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The Pillars of the Earth

A Kingsbridge Novel

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About this listen

A spellbinding epic 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 classic historical masterpiece.

A MASON WITH A DREAM

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, prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce he knows that for his town to survive it must find a way to thrive, and so he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

A WORLD OF HIGH IDEALS AND SAVAGE CRUELTY

As Tom and Philip meet so begins an epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power. In a world beset by strife and enemies that would thwart their plans, they will stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions in a struggle between good and evil that will turn 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.

More than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over eighty territories and thirty-seven languages. The international No. 1 bestselling phenomenon returns.

Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Medieval Suspense Thriller & Suspense Middle Ages Fiction Romance Exciting England

Critic reviews

A highly enjoyable tale . . . this book evokes its period brilliantly
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)
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 )
All stars
Most relevant
Ken Follett's ability to keep his readers interested in long novels is wonderful - this is epic Follett, wide ranging, believable characters, he gives a real sense of history. This kept me entertained through ironing, mucking out the horses and driving to work! The second time I listened to it was as good as the first - there were bits I hadn't really taken in. A great listen.

Fabulous book

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This is one of those books that you just don't want to end. It was 41 hours of utter audible bliss. I would recomend it to anyone who loves a good story with wonderful history thrown in. I love castles and cathedrals and know so much more about how they were built now. 10/10

Magnificent - totally loved it

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This is an incredible tale with masterful form including genius touche of resonances, mirrors and cyclic structure within the magnificent story.
It possessed me for 2 weeks.
Amazing performance by narrator John Lee too.

Brilliantly crafted epic

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When I bought this as my first audiobook and saw the length of the book, I thought I would never get through it! But if it was a book I wouldn't be able to put it down, I listen in my car and have been known to sit outside my house listening to find out what happens at a certain point! You can understand the commitment that Ken Follett has put into this work - and congrats to the narrator!

Time goes so quickly! Absorbing!

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This book deserves all the glowing reviews written about it. If you're looking for a page turner, this is highly recommended.

Utterly engrossing

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