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)

A wonderfully woven story

What did you love best about The Pillars of the Earth?

I loved the characters and the descriptions of their lives and surroundings.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Pillars of the Earth?

The relationships and their surprising ways to finding love, were my most memorable moments

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

John Lee's eloquent English accent enriched the story telling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't listen in one sitting because of the length and often very gory details about terrible human behavior.

Any additional comments?

I rated the story at 4 only because I had to fast forward sometimes during the very terrible episodes when just evil behavior took place. While it was likely true historically, it is disturbing and not my favorite part of the story. Loved the descriptions of the chapels and church, the countryside, the rich characters, and the triumph of good over evil.

What a Story

We think we are advanced in the 21st century but Ken Follett shows us that all the themes of today's book are found in The Pillars of the Earth/

An enthralling listen!

This story was engaging and intriguing. I cannot imagine that I was so captivated with 40+ hours about the building of a cathedral in 12th century England... but I was! The characters were realistic and fully developed - it was easy to get caught up in their tale, to root for their causes, to cry for their sorrows and to hiss at their atrocities. Follett has written an amazing tale and I can see why it spread to such popularity. John Lee's narration is wonderful. He has a rich and full voice that is a pleasure to listen to, even if his characterizations aren't a individualized as I might have hoped for. The only reason I docked one star is for production quality. There are noticeable variances in the recording settings that dramatically change the tone of the narrator's voice and produce high volumes of background audio; unfortunately the narration switches back and forth from one recording session setting to the other many times and it's extremely distracting, especially when it happen mid-passage. If you can get past that (and the story itself assists the listener in doing so) it's a fab download. I just finished it today and have promptly downloaded the sequel.

WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Pillars of the Earth the most enjoyable?

I downloaded this book with some trepidation. After all, I thought, how interesting can a book be about the building of a cathedral in medieval times? This turned out to be one of my favorite reads in quite a while. The story absolutely sucks you in, the characters are given great depth, and the story is centered around real historic events in late 12th century England. I am really looking forward to reading World Without End, the sort-of sequel to this book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

MURDER, SEX, AND MASONRY

Love this!

I'm listening during my daily walk. I've increased my distance from 3 to 4 miles with this book! Can't wait to get out each day for the next installment.

Very good story, great narration.

This is a long book set in the 13th century. Spanning decades and tying together many characters' lives, it never becomes tedious. perhaps it is the incredible narration, or just wonderful story telling. Either way, I'm moving right ahead to ther next book in the series.

Favourite book

Adore the story & level of detail in the book & they choose the perfect reader to compliment the story.

Great historical fiction.

Saw the architecture in the cathedral on recent trip thru Great Britain. ST PAUL Cathedral

Bravo!!!

Made my mundane physical daily work exciting. What a story, what an adventure! Thank you Mr. Follett.

Unexpected delight

What did you love best about The Pillars of the Earth?

The real characters and wonderful narration made this book worth listening too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eliena was an inspiring character with her strength and real compassion.

Which scene was your favorite?

I would love to tell you my favorite scene, but I don't want to give the story away.

Any additional comments?

I admit to stopping listening to this book several times over in favor of other books, but I kept returning to it. The last ten hours are so I had to sit and listen every moment I could.