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  • The Pillars of the Earth

  • By: Ken Follett
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 40 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (35,174 ratings)

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The Pillars of the Earth

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: John Lee
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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)

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What listeners say about The Pillars of the Earth

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    26,620
  • 4 Stars
    5,948
  • 3 Stars
    1,580
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    538
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Story
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    19,882
  • 4 Stars
    3,971
  • 3 Stars
    1,048
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    296

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Character development

This multi-generational story beautifully supports the book title.
I’d love to hear a modern day saga about characters of their stamina and integrity.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent audiobook

Great story and very talented narrator. I’m like to listen to more from Ken Follett!!

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pillars of the earth

I was kept listening by the repeated events of suspense in the story's hanging possibilities

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Story

When I saw 35 hours of audio I thought I was in for something that would feel like forever but I was sucked in! I wasn’t expecting the detailed sexual abuse but can understand why it was necessary for the characters.

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  • Overall
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Great Story

This was a captivating and fun listen. The characters were well developed and I really liked learning about historical life.

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A beautiful story

Beautiful, captivating and fun. A long book that I wish was even longer. I’m looking forward to watching the show now!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great story

This a really great novel based on fascinating history. I greatly enjoyed it. I’ve read it twice.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Phenomenal narration for an incredible historical fiction novel.

Absolutely incredible! Listen to this 3 times now. Better each time!
Highly recommended! Start with the evening and the morning!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The best historical fiction novel book on medieval history!

I loved every thing except that it ended. I loved the narrator and the interweaving of fiction with fact.

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The narration was fabulous! What a story! I could “see” it!

I could “see” the events clearly. What an amazing story. Now on to his next book. I’ve found my favorite author.

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