The Pillars of the Earth

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 40 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known...of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.

A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of 12th century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece.

©1989 Ken Follett (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Critic reviews

"Follett is a master." (The Washington Post)

"A historical novel of gripping readability, authentic atmosphere and detail and memorable characterization." (Publishers Weekly)

Excellent narration

it was a very good and entertaining story helped greatly by the excellent narration.

Hands down, the very best!!!

Normally I don't really read anything involving organised religion. However, My friend insisted that I read this book. I am so glad that I listened to her. This is the best book that I have ever read. Follett uses such vivid imagery when describing everything, that I feel as if I am walking down the road with Tom Builder and his starving family. He keeps you guessing just long enough so that you can not put the book down untill you've found out what the scheme is. I found myself wishing that I could reach into the book and help the protagonists, and hurt the antagonist myself. I recomend this book to anyone who enjoys immersing oneself in a book so completely, that you think about it all day untill you can get back to reading it. You find yourself trying to come up with solutions to the problems facing the characters. This book is a must read!!! It's completely immersive, you may just feel the rumbling of the ground as the horses gallop by!!!

Delightful characters & virtual Medieval England!

Five stars - An exception work of fiction. Compelling story and virtual tour of 13th century England. Follett really delivers with this masterpiece. My first review after more than 200 downloads. Don’t be put off by the length. You will be wishing it were even longer. Am ready to tackle World Without End next.

Don't let the 40 hours scare you

I have to admit that I was hesitant to buy a book that was 40 hours about monks building a cathedral in the 12th century. This book came highly recommended and that is why I bought it. I am glad that I did. It was great. It was masterfully written with great characters and a plot that always kept you guessing. The first hour or so was a bit slow, but after that I found myself sitting in the car waiting for the chapter to end before I got out.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or just a wonderfully written story. My only concern at this point is that i do not think that WWE will live up to this book.

Very surprised

The difference between reading a paper book and listening to an Audible title was brought home to me when I listened to this book.

Years ago, before I joined Audible, I read this book in its paper format and remember telling myself that Ken Follett should stick to World War II spy stories because this book was just boring.

When I saw it available on Audible I had no desire to listen to it, but finally, after seeing all the praise, I relented and bought it. The one good thing was that I was so bored with the paper book that I remembered nothing of the story line. Listening to it was a revelation. How I could have been bored by such an interesting story with such interesting characters still baffles me, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening and expect to order the sequel. The only negative thing I can say is that the characterization of William as such a thoroughly evil man seemed a bit overdone. Each subsequent villainous act seemed unnecessary and some were difficult for me to listen to.

I still continue to be amazed at how differently I view the physical book and the Audible version. Perhaps it was because of the wonderful job that John Lee did in narrating the book, or perhaps I was just not in the proper frame of mind of a large scope book like this when I originally read it, but this is a wonderful book and I recommend it without reservation.

a good read

I was very surprised by how much this book caught my interest - while it is certainly not great historical masterwork - it certainly entertaining and a view into the medieval world of England.
Enjoy it for what it is a sprawling colorful novel - not a long historical tome

Excellent

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to and the narration was fabulous. I could not put it down. Took my IPod with me everywhere, just so I could listen to the next chapter. "World Without End" was equally compelling. Ken Follet is truly a wonderful storyteller.

delightfully different perspective

If you enjoy getting a history lesson by hearing a well written story set in an era, you should love this book. Besides becoming very fond of the primary characters, I felt truly enlightened about how life was "back then." Spanning a period of many years can be difficult to follow or to care about if not handled skillfully. I felt this author did a terrific job of aging the characters while building their history. Also, this book provided a different perspective on a culture that heretofore I felt was rather boring, shallow and primative. Go ahead, read it and stretch your mind.

A wonderful, epic read

This is certainly an "epic" - it spans decades of the main characters lives. Each time you think they are going to be happy and have the fairytale ending, some other tragic event strikes and all is turmoil again. Though I think I could have stood a bit less of the architecture dialog and history, I loved the characters and the setting and the story lines. The narration is wonderfully done. There are some quite graphic sexual and war/fighting passages, so be forewarned if you don't like that sort of thing. I really want to read the sequel, but honestly need an emotional break first after just finishing this one. It is long, but I can't imagine what I might have missed by getting the abridged version. I love historical fiction, where I can get wrapped up into fictional characters but also learn about a different time and place. This is a great example of good historical fiction.

You can't miss this

This book is so well written and such an enjoyable listen that I cannot recommend it more! Even though it clocks in over 40 hours, I was hooked after just 20 minutes and wished it went on for 80. The character development is so complete and the struggles are captivating. The reader really adds a lot to this title as well. His accent and voices complete this book in a way that reading couldn't have.

HIGHLY recommended!