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The Pillars of the Earth
- Kingsbridge, Book 1
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 40 hrs and 56 mins
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The Pillars of the Earth
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Editor reviews
Award-winning novelist Ken Follett is at his most magnificent in Pillars of the Earth, Book 1 of the trilogy series by the same name, narrated by professional voice artist John Lee. This incredible book has been voted in the top 100 of Britain’s Best Loved Books in the BBC The Big Read. The scope of detail in this audiobook is unparalleled. Its intricate plot is weaved with history, religion, politics, love and dishonour. It is an all-encompassing saga, delicately capturing the very core of existence in 12th-century England. Available now from Audible.
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.
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)
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What listeners say about The Pillars of the Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 03-09-12
Fantastic!
Easily the best audiobook I've ever listened to. The narration is superb, and the story is fascinating. I'd highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joe R.
- 19-09-17
Spectacular!
spent the first 10 mins wondering if I had made the right decision.
I had! John Lee is just perfect as the narrator, and I was very sad to get to the end of this epic story. Fantastic, character driven story, which is not just for fantasy geeks. Get this now, you will not regret!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- liam holmes
- 23-02-21
Missing the burning of Kingsbridge.
Listened to this title about 4 times. I’ve changed device and now it’s missing a chapter? Care to answer audible?
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P. Thompson
- 16-09-18
Couldn’t stop listening.
My wife and I listened to this epic together and once past the prologue it had us so hooked we couldn’t do anything else until we finished it. It satisfied our loves of so many things, history, passion, thrills ,architecture and people. A stupendously good book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alexander
- 02-07-13
Epic Tale of Power, Greed, Good and Evil
Set in a plausible and fascinating 11th Century England with wonderful historical authenticity, this book takes us on an epic adventure. The characters are great, wicked and evil, innocent and fallible. Even though it is long you don’t want it to end. Gripping story brilliantly narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-07-21
Good listening
As good second time around as when I first read it ten years ago
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P. Langford
- 06-08-19
Gripping
From first line to last, the story and narrator had me gripped. Awesome must read!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S.Fellows
- 28-04-19
Superb Read
I listened to Ken Follett's A Dangerous Fortune and enjoyed his excellent storytelling and the way the different characters weave and intertwine all the way to the end. I was wary to take on 40 hours of The Pillars of the Earth but am so glad I did as Folletts genius of keeping you hooked with every twist and turn of treachery all the way to the end. I was also worried I might be bored with all the detail of building the cathedral but it was fine. I must applaud the narrator John Lee - superb.
I can't wait to listen to the next two books in the Kingsbridge series.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-06-19
Great expression and tone in the readers voice.
I loved it. It kept me entertained for hours as I travelled in the car. Great story and the narrator was excellent
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- James
- 23-08-18
Amazing Story
This truly is a masterpiece. The way Follett weaves the different story lines together and wraps up lol the lose ends is nothing short of masterful.
I tend to read historic fiction more focused on war and therefore had though this story would be far more tame. Far from it. In fact, whilst it’s less violent than many other historic fiction, the swearing and adult themes throughout are pronounced. I have told a few people who I know well not to read it as I know whilst overall they would like the story, they would be deeply offended by some of the content and language.
That said, it is a masterpiece, and some of the rawer content is crucial to the drama.
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