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)

The 40 hours of listening was worth every minute. I couldn't wait to hear what happens next.

A history lesson energized with literary mastery. A potentially out-of-touch subject emerges as an insightful piece of fiction. The storyline is captivating even though it spans generations, The characters are fight or flight/living/breathing human beings . However, the reason for giving the story portion four stars instead of five is that sometimes the characters seem a little static and we are TOLD what they are like rather than SHOWN through dialogue and action--perhaps necessary because of the novel's length. Secondly, I will definitely use parts of this work in my literature classes as an example of how to mail the fiction with the real world life.

Great Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it is extremely violent in certain parts, I enjoyed the history, the extensive character development, and watching the plot develop and characters grow throughout the entire novel. I highly recommend this book.

Loved the audible version of this book

I've read this book three or four times. I've lent copies, never to be returned because the borrowers were unwilling to part with such a beloved story. Listening on audible allowed me to enjoy time with old friends while walking, hiking, and on planes. Excellent narration.

An enjoyable investment of 40 hours!

An excellent period story -- well-researched, fascinating, great character development. I recommend that The Pillars of the Earth be read before reading the second book, World Without End.

This book would have rated five stars, if it had not contained so many scenes of detailed brutality and violence. Other than this flaw, I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the depth of the characters, with their weaknesses, bravery, capacity for love, and ingenuity. Follett painted a beautifully detailed landscape of intertwined lives, and integrated fascinating details of 12th century life and architecture.

Possibly my favorite book of all time.

Swords? Knights? Kingdoms? Castles? Sorry. just not my thing. WOW was I ever wrong! I suppose this is the definition of spellbinding. Could not leave it for long. The narration and story were superb. Read/Listen to this book.
You will not be disappointed.

Great book

Any additional comments?

Magnificent story, lots of real facts and history create a setting for the complicated family affairs and human interactions.

absolutely amazing

I loved this book. It is long, but well worth the time you'll spend on it.

Captivating

It was so detailed in it's intricacy of storytelling, that I found myself unable to pull away from the book for even a moment. A true hidden treasure.

Good but long

I love this story. The ups and downs of a whole town of people. I get irritated by all of the very specific details however. IMO don't need to know about every last sword swing in a fight. It would be much faster to read this than listen. But it's not the first time I've listened nor will it be the last.

Possibly favorite book of all time!

Where does The Pillars of the Earth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

#1

What other book might you compare The Pillars of the Earth to and why?

None compares. Glad I listened too, rather than read.

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

Didn't have a favorite.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Very emotionally involved. Couldn't stop listening. Cryed a lot, cared about the people.