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)

Great Delivery

John Lee did such a fantastic job with this book. Ken Follett is a master storyteller and Lee does his novels justice. This is the best historical fiction series I have ever read.

great

Fourth time thru this book. Enjoy it just as much each time. Highly recommend.

Maybe the best story I have ever heard

This is an incredible story, extremely well written and performed by Mr. Lee. Over 40 hours of pure listening pleasure, I could barely put my phone down the entire time!

This was the first book by Ken Follett that I have read or listened too but definitely not the last one. I highly recommend this title.

Pillars of the Earth

I have never before understood a book with such a huge story. I could never keep the characters straight, never got the relationships of so many characters, never learned so much about a subject (actually building churches), never enjoyed a story as much as this one. I was very sorry when it had to end. I'll be looking for all the 'Follet' books I never paid attention to before. Thanks

Perfect!

Ken Follett writes the perfect book and John Lee does an amazing job with the narration. This was a book that I never wanted to end. Follett takes the reader to a time and place and makes one feel as though they are there. You love and hate the characters along the way. Great listen

My Favorite Ken Follet to Date

Would you listen to The Pillars of the Earth again? Why?

I saw the movie first and knew I wanted to read the book. I had previously read Eye of the Needle, I figured this would be just as good if not better. I wasn't disappointed a great listen.

happy

I enjoy books written in this particular period of time. This did not disappoint. It had a little of everything. I was not confused by the various characters and storylines going on at the same time.What a surprise by Ken Follett. I look forward to other books like this

An amazing book that took me by surprise.

Ken Follett wowed me with this book. I admit I did not start listening to it until the series was on TV, but it peaked my interest. What an amazingly detailed and emotional book. Other than the books from the Ice & Fire and Gunslinger series, I haven't been moved to love, hate and switch between characters so much as I did with this book. Who knew I would care about a monk and his tibulations to build his cathedral. It is also quite racey in it's sexual content and graphic with pillaging, plundering, fighting and general killing. The way women were treated by William and some of the monks was appalling. I was amazed by the story. Love this book! Will read the next one set many generations later at some point.

captivating, interesting, enjoyable ....

I could not put this down, I was completely captivated by the story.....I loved it.

i love period books. they take me to another time.

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

i am legally blind. so there's no question.

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

game of thrones. same thing period story.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

he has a good clear voice and makes his characters recognizable by ear.

Who was the most memorable character of The Pillars of the Earth and why?

i liked the forrest girl, who lost her husband to hanging early in the book. she was interesting and not predictable.

Any additional comments?

i wish all the books were free, because i live on a very limited income and audible books are a big part of my entertainment.