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 Benchmark

Fantastic production. This story is the epic tale by which others shall be judged. The story is relatively simple, but it is so masterfully told one will enjoy a marvelous weaving of characters and details along the way.

Fantastic book but definitely mature subject matter

This is one of the best books I’ve ever listen to but I definitely wouldn’t recommend listening to it at work or with young children around!

A psychic Experience

This isn’t a book, it is a psychic experience. My first real adventure into Audible.com, I did not think I could concentrate well enough for such a drop book. Nevertheless, I walked along with John Lee’s voice and I did not miss a beat. I can’t wait to try another.

Great..

I loved this book and all the characters. The way the book tells the story is so different. The only down side is the one of the characters is left out in the end.

Longest, best book I’ve ever read.

It really was moving and fantastic. I’ve never pulled so hard for so many fictional characters in my life! I was hooked from the beginning and was sad when it was over. I highly recommend this book. A good bang for your buck!

A fully-fleshed epic

I love this book and it’s sequel. It’s well written and perfectly narrated. The rape and pillage parts are painful, and frankly, after reading this many times, occasionally, I’ll skip those painful parts.

Follett is a master at developing deeply wicked antagonists that are easy to hate. This book has a Dickinson-like ending that has each character's story neatly tied up in a bow. My favorite type.

Enjoy, and consider the next book in the series, excellent as well, but really the same characters, with new names a few generations later, leading a similarly complicated life fighting good and evil—and the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages. A great ride, all around!

Great Narrator

John Lee is very, very good - 5 star performance. As far as the story goes, I gave it 4 stars because I struggle liking the female characters and the way they are portrayed...but the way Ken F weaves the stories all together is fantastic. He is brilliant.

A Great Tome

Highly recommend. Every page is engaging and interesting. Every sentence moves the story along. I can’t imagine the sheer amount of historical and architectural documents that had to be studied and reviewed to make this book happen. “Pillars” is brutal, human, and grand.


ONLY DOWNSIDE: The story can be a little too “noble-bright”, especially at the end. Maybe I’m just too cynical. Hardly a downside, actually.

A favorite of mine for decades.

This has always been one of my favorites tales. I notice that a small minority of reviewers are a bit squeamish with regard to the graphic portrayals of violence in this work, but these characters lived in a violent age. The story is set during a time when men fought wars such that one could feel the breath and smell the sweat of his enemy. The age was, and this story is, close up and personal. It's not terribly unlike Bernard Cornwall's Saxon Tales or Grail Quest sagas. I'm very fond of the heroes in this story. I especially like Tom Builder and Prior Phillip. I like to think that there are some people that are determined enough to resist abuses of power and the misfortunes that may happen in life. I enjoy complex story lines that weave in multiple characters and follow them over long periods of time. "Pillars" reminds me of Edward Rutherfurd's "Sarum" or Bernard Cornwell's "Stonehenge". There is a reason this is widely considered to be Follett's magnum opus and I certainly enjoy reading it and listening to it.

Amazing Story

This is a departure from my usual reading and listening experience. I discovered this reading a review of an Alastair Reynolds novel and he heaped praise on this book. I agree.
The common denominator is the narrator, John Lee. Excellent work.