The Pillars of the Earth

Kingsbridge, Book 1

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 40 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

An epic, spellbinding tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece.

A Mason with a Dream

It is 1135 and civil war, famine and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day that he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other.

A Monk with a Burning Mission

Philip is the church prior of Kingsbridge. A resourceful man, he knows that if his town is to survive at all, it must find a way to truly thrive. He decides, then, to build Kingsbridge the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

A World of High Ideals and Savage Cruelty

As the prior recruits his mason, so begins a journey of ambition, anarchy and the struggle for absolute power. Facing enemies that would thwart them, they will stop at nothing to fulfil their grand plans of Kingsbridge. Soon build tensions between good and evil, turning church against state, and brother against brother . . .

The Pillars of the Earth is the first in The Kingsbridge Novels series, followed by World Without End and A Column of Fire.

©1989 Ken Follett (P)2007 Penguin Randomhouse LLC

Critic reviews

"Enormous and brilliant...this mammoth tale seems to touch all human emotion - love and hate, loyalty and treachery, hope and despair. This is truly a novel to get lost in." (Cosmopolitan)

"A historical saga of such breadth and density.... Follett succeeds brilliantly in combining hugeness and detail to create a novel imbued with the rawness, violence and blind faith of the era." (Sunday Express)

Wonderful

Would you consider the audio edition of The Pillars of the Earth to be better than the print version?

I think book and audio edition equal....why haven't i read/listened to Follett before now!!!!!....Cannot wait to try his other works.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were believable.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure, but I did find John Lee's performance comfortable to listen too, would gladly listen to more of his works.

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

No

Any additional comments?

Just that I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

At lomg last... the unabridged version

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a book on intrigue, romance, strife and the building of a cathedral. Like War and Peace and some of the older classics you are confronted with more of the characters' lives than usual. However, you are not wondering about the main characters.

Although a long listen, this book is worth it. The narrator, John Lee, was able to bring this monumental work of Follett sufficiently to life. He pulled you through the one or two places of boredom.

For those who have or are watching the television series, the book and the series differs substantially. This leaves certain things unpredictable.

The book comes highly recommended.

Wonderful Narration

A rich absorbing book with a spellbinding narration. I loved the change of pace and subtlety of the narrator.
Another Ken Follett masterpiece!

Fantastic plots

This book was recommended to me and it did not fail to intrigue and keep me on the edge of my seat.

Review

I read the book years ago. Loved the book and loved the audio. Took me to the churches in Europe in my head.

Unputdownable

So many reviews have been written about this book already, so I hardly need to add to them. Suffice to say that i could not put it down – the audiobook followed me into the shower and the garden, onto the road and walking around my neighbourhood. Absolutely brilliant story, impeccable prose. My only criticism is that with a book this long I would have preferred more than one narrator, especially with so many key characters – but let that not detract from the wonderful narration of John Lee.

About the reviewer: My reviews may be critical but never unkind or malicious. I am a voracious reader who consumes books in print and audio – fiction, non-fiction and professional reference – in equal measure, and my reviews reflect this wide readership.

#UnlikelyHero #Suspenseful #Medieval #FamilySaga # Epic #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

An Epic Read

If you like historical fiction then you will love this book. Meticulous in detail yet a riveting story that grabs attention from the first words and totally enhanced by terrific narration. Am immensely engrossing & enjoyable read.

excellent read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, Ken Follett has the gift for writing novels based on history. He does not use foul and obscene language

Unputtable down

Well written book interwoven with all the ingredients of a good story treachery and greed, power and money, love and jealousy. All the while keeping to the key subject of building of the early church buildings

beautifully read and written

I read Pillars of the Earth many years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. Re-reading the book through Audible has been lovely and easy as I want to read Ken Follets new book but refresh these older stories. Audible was great, easy way to read the book again.