The tales themselves sound more like 20th century dramas than medieval lives. The story-as he himself has described it-is a series of melodramas over a couple of generations, some of which take the whole book to develop, some of which are settled as they go, much like a Victor Hugo novel, but without the great writing and complex insight. It recreates a medieval world, from the economy of the villages to the politics of the monastery, with intricate and impressive detail on the building of the cathedral and the changing architectural styles and challenges. The aspect of the book I loved most was the setting and the technical details. Some aspects of the work are very impressive, others are rather simplistic pop fiction, but overall it's a rewarding book, and the performance is impressive, considering how long John Lee has to keep your attention with his reading. I read this when it came out, because I was a graduate student of medieval history at the time, and now I've heard it on audiobook. Good historical setting, but loose story. I do wish the author had given his comments at the end of the book, not at the beginning. Sometimes I'd forget it was the same man voicing every character. Some narrators can ruin a book, but John Lee brought all those characters to life. I have a better appreciation for their struggles. I could imagine how hard life really was for them and the life and death effects of the decisions and whims of the rulers. I love historical fiction and enjoyed how the author brought in real events (that I could look up) and gave the ordinary people of that time a voice. I want to marvel at the architecture and imagine the trials and tribulations the builders went through. I'm traveling to England this month for the first time and thanks to this book I've altered my itinerary in order to visit some cathedrals. I personally felt it brought more realism to book, but did not feel like the author overdid the frequency of encounters like some other books do. There are some sexual encounters in this book (some the good kind and others terrible), but they add to the storyline. Some reviews here talk about the book being vulgar, that is not true. I even felt true hatred towards the villains - I would come in from my hour drive home work ranting to my husband how much I hated so and so. Ken Follet is a brilliant writer and really drew me into his characters. Many times I sat in my car once I got to work, just to hear out the rest of the chapter. Well they were right! I just skimmed over some of the reviews here after reading the book and I can't believe some of these people and I read the same book! I personally was never bored with any of the parts. I downloaded this book based on a review by another person who said something about how they couldn't believe a book about a monk trying to build a cathedral could be so interesting.
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