The Tortuga Society was proud to host it’s inaugural Book Club. This is Session 2 covering the Ken Follett’s novel: The Pillars of the Earth.
Join the Tortuga Society to participate in future sessions!
We discuss —
Session 3 check-in & format
Quick impressions on chapters 3–4: unpredictability vs. logical plotting, multi-perspective storytelling, pacing shift into heavier events. Reminder: add your notes to the shared Notion “Resources” deck for today’s recap and slides.Workmen & Sensory World
Tom Builder’s tactile, “walking across the land” imagery; vivid architecture details foreground labor’s dignity. How sensory description grounds reader in 12th-c. life.Church & Moral Authority
Philip’s interior monologue on candidacy for Prior: balancing spiritual fear, ambition, and political calculus. Debate: should ecclesiastical office be guided by Scripture, authority, or pragmatism?Interpersonal Dynamics & Socialization
Jack’s discovery of paternal lineage; Arthurian-style coming-of-age within mixed-household. Family quarrel (Alfred vs. Jack): Tom’s laissez-faire parenting vs. Ellen’s interjection—when must adults intervene?Power Impulses & Agency
Character-specific drives: William’s lust for dominance ("blood-lust" thrill), Jack’s impulse-driven arson of priory, Philip’s calculated spiritual ascent, Tom’s cathedral-building obsession. Group debate: how raw impulse intertwines with higher reasoning.Blended Family & Marriage Models
Tom & Agnes’s traditional patriarchal stability vs. Tom & Ellen’s egalitarian, fiery partnership. Pros and cons for child development and adult collaboration; “blended household” tensions as timeless dynamic.Religious & Cultural Fluidity
Catholic unity pre-Reformation: English monastic context vs. Frankish “fluid” Catholic rites. How Ellen’s pagan residuals and local superstition clash with Norman Catholic orthodoxy.Character Focus: William & Alina
William’s morally ambiguous “thicky” villainy—animalistic violence tempered by self-awareness. Alina’s proud nobility: first-impression tests, verbal duels, and emerging sympathy through “second-chance” moments.Jack’s Cathedral Arson
Ethical breakdown: boyish mischief meets Promethean fire. Tracking Jack’s self-justifications (“I can still put it out”) and the moment impulse eclipses reason. Anticipating narrative fallout.Loose Threads & Next Deep-Dives
Angevin coinage & Jewish money-lenders (branches, tallies, tithes) queued for upcoming “Angevin money” mini-lecture. Preview: market-licence subplot and evolving merchant class.Next Steps
Reading: finish Chapters 5–6 (approx. p. 160–220) by next meetup (~ 2 weeks).
