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)

Excellent

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to and the narration was fabulous. I could not put it down. Took my IPod with me everywhere, just so I could listen to the next chapter. "World Without End" was equally compelling. Ken Follet is truly a wonderful storyteller.

delightfully different perspective

If you enjoy getting a history lesson by hearing a well written story set in an era, you should love this book. Besides becoming very fond of the primary characters, I felt truly enlightened about how life was "back then." Spanning a period of many years can be difficult to follow or to care about if not handled skillfully. I felt this author did a terrific job of aging the characters while building their history. Also, this book provided a different perspective on a culture that heretofore I felt was rather boring, shallow and primative. Go ahead, read it and stretch your mind.

A wonderful, epic read

This is certainly an "epic" - it spans decades of the main characters lives. Each time you think they are going to be happy and have the fairytale ending, some other tragic event strikes and all is turmoil again. Though I think I could have stood a bit less of the architecture dialog and history, I loved the characters and the setting and the story lines. The narration is wonderfully done. There are some quite graphic sexual and war/fighting passages, so be forewarned if you don't like that sort of thing. I really want to read the sequel, but honestly need an emotional break first after just finishing this one. It is long, but I can't imagine what I might have missed by getting the abridged version. I love historical fiction, where I can get wrapped up into fictional characters but also learn about a different time and place. This is a great example of good historical fiction.

You can't miss this

This book is so well written and such an enjoyable listen that I cannot recommend it more! Even though it clocks in over 40 hours, I was hooked after just 20 minutes and wished it went on for 80. The character development is so complete and the struggles are captivating. The reader really adds a lot to this title as well. His accent and voices complete this book in a way that reading couldn't have.

HIGHLY recommended!

a great read

This book was a pleasant surprise; the characters were developed so completely that I couldn't wait to learn of the next part of each characters' story. The story overall was so engaging that I found myself taking a quick breath in and reacting to the different characters' situations. In addition, there were a lot of interesting details describing how churches of long ago were built. I recommend this book heartily.

Captivating and excellent throughout

First, a word on the narrator, John Lee. I've hated John Lee since I heard him butcher one of the Song of Ice and Fire books. I find that he over-enunciates to an obnoxious extent, and he frequently reads dramatic passages and descriptive passages with exactly the same energy and inflection, creating a reading with no dynamic range at all. HOWEVER, in this particular instance, I found John Lee's narration to be very good. His style was well suited to this book, and if it suffered from any of the things I mentioned before, I didn't notice them.

Now, the book itself: I've been looking for an adventure book that had the feel the fantasy novels I've come to enjoy, but without the crutch of magic and mythical creatures. This book delivered exactly that. There were heroes and villains and vendettas and political power struggles... all very fun to listen to.

My one complaint with the book was that the bad guys were too bad, and the good guys were too good. The characters had no nuance to them. They just fell flat. I wouldn't have minded this sort of thing 10 years ago, but after books like Song of Ice and Fire, and TV shows like Sopranos, Breaking Bad and The Wire, morally ambiguous characters have become a must for me.

To all the people complaining about the sex and rape in this book: grow up. This is a adult novel about adult themes in an uncivilized society. They were explored expertly. Nothing felt gratuitous. Nothing felt forced or overdone. It was just intense. If you can't handle that, go read some young adult fiction.

Well Done

This is the first fiction book I have ever listened to and it was amazing. What an exciting story with real life principles. This book will make you appreciate how good we have it as well as understand the underlying needs and motivation of human nature. Be prepared for a long journey, but well worth it.

An epic delight

I just finished listening to this book for the second time in less than a year, and I know I will listen to it again. I find myself literally falling into the story and becoming completely immersed. I was not a huge English history fan in high school over 30 years ago, but if it had been this interesting I'm sure that would have been different. I can highly recommend this book, which is narrated brilliantly. Equally as enjoyable is Follet's book World Without End, which takes place about 200 years later in the same town of Kingsbridge.

Enjoyable and Compelling - A Great Read

The Pillars of the Earth kept me interested from start to finish. Just when I thought that one challenge in the character's lives was beaten, another appeared. They build their lives in a dangerous and violent world, each character is interesting and there are enough twists and turns to keep you wanting more.

Great listen

One of folletts best kept secret, very entertaining. I found myself not wanting to get out of my car after the commute.