Yes, I read Pillars of the Earth when it was first published. I believe I purchased an overpriced copy at a West Berlin airport and devoured most of it by the time I landed at JFK.

I was a bit older than an undergraduate then, but it had a mesmerizing effect on me. It was if I could feel common issues that bind people out of the far past to our own lives.

That scene in the forest branded itself into my spiritual sensibilities. I’ve never forgotten it.

I read the book again in my mid forties, and I think I appreciated it a lot more for its technical expertise and its wonderful storytelling. I remember thinking that it had aged very well and might live to become a classic.

I certainly hope so.

Have you read the two follow-up books? I’m curious to know if your impressions match my own, which I will hold close for now. ;-)