When I picked up this very. large. book it was mainly because I had, ambitiously, joined our library's summer reading club. One requirement for said club was to read a book along the lines of this year's theme, which was something medievalish - I don't remember the clever title they gave it. Anyhoo, this book was there amidst the suggested titles, and I picked it up. It's kind of your age-old tale of good versus evil, with good looking like it's doing pretty well until evil comes along with one of its evil-type schemes and proceeds to smash and burn good, after which good rises from the ashes and begins to rebuild, prompting evil to rape and pillage and steal, to which good counteracts with a clever plan, at which point evil gets desperate and swoops in with an under-handed plot, causing good only to rally harder and triumph in the end. Basically.
The story takes place in the middle of the 12th century and centers on the fictional town of Kingsbridge in England. Tom the stonemason, homeless, penniless, and with his family in tow, desperately searches for work, always hoping to realize his dream of building a beautiful cathedral. He comes upon Kingsbridge and its monastary, where he and the prior, Philip, join forces to build a cathedral that will glorify God and turn the world's eye to their humble village in the process. Countless forces work against them, time and again nearly dashing their vision and seeking to take their very lives, but their perseverance along with Philip's vigilance in following the Lord's will with their actions (and counteractions) lead to ultimate victory.
BOTTOM LINE: I know - a book about building a church? With lots of architectural terms to wade through? And raping and pillaging thrown in there? I don't necessarily understand why to this day, but I found myself drawn into the story and its characters and had to continue to the end. I'm glad I did. Because (spoiler) good triumphs.
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