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)

Pillars of fun

This book has totally changed my perception of audio books. The narrator was excellent and gave personality to the characters and definitely heightened the experience. Great novel, great experence.

One of my favorite books.

I loved the history throughout the story.
The book was so visual that it was better than a video of the story.

Great book, can't put it down.

If you could sum up The Pillars of the Earth in three words, what would they be?

Great page turner.

What did you like best about this story?

Pillars of the Earth takes you through two generations of people and is very historically correct. It is almost like stepping back into time and watching these people live.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Each of the characters are so well developed and you get so evolved with each of them it is hard to pick just one favorite but I guess my one favorite pick would be Jack's mothers.

Who was the most memorable character of The Pillars of the Earth and why?

Lady Adalainna would be the most memorable and another favorite, for her strength of character.

Any additional comments?

This is a very long book but worth the time, I have listened to it twice now and am sure I willl to it again.

a roller coaster of emotions

great narrator. great book. an epic story with so many amazing characters. it ripped my heart out on multiple occasions. just wow.

Shining example of what this medium is capable of

This is one of very few audiobooks I consider ‘perfect’. Not that it’s all things for all people; it’s just a gripping, hugely entertaining experience with no real faults. It shows author Ken Follett and narrator John Lee at their very best. This recording contains the foreword penned for the book’s rerelease in 2007 to accompany the sequel, World Without End, which tells you all you need to know about this book’s place in Follett’s bibliography: it was a game-changer. He, out of sheer curiosity and creativity, shifted from his usual solid thrillers to a sprawling, multi-generational historical epic. It truly has it all: believable, compelling characters, thrilling action and plot twists, immaculately researched historical context and details, and every emotion on the spectrum. Some may find the history and politics to be quite dry; others may find the brutal violence too much. I understand that. But for me, it’s just a wonderful, wonderful book that I read annually. Both the story and its creation are stories of remarkable ambition. It’s the kind of book that makes you say “Where can I get more like this?” It’s amazing to have so much detail, so much history, so much action ... all written in a very accessible style.

John Lee killed it with his performance of this book. Every character is distinct and memorable. Anger, ambition, fear, love, hate, redemption ... all presented in a variety of accents and pitches. It’s quite something. 40+ hours flew by as if they were nothing.

If you have a friend who is on the fence about trying Audible, send them here. It shows you how good an audiobook can be.

Great book

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Involves you right from the beginning. Full of surprises all the way through. A must read

one of a kind

Ken Follet keeps me enthralled!
John Lee plays multiple parts perfectly!
for the 3rd time

One of my favorites

I loved this book. There were a lot of plot twists . There were no slow parts

Wonderful Delightful

A finely written and engaging story! It is one of those books from the very first page until the end, simply and wonderously draws you in, written in such a way, the whole story is just the way it is supposed to be, a natural flow and ebb. Few authors are able to write this way but Mr. Follett seems to have done a keen job of it.

The characters, and there are many, are well developed, not overly done. Their interaction and support of one another is superb. You feel for them, you fear with them, you cry with them, the way you should when you're are fully engrossed in the story, because you begin to live the story.

The story; full of intrigue, conniving, political gain, mystery, plots, betrayals, envy, lust, pride, arrogance, and much much more. Again, a finely woven story, real, believable. A story you live in while you are reading it.

When you have well developed characters and a great story written out so well, you have a wonderful, adventurous story you just want to keep reading, just to know what is going to happen on the next page. I haven't read a book like this since "Lonesome Dove", another wonderfully written story.

Good, but long

The overall story is worth experiencing. However, the actual thrust of the story could be accomplished in less than half of the time. It's worth the read, but only if you are looking for something to fill time.