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)

One of the best books I've ever read

And I'm a librarian - so I read lots of books! I started doing audio because my library was taking up too much space, but will purchase a book if it's worth the paper. This one is well worth the paper. It was like reading three novels in one; I was engaged throughout.

Engaging Epic

I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this work, but Follett certainly seems to have done his homework. He has created a richly detailed look at day-to-life in the Middle Ages in a magnificent tale of ambition, greed, invention, and deceit. All of us, whether we admit it or not, would like to leave our mark upon history, to leave something behind that future generations can point to and say "he did that." The builders of the great cathedrals did it without power tools, without CAD programs, without much besides ingenuity and persistence. What they built is still here a thousand years later.

Most Captivating book I've listened to

I loved Kite Runner, Water for Elephants, The Time Travellers Wife as well as Naked into Bagdad. They were all great listens, but nothing moved me more than this one. It weaves many incredible stories in one giving an understanding of what it would have been like to live in that time, as well as how facinating it would have been to build a Catherdral.

The length made it feel complete.

Great start, lowsy end - still loved it!

I am loving it! it's interesting enough that I downloaded the sequel and the miniseries. My only critisism is that now, near the end, it seems to just be morphing into a chronology of calamities which is very tedious.

A must read

Could not put this book down didn't want to turn off the mp3 player. Decided to read this before reading World without end and Iam glad I did as it makes more since that way. One of the best books I have ever read and after I was done gave it to my wife and she thought the same. A MUST READ!!!!

Brilliant

Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant.

One of the best books/narrations I have ever had the privilege to hear.

My commute did not seem to be long enough.

A WOW Potboiler...

Pillars is a potboiler, plain and simple. Like most popular fiction, its hallmark is predictability with a heavy splash of action at every turn. And...what a wonderful book.

Follet can tell a tale as we know from his other work set in more contemporary times. He handles his medieval England tale with even more rampaging gusto. There's little time for reflection in Pillars, but who cares?

A bit fewer dastardly turns by the bad guys combined with a bit more character development would have improved Pillars, but the dastardly turns are inventively handled by our heroes and we know them well enough to care about them. This may be the best long novel I've read in the words-in-my-ear-while-walking-the-dog format and will read Follet's sequel as soon as I finish The Historian, another fabulous potboiler of exceptional length.

Excellent!

It was wonderful! Just moment ago I finished it and ran to the MP3 to start the sequel! If you like historical stories, if you have an imagination that can see in pictures and color, if you have an affinity for the period in which this story takes place, I highly recommend this listen. The narration is beyond excellent, keeping the characters separated with intonation and attitude.

I felt a relationship with the characters that only slightly wained, the day to day life of these times is not always easy to listen to.
There is brutality and yes, rape, pillage and murder and these are real and alive with detail.

If you can not open your mind to accept life in a time that doesn't include a Starbucks and a heated seat, perhaps this is not your book...

I found it fascinating and I loved the weaving of people and tales to explain cathedrals, villages (now large cities) and history that are familiar and yet had no explanation on a personal historical level. Although not clearly stated one is left with the thought that the history we accept as truth now could have very well started with a handful of people who believed in themselves, in that way it is even inspirational.

If you liked Angels and Demons more than the Da- Vinci Code, you will love this book!

One of those rare gems!!

I LOVED this book. It is breathtakingly sweeping in its scope and in the way it knits all the pieces of the story together. It reminded me a bit of James Michener (which is a compliment as I love James Michener) in that it got me caught up in a historical period through vibrant characters as if I were there. Before I read the book I cared little about that time period or about church architecture. Now I find the subject stimulating. This is a must-read for lovers of historical epic fiction.

Above excellent!

This is the best book I have listened too. John Lee's excellent narration transports you into the story. I have two hours left and I hate for it to end. I just bought the sequel. When I've finished both books I am sure I will listen to them again!