Book Review
Notre-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals By Ken Follett
The devastating fire of Notre Dame cathedral in April 2019 personally affected bestselling author Ken Follett. Inspiring him to write this book as an expression of love for Notre Dame, for all it has given him and to donate the proceeds of the book to the restoration project.
Follett is the author of bestselling historical fiction including, The Pillars of the Earth, which is based on the drama and intrigue around the building of a great cathedral like Notre Dame.
Follett explains his great love of cathedrals - "the architecture, the music, the words of the Bible and the sense of sharing something profound with other people." In Notre-Dame we learn about the highlights of the cathedral’s history. Its current gothic form began nearly 1,000 years ago as the latest replacement of many successive Christian buildings on the Ile de la Cité in Paris. Even a Roman temple stood there prior to the arrival of Christianity.
As well as points of interest, Follett also writes of the different things that cathedrals embody for different people and different social groups.
This is a quick read that will appeal to fans of Ken Follett's books, those who enjoy architecture, cathedrals, Parisian history or anyone who wants to reminisce about their own visit to this sacred place.
