I am about to reread this book yet again, as I do about every 5 years or so, because it is time for me to open the tapestry and see the story unfold. I love books, and have since I was a young child, and never thought I would be able to choose a #1 book of all time....until I read Pillars of the Earth. I had long been a fan of Ken Follet's spy and espionage novels, Key to REbecca, Eye of the Needle, etc., and as a bookstore manager when this book came out was anticipating another good read. Well, Mr. Follet outdid himself with this book-it is my #1 for all time. The characters are so vivid you want to protect/murder them (depending on who they are, of course), and the historical perspective makes you feel as though you are right alongside the Master Builder and his family each step of the way. I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Follet a year ago at a lecture, and was able to have him sign my hard cover first edition of this book. He told us that he is working on a sequel for this novel, set some 500 years after Pillats ends, and I'll be at the door of B&N waiting for my copy when it arrives!!