Preview
  • The Pillars of the Earth

  • By: Ken Follett
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 40 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (35,189 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
  • 5 Stars
    26,632
  • 4 Stars
    5,950
  • 3 Stars
    1,580
  • 2 Stars
    539
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Performance
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    21,511
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    19,893
  • 4 Stars
    3,971
  • 3 Stars
    1,048
  • 2 Stars
    349
  • 1 Stars
    297

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

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

Building description

Loved the old buildings and how they were built. Surprised how much I enjoyed that part.

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

Great historical references

Very good and expansive tale. Many interesting characters and lots of conflicts. History and mystery with lots of action!

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

Amazing

Intense
Loved the detail and many description of time
I really liked it HH HH HH HH HH HH

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

Wonderful

i remember reading this book many years ago when i was younger, i loved it completely, just as i loved it again .Listening to it on audible gave it an entirely new life. i listened to the entire series and was taken to a time and place that captivated me. I love historical fiction, especially when it is so well written and narrated. I wish there were more authors like this one.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent 5 stars

Unlike anything I have ever read/heard. A masterpiece! I have never felt a 40 hour long audiobook finish so fast. The story is amazingly captivating. The narration is just perfect. This is a must-listen regardless of your interests in cathedrals and medieval settings.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

A really engrossing book. I couldn’t believe how quickly 40(!) hours went by. John Lee’s narration is very emotive and clear. My one complaint is that, in places, the audio quality isn’t very good—it skips or repeats occasionally almost like a record, and sometimes there are scratchy noises that might drown out a syllable or a word. Feels like at least the skipping could be fixed? But aside from those technical issues, I loved it!

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

amazing book

I read it years ago and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to listen. the narrator having distinct voices for all of the characters is Great. it enriches the story and makes the diologue easy to follow.

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

Incredible character development!

Spectacular book!!
Incredibly well written. Extremely engaging storytelling that was complemented by Excellent narration.

I LOVE history!
So, the fact that this touches the White ship and other real events is awesome!

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

Historical large and minute fact

Nothing. The story followed the timeline magnificently. The historical facts into fiction embodied the understanding of the times

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