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)

Captivating

This one sat in my wish list for a couple of months while I debated. The length did not bother me, that was why it ended up in my wish list to begin with ... but was not sure how interesting a story about 13 century cathedral building would be. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!! I have downloaded close to 200 books in the past year and this one and the following "World without End" also by Ken Follett, which I downloaded immediately after this one, are definitely in my top 10 faves. I agree with others that it is a bit heavy on the sex but it was still a wonderfully captivating adventure.

Exceptional Book

The book is a compelling tapestry of colorful tales that together make the building of a cathedral whole cloth. The depiction of medieval life highlighted by the building of the cathedral is riveting and has stimulated me to read the books Follett mentions in the preface that he primarily used as the historical basis of his book.
The plot is never dull as one reader incredibly mentioned. It is loaded with adventure, history, love, cruelty, devotion, moral outrage, fealty; and has as many plot twists as a medieval cathedral has stones.
Other than being a great document about medieval life, Pillars of the Earth is a gripping work of literature.

Best Recommendation

Here is all you need to know: everyone that I have recommended this book to, regardless of what their favorite genre is, or who their favorite author is, has told me that it is one of the best books they've ever read. That is the best recommendation there is.

Glad I listened to it

I really liked this book. Yes, I could have done without the intimate details of the sex scenes, and the rape scenes were disgusting, but disgusting in a way that pulled me into the story. Life in the 12th century was different than it is nowadays, and although this terrible crime lives on and most likely always will, in those times, a woman had no recourse but to live with the consequences unavenged.

I love historical fiction, and this story gave me a wonderful glimpse of day-to-day life in the 12th century. It made me thankful that I live in the 21st.

I loved some of the characters, and truly hated the villains. My emotions ran the gamut, which for me is one of the marks of a good book. I couldn't wait to listen to the next chapter. John Lee is a superb narrator and really made the book come to life. I downloaded Worlds Without End as soon as I was finished with this book. I hope it is as good.

Well worth the time

Excellent story. Flows very well. You don't want to the story to end, though you want to see how it ends.

Intriguing book, but racier than expected

I listen to audiobooks on my daily 1-hour commute to and from work. I must say that this book had me spellbound through most of it. With the book's length, I developed a real love for some characters and a real hate for others. I'd find myself sitting in my driveway or the parking lot of my office because I couldn't bring myself to turn off the story upon arrival to my destination. My one gripe with the book (and I understand that this may just be me), is that I found the in-depth descriptions of the scenes involving sex a little alarming. But the overall story is amazing.

To err is human

Story is split from stone with layers showing the best and worst of Man. The most obvious point of the story is that human frailties are timeless - living long past a Man's life. Power can be a source for freedom or used carelessly or for the wrong reason or to the worst result.
I believe the recording is flawed with at least one lengthy repeat, and perhaps several missing sections.

One of the Best!

I have to admit, this is NOT one of my favorite genres! I shocked even myself by purchasing this audiobook. But WOW! WOW! WOW! Not only did I enjoy "The Pillars of the Earth" completely! I went right out and got "World Without End" as soon as I was done!

These two stories are so well written and expertly narrated (Good Job, John Lee!!!!). I was sad when the book ended only because I haven't heard of a third book about the Kingsbridge Priory and the people who live there!

I can't say enough about these two books!

OUTSTANDING!!

Top-notch storytelling!

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This man could read the phone book and keep me enthralled. He is just excellent and helped elevate this story above many other audiobooks I've listened to. He has so many "voices" at hand, which is so necessary in an epic like this, and uses them with consistency. It seemed to me that he is able to get his voice to rise and fall, slow and quicken with a tempo perfectly aligned to the author's intended pace and meaning. And his voice is just mellow and pleasant to hear. I felt his narrative abilities allowed me to relax and let the book wash over me, in contrast to other books where the narrator is less skilled and I have to put more "work" into listening carefully to make certain I get the full meaning of the words.

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

Ken Follett is clearly a master spinner of tales. He knows how to fill out characters and really bring them to life; give enough detail of the environment that you feel you are "there" but never bogged down in tedious, meaningless minutia; and build rich, suspenseful plots that hook you from go and keep you running to your headphones when you can to find out what happens next. No small feat for 40 hours of listening! In this book, he weaves in what seem to be well-researched historical details, particularly regarding cathedral construction and medieval monastic and village life. As a history fan, I was eagerly drinking it up.

My only complaint, and I feel it is fairly minor, is that he seems to feel it is necessary to give the readers plenty of vivid violence and sex to keep us interested. Not so, Mr. Follett. I found the descriptions of violent encounters almost "un-listenable" in some places and generally just tiresome after awhile. I'm no prude, but the sex scenes got down-right laughable for me at several points-they are clearly written by a man and seem like a teen or twenty-year-old male's unrealistic fantasy of women, female sexuality and sex. I felt it deflated what was otherwise a novel for the ages to the level of pop fiction. However, any listener can FF through these parts if they feel like I do.

Overall, I'd give this 4.5 stars if I could. Aside from the minor sex/violence parts I didn't care for, this was a wonderful, richly-drawn ride of a book that immersed me in another time and place, taught me a few things, and left me sad to leave the characters behind and made me want more.

Couldn't put it down

I really don't have anything original to say about this book. There is a lot for every taste. For those interested in medieval daily life, sociology, history, medieval Church history, art (and particularly architecture), maddening suspense, romance, battle scenes, love scenes, family scenes... and everything in between, that is the perfect book. It seamlessly meshes all those elements and more in a saga full of turns, and rebounds, surprises, frustrations, heart breaking disappointments, glee, exultation, and leaves you wanting for more. One Sunday I listened 8 continuous hours. I totally lost track of time.
My only reservation, which won't lower my "grade", has to do with the Manichean view of that society. The villains are pure evil. And the good guys and gals are basically spotless (or their flaws would only qualify as such in a medieval society, but not from our 21st Century point of view, e.g "the Witch" character).
John Lee does a wonderful job of carrying the story without excessive voice effects.
I highly recommend this book.