The interloper vs The Pillars of the Earth: Which Should You Read?
The interloper
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Some lists of her John Coffin series identify this as Coffin's first appearance as a main character; very rare and hard to find, very expensive used, wish someone would reprint or make as an e-book
The Pillars of the Earth
“IN A BROAD VALLEY, at the foot of a sloping hillside, beside a clear bubbling stream, Tom was building a house.”
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The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Pillars of the Earth highest: The Pillars of the Earth 4.4 · The interloper 3.8.
- The interloper is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 19 for The Pillars of the Earth.
- The Pillars of the Earth has the widest readership — 855879 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The interloper | The Pillars of the Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (3470) | 4.3 (855879) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (1) | 4.2 (1034) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (3249) |
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Reception
| The interloper | The Pillars of the Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3470 | 855879 |
| Editions | 1 | 111 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 16 | 598767 |
| Reading it now | — | 39803 |
| Written reviews | — | 43843 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 28093 |
| Pages | 222 | 1040 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The interloper or The Pillars of the Earth?
The Pillars of the Earth has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Pillars of the Earth 4.4/5, The interloper 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The interloper or The Pillars of the Earth?
The interloper is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The interloper (222 pages, ≈ 4 h 07 m); The Pillars of the Earth (1040 pages, ≈ 19 h 16 m).
Which is harder to read: The interloper or The Pillars of the Earth?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The interloper: Moderate; The Pillars of the Earth: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The interloper: no film adaptation on record; The Pillars of the Earth: 2 film adaptations.