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
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    26,632
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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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

best epic book ever

Superb story , captivating characters, perfect narration. Best book i've listened to so far. Made me a devout follower of Ken Follett.

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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

Fairly simple plot; Epic in proportion

Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be continuing on with the series. Masterfully written with characters so real you will hurt for them, fall for them, hate them, and laugh with them. Easy to follow plot but richly detailed and thorough with a few surprises along the way.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Epic tale.

Pretty solid storyline and great performance too. Enough acting to detail the characters but no more. Let’s the writers storytelling shine through. Normally I’m a SCI fi fan so it took a bit to adjust to the fact that the only tech was cloth felting and architecture but the characters and well developed plot kept me going. Fascinating time period.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful

can't stop listening! Very different and very worth reading. This is definitely a word of mouth book

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

Epic!


I really enjoyed this book and spent so much time listening to the tale that spans over 4 decades that in the end the characters felt like family. Ken Follet managed to paint a realistic picture of what the daily life was like for Pryors, noblemen, craftsmen,and peasants in the 1100's. I have very vivid pictures in my mind of what the cathedral looked like as well as the towns and country around Knightsbridge. I cheered the good guys and boo'd the bad guys all while enjoying the history of the time frame and the wonderful love stories entwined throughout the tale. I have already started the next book, World without End, that starts in the same town with the descendants of the characters I came to love in Pillars of the Earth. Good Read!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book

Great story, and John Lee does an amazing job reading/acting/breathing life into it, as he always does. Even though it's long, I didn't want it to end. The sequel, World Without End, is also worth listening to.

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

A wonderful experience!

This was my 1st audible book and it was a great choice!
Historical novels fascinate me and Ken Follett develops characters and settings so well that I felt I was there, living in the time.
If this had been hard copy, I would have had difficulty putting it down. The experience was so intense that I devised ways to listen in less than ideal conditions and I was sorry when it was finished.
Immediately looked for another book by Ken Follett!.

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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

A Very Satisfying Read!!! Enjoyed Every Moment!!

Any additional comments?

Excellent Historical Fiction!!! It's one of those books in which you feel like you have been there....so well written (and read) it is......hmmm......as if you have personally witness each scene as it unfolds.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Spellbinding

we spend many hours on the road and have come to depend on a good story to get us through. Pillars Of The Earth fit the bill beautifully. We spent lots of time sitting in the driveway waiting for a good point to break. To me, that's the sign of a great, well written, well narrated story. The characters were wonderfully presented and the plot held more twists and turns than a roller coaster! The narrator was excellent as well, creating an distinctly different image for each character. It captivated to the very last paragraph. A note on the subject matter: I'm not sure how historically correct this story was, but it gave great insight into what the 1100's were like without the separation of church and state. I found myself glad to be alive present day instead of then.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

awesome

Great story with some midieval history thrown in.

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