Lindsay's Review

Set in the small English town of Kingsbridge in AD 1135, the story follows the trials and tribulations of the construction of a new Cathedral. Amidst the political upheavals and personal ambitions of the clergy, Philip the Prior and the dedicated mason struggle to gain funding for the decades-long project as it becomes embroiled in a murder mystery and the need for architectural innovation.  

A spellbinding historical novel, its carefully researched historical background brings the age to life with an immersive depth. Not only is it a gripping tale, beautifully written, but the knowledge on medieval church architecture inspires a new interest in the reader that makes the churches and cathedrals of Europe visibly awe inspiring. The writing style binds together the people, the project and the power politics of the time, as the reader suffers and hopes along with the characters, their deep romantic connections, sibling rivalries, and the mysterious Lady Aliena. There is a sense of joy at the completion of the cathedral, loss at the finish of the book, and the passing of such dominant and earthy characters. Both a lesson in architectural history, medieval economics and social construction, it romps its way through the relatively unknown but colourful period of 12^th-century England. 


Publishers Reviews

1135 and civil war, famine and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day that he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other. Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce he knows that for his town to survive it must find a way to thrive, and so he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known. As Tom and Philip meet so begins an epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power. In a world beset by strife and enemies that would thwart their plans, they will stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions in a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother .