The Pillars of the Earth - reading

Finished "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I chose Ken Follett because a coworker said he enjoys Ken's books. I read a few reviews of this before I picked it up and can now say that I agree with what those reviewers said. There are definitely times when the author tells us things that we have already figured out, as though explaining it to a child. There are times when the author repeats things that he need not repeat. This is why I went with 4 stars rather than 5.


BUT


As the story unfolded, I could look past that. I was so interested in the characters and the events of their lives in the several decades the story spans that I found myself thinking, "okay, Ken, I know this. Let's get back to the story" whenever the unnecessary explanations came up, but that was it. It was a distraction, but not enough of a detraction. The story itself brought that period of history to life.