Buy The Pillars of the Earth

On the death of King Henry I, there is a schism in the succession leading eventually to civil war during a period now known as the Anarchy. Before his death, the King had sought the support of the noblemen and the clergy in favor of his newborn grandson, the future Henry II and requested that they all recognize his daughter Maude as the rightful ruler until his grandson comes of age. Henry's nephew Stephen has his eye on the throne and with the support of the Church, is soon crowned King. Maude has her supporters however, including Bartholomew, the Earl of Shiring, whose nemesis Percy Hamleigh would like nothing better than to find an excuse to take his lands and his title. Meanwhile a monk, Philip, returns to Kingsbridge Priory when his mentor falls gravely ill and receives an interesting offer from Father Waleran - in return for the Priory's support in making him Bishop, Philip will be made Prior. Meanwhile, Tom Builder, a stone mason, travels the countryside with his wife, daughter and son looking for any work that will feed them in these hard times. When his wife dies in childbirth he decides to leave the newborn on her grave but returns to retrieve him only to find that the infant has been taken. Ellen and her near-mute son Jack join Tom and his family in his travels.
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Tom Builder, his children, Ellen and her son Jack arrive at Kingsbridge Priory in the hope of finding work. The church is in need of repair but Prior Philip has no money and is unable to hire them. After the church burns down, Tom presents a plan for a new a new style of church with pointed arches and large windows. Philip decides to ask the King for funds and learns a hard lesson in politics after making a deal, or so he thought, with Percy Hamleigh's scheming wife. His dealings with the Hamleighs also earns him the enmity of Bishop Waleran. With Philip away from the Priory, Tom's son accuses Ellen of witchcraft and she is arrested. Valeran is most keen for the trial to begin and it's revealed she may be privy to a deeply held secret she revealed to him during confession. Meanwhile William Hamleigh, son of the new Earl of Shiring visits the castle and assaults Bartholomew daughter Aliena. She swears she will get her revenge and restore the title and property to her brother. In France, Maude prepares for battle.
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Construction of the new church at Kingsbridge Priory is underway. They have too few men and Prior Philip hopes the sale of this year's wool will give them the money they need to hire more workers. When the time comes to quarry the stone William Hamleigh prevents Tom Builder from starting working leading to a major confrontation with the monks of the Priory. Meanwhile, Aliena and her brother Richard travel to Winchester to witness their father's execution and plead for mercy. King Stephen refuses but does offer Richard a place in his army. Aliena comes up with a scheme to make enough money to buy Richard the horse and armor he will need to be a Knight. King Stephen has also been having nightmares and a visit to Kingsbridge Priory to view the progress of the church construction pushes him over the edge.
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William applies to have his father’s title of Earl transferred to him, and discovers a mysterious knight is also a rival for the Earldom. King Stephen, frightened by Jack’s appearance, orders an assassin to kill him. The battle between King Stephen and Maud sees each side’s leader being taken hostage. Philip is tortured into a confession when Waleran tells Maud that he is the man who betrayed Earl Bartholomew.
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Waleran and Regan engineer the prisoner exchange so that they remain on the winning side of the war. Tom wants Jack and Alfred to be friends, but their rivalry over their work lives and Aliena is too intense. Meanwhile, William decides to attack Kingsbridge as a way to stop the fleece fair and Aliena’s success. The Hamleighs and Prior Philip are granted rights to Shiring land, but it comes with a price.
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The war is over and Maude has returned to France leaving King Stephen once again unchallenged. Richard returns to Kingsbridge just after William Hamleigh's attack on the market. Aliena has lost everything and can no longer support Richard's knighthood. Alfred sees an opportunity and asks Aliena to marry him, promising to support Richard as well. After Tom Builder's funeral, Alfred also offers himself as master builder promising to build a vaulted roof made of stone. When the day to bless the church arrives 8 months later, tragedy strikes leaving many dead. Events also reveal Aliena's betrayal of Alfred who promptly throws her out of the house. The tragedy also has an unwelcome effect on Bishop Waleran and Prior Philip. Jack meanwhile has long ago left Kingsbridge and gone off to France to find his father's family. Now without a place to live, Aliena sets off to find him.
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In Saint Denis, France Jack learns of Euclidean geometry which provides him with the key to building a stone structure that can withstand its own weight. Aliena and the baby have been searching for him and find him there. They decide to return to Kingsbridge but while waiting for transport in Cherbourg he discovers his father's family and learns that his father was on the White Ship that burned and killed Prince William, the heir to Henry I's throne and King Stephen's predecessor. In Kingsbridge, Philip is no longer Prior but receives a surprising offer from Bishop Waleran to be his Archdeacon and be in charge of the area while Waleran goes off to Rome. Jack and Aliena are warmly received by everyone except Alfred who, not surprisingly, still bears a grudge. Jack proposes to re-start the work on the cathedral and brings with him a weeping statue of the Madonna and Child. Waleran and the Hamleighs continue to plot against Kingsbridge but this time the residents prepare for an attack.
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Some 10 years have now passed and Jack is approaching the end of building the cathedral. During a storm however, he notices that some of the mortar between the stone is being ground down. He manages to find both the cause of the loose stones as well as the solution. Richard returns to England from the Crusades in the Holy Land more determined than ever to regain Shiring and the title that he feels is rightly his. King Stephen's son grants him what he wants, but Richard will have to take Shiring castle by force if he is to regain his title. Waleran for his part devises a plot to convict Jack of murder and to execute him. In the course of the trial however, the truth about Waleran's role in the death of Prince William and the burning of the White Ship is revealed.
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