Someone recommended Pillars fo the Earth to me. I wish I could remember who it was so that I could smack them. Even when I bought it, the guy at the register at BAM said, "Oh, that's a great book!"Ok, it's not a great book. It's not even a good book. The dialog makes me feel dumb. Seriously, there is NO depth. Characters say things the real people would NEVER say. Plus children characters talk like adults.There is a lot of sex in this book for no purpose. Follett graphically describes rapes and murders in this book. Personally, I don't mind reading about those issues if it relates to the story. It just seems like the sex and violence is thrown in with no connection to character development or to the plot.So, if you want a mind-numbing read - get this book. If you read literature, skip it. It might make a good beach read for men. I think that some people might find it offensive...like my grandmother. She would put this book in the trash.