In the course of creating his Kingsbridge saga, Ken Follett has extensively studied gothic architecture, and two days after Notre-Dame burned, he was in Paris to appear on a French TV show discussing the significance of cathedrals. Deeply moved, he penned this this affectionate and conversational tribute to the iconic house of worship, looking in on Notre-Dame at key dates in its 800-year history, while offering compelling anecdotes about Victor Hugo, Charles De Gaulle, and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.