Big Summer Book Challenge

The Big Book Summer Challenge is hosted by Sue @ Book by Book.  It's an easy one -- read at least one book over 400 pages.  That means we can read as many big books as we have time and inclination for.  I knew immediately which book I've always seemed too busy to read.  Its 973 pages have proved a barrier, which I hope to conquer before Labor Day weekend.  Here's my one and only choice:

The Pillars of the Earth ~ by Ken Follett, 1989, fiction (England)

The building of a mighty Gothic cathedral in England in the twelfth century sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal, faith, ambition, and bloodshed.  It's about ...

✓  Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known.

✓  Tom, the mason who becomes his architect, a man divided in his soul.

✓  Lady Aliena, beautiful, elusive, and haunted by a secret shame.

It's about a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.