2 of 2 copies available
“[A] treasure of a book.” —The New Yorker
In this short, spellbinding book, international bestselling author Ken Follett describes the emotions that gripped him when he learned about the fire that threatened to destroy one of the greatest cathedrals in the world—the Notre-Dame de Paris. Follett then tells the story of the cathedral, from its construction to the role it has played across time and history, and he reveals the influence that the Notre-Dame had upon cathedrals around the world and on the writing of one of Follett's most famous and beloved novels, The Pillars of the Earth.
Ken Follett will donate his proceeds from this book to the charity La Fondation du Patrimoine.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 29, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593172346
- File size: 29945 KB
- Duration: 01:02:23
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Ken Follett doesn't usually narrate his own works, something many will regret after listening to his fine performance of this short audiobook history of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Written in response to 2019's devastating fire, Follett's narrative has a personal investment lacking in many histories and, at the same time, a factual authority absent in many narratives based on a contemporary event. Just over an hour long, this historical essay is a series of brief chapters on cathedral building, the career of Victor Hugo, Charles de Gaulle's return to Paris in 1944, and more. Informative, enlightening glimpses of a rich history are performed with deep affection and skill. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine -
September 23, 2019
In this concise and informative work, written to raise money for the restoration of Notre Dame after its recent fire, Follett (Eye of the Needle) focuses on six key dates in the cathedral’s history. These include 1163, when work first began on constructing a Gothic church; 1831, when Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published, helping to immortalize the structure; and 1844, when Viollet-Le-Duc began his controversial restoration of the crumbling building. Another significant date, 1944, was when Charles de Gaulle boldly faced snipers to walk 190 feet to the cathedral’s front pew to commemorate the ousting of the Nazis from Paris. Follett, whose novel The Pillars of the Earth concerns the building of a medieval cathedral, brings his expert scene building to these snippets of Notre Dame’s history. He packs a great deal into a short space, emphasizing that, starting as a Romanesque structure and ending with current post-fire rebuilding efforts, Notre Dame has never been a church unaltered; instead, the monument has been reinvented many times during its long history. Follett’s appreciative tribute provides comfort that the scars of the recent fire will pass, as well. This satisfying book will be a must-read for those interested in the rebuilding of Notre Dame.
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