Pillars of The Earth Slow Read

A shared feast of Ken Follett's literary treat

Hello and welcome to the 2025 slow read of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth!

I am so glad to have you join us on this special adventure, starting on the 1st of January 2025. Whether you’ve read Ken Follett’s masterpiece before, or you’re a newcomer to this literary delight, it’s such a joy to be able to share this reading experience with you!

Personally, I will be enjoying the 2017 Pan Books edition, which has a total page count of 1076 (excluding the epilogue containing the sequel), which this slow read is based off of. Page count is therefore only indicative. Of course, you can read another edition, an e-book edition, or audiobook.

Below you will find the overall schedule for our 2025 slow read, in a time-table like manner.

There are 18 chapters in total, so we will need to read approximately 1.5 chapters every month! (However, with some calculation, we realize it only comes to an average of 100 pages a month - now that doesn’t sound too bad!)
This is not a challenge for the faint of heart, so make sure to allocate enough time weekly to read. Perhaps it can become your little ritual - snuggled up before bed, accompanying the morning coffee, or on the daily commute?

On every 1^st of the month, I will post the appropriate monthly schedule, detailing from that week’s page count down to the last sentence of the week! These posts will look something like this:

January:

Week 1:

• Prologue (7 pages)

• Part 1 - chapter 1, i - chapter ii (28 pages)

• last sentence: “Agnes said crisply: […].’”*

Week 2: [secret]

Week 3: [secret]

Week 4:

• chapter 2, i - chapter 2, ii (41 pages)

• last sentence: “[…]; and by the time Philip has shortened his reins and got the horse under control he was too far away to say goodbye.”

*any bits of last sentences I deem to be spoilers, will be censored with […] to keep in mind those who do not wish to be spoiled by reading the weekly schedule. If I deem it hard to decipher or non-spoilery, I will let it stand verbatim.

Starting on the second week I will post a recap of the past week’s reading (meaning there’s no recap post on week 1), alongside some reflections. Those willing can post their own thoughts, reflections, questions, favorite quotes etc. in the comments; I will also be posting in Chat for those paid subscribers who wish to discuss the chapters in a more in-depth dialogue.

I hope that this works out for everyone. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Feedback is also welcome (think constructive criticism).

You can ask in the comments or e-mail me at theculturaldiegetic@substack.com

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Other read alongs happening here on The Cultural Diegetic in 2025**:

March: Stoner by John E. Williams - what better way to start off spring than with reading two books? This beautiful campus novel tells the tale of a poor William Stoner falling in love with English literature and embracing a scholar’s life, perhaps to the detriment of his relationships with those close to him. Themes include loneliness, self discovery, academia, and life’s inevitable tragedies.
“Lust and learning,” Katherine once said. “That’s really all there is, isn’t it?”

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June: Maurice by E. M. Forster - celebrate pride month with me! Inspired by Forster’s own experiences, Maurice is a novel which follows its namesake through his schoolyears to university and beyond. Maurice grapples with his homosexuality throughout the novel, which takes place (and was written) in an England where being gay is illegal. Themes include homosexuality in an unforgiving society, love and sacrifice, and class differences.
“I am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort.”

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November: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - needless to say, a timeless classic and my favorite novel of all time! A college student obsessed with his discovery of the secret behind life, but who then must face the dire consequences of what he has brought into the world. Interpretations of the novel’s themes range from motherhood & birth, the consequences of playing god, (bio)ethics surrounding science, and the insatiable thirst for knowledge.
“It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.”

These read alongs will be more relaxed compared to the slow read. Less of a tight schedule, because there is none! The books are shorter, around 250-300 pages each. We start on the first of the month, and try to finish by the end of it - but if it takes you longer, then it does! Chat will be open to discussions, as well as comments under each book’s read-along-post. Enjoy!

**you do not need to join all of these, or join the slow read of Pillars of the Earth to join these. A lot of us are avid readers and will read other books alongside this slow read anyway; the TBR never really diminishes, does it? Arrange your plate exactly how you want it! (And yes, the theme for this year is, loosely, campus novels.)

Make sure you keep up to date with all the slow read schedules, recap posts, and more by subscribing:

Or, if you’d like access to exclusive chats, extra posts (also non-POTE related), and have the full The Cultural Diegetic archive at your leisure, I am currently having a 30% off annual subscription plans! Get it before the timer runs out!

Hope to see you there!