Page "The Pillars of the Earth" Paragraph 22

::... developed an interest in cathedrals.

Before too long, it occurred to me to channel this enthusiasm into a novel.

I knew it had to be a long book.

It took at least thirty years to build a cathedral and most took longer because they would run out of money, or be attacked or invaded.

So the story covers the entire lives of the main characters.

My publishers were a little nervous about such a very unlikely subject but, paradoxically, it is my most popular book.

It's also the book I'm most proud of.

It recreates, quite vividly, the entire life of the village and the people who live there.

You feel you know the place and the people as intimately as if you yourself were living there in the Middle Ages.