The Pillars of the Earth vs The Winds of War: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Historical Fiction, Fiction
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.”
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…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Winds of War
Follows the various members of the Henry family as they become involved in the events preceeding America's involvement in World War II. Like no other masterpiece of historical fiction, Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Winds of War is the quickest read — about 16 hours vs 19 for The Pillars of the Earth.
- The Pillars of the Earth has the widest readership — 855879 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The Pillars of the Earth | The Winds of War | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (855879) | 4.2 (31) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (1034) | 4.3 (39) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (3249) | 5.0 (47) |
Reception
| The Pillars of the Earth | The Winds of War | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 855879 | 47 |
| Editions | 111 | 52 |
| Citations | — | 7 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 598767 | — |
| Reading it now | 39803 | — |
| Written reviews | 43843 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 28093 | 2911 |
| Pages | 1040 | 890 |