the 17th
good so far, elaborate but not difficult to read