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The Pillars of the Earth

Written by:
Ken Follett
Narrated by:
John Lee

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
783
Narrator
84
Release Date
October 9, 2007
Duration
40 hours 56 minutes
Summary
If you liked the Century Trilogy, you’ll love the “extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece.”—Booklist, that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career. 

“Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner,” extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. 
 
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 twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.
Reviews
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Heady

Wow he made George R. R. Martin look bad by the way he kills people off, and the comedy and sorrow. I am blown away by this author. I\'m shocked they tried making this into a mini series; way way way too much story to try and make it into a show.

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Heather W.

What an incredible story! Don't be intimidated by the number of pages/length of audiobook. You'll wish it had more once you near the end. The sequel is equally fantastic.

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Naomi K.

I absolutely loved loved this book. I was a little intimidated by the number of pages but once I started reading it, I could not put it down. Our book club is meeting tonight and will interesting to hear what others thought.

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Anonymous

I have truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the following book, World without End.

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Razorette

Great book, full of detail just a little too long. Glad I finished it. It had a nice ending.

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Read2Learn

Great story and narration. Recommended by my Aunt, this is the longest book I’ve read/listened to. However, I never got tired of the story. The twists and turns and insight into the mysteries of humanity kept me interested the whole way through. I learned about various subjects, monks, the Middle Ages, cathedral architecture, among other things. I was inspired to look these things up for deeper understanding. Each character’s story was interesting. I felt like I knew them and empathized with their battles and triumphs. The author tied everything together brilliantly.

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Anonymous

Kept my brain very happily occupied while I did mindless detail-oriented home renovation tasks! The perfect “page-turner” accompaniment.

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RIPCORD

Great story. Great characters. Great narration. For me, it is right up there with Anna Karinina, Tale of two cities, and David Copperfield. IMO

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Connie

Unpopular opinion here. I attempted to read this twice. Could never get past close to 1/2. Simply did not care about any of the characters.

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Kirsten A.

Riveting! Great writing and performance.

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Christian J.

Such a well written book, one of my favorites, have read it several times and love every part of the story, its long but so good!

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Lisa S.

Never thought a story about a guy who wanted to build a cathedral would be so good! Not normally in my interest range but this book was so good because the characters were so well done.

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Elsa M.

Excellent

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Matthew M.

A beautiful novel with fantastic characters. Brings the 12th century vividly to life. While most of the characters are fictional, Follett takes great care to develop a historically convincing narrative. Be advised that the novel is strictly for mature audiences, as it contains scenes of explicit violence and sex. The narrator, John Lee, is marvelous.

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Anonymous

Captivating storyline that gives readers a genuine appreciation for the creation of the architectural masterpieces that were built centuries ago. This is a new favorite and I highly recommend it!

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Zeina

Excellent in every aspect, I LOVED the book and couldn’t get enough of it..

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Mads L.

This reads as a perverts wet dream of forcing himself on women

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paisleynoel

I was so hesitant to start this series because, I’m a 20 year old girl, what business do I have reading this? BOY WAS I WRONG! I loved this series and learned so much that has actually made me take some history courses at uni! Love love love

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Sbruner27

Awesome book. I was intrigued at how a book can be so long and still keep you captivated but this one does just that. Great detail in the points that matter. Yes, there are some explicit parts but it was a dark time for humanity. It doesn’t go so far to be as completely smutty but it does make you hate the bad guys even more. I am already getting the 2nd book in the series and starting that soon.

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Patrick S.

The author is pretty damn good

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Anonymous

So interesting and so well narrated.

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Anonymous

I can never get enough of Ken Follet‘s books. And Jon Lee as the narrator is incredible. This is my fourth Ken Follet book, and I’ve loved every single one of them. Not for the faint of heart, Follett’s stories amaze, haunt, enthrall, sadden, educate, inspire and revive the reader. Absolutely brilliant work!

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Anonymous

Love this book what a beautiful story, Although it was very long it was hard to put down

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Sandra F.

Best read of my life...couldn't put it down save a glass of water and bathroom visits.

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Desire W.

slow start but definitely one of the best books i've ever read

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Katherine L.

Excellent story!

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Stephanie W.

One of the top 5 books ever! Loved it!

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Perry C

An excellent historical and captivating story. The narrator was excellent in pitch and tone as he brought all the characters to life. Can’t wait to start the next book in the series.

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Anonymous

Excellent book! I'm sure it tells the story of how it really was in those days. The author did an amazing job of telling a story about a belief system that he himself isn't apart of. The narrator did an great job. It's fitting to have a male voice telling this story.

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Carol M

Listened to the boom prior to joining Audiobooks.com so not sure if the narrator is the same. The story is interesting mix of history and fiction, adding some details about architecture and religion. Very good.

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Amber H

I thought his book was delightful. Filled with all the villainous and heroic characters that a great book needs. I was inthralled in parts and had a hard time putting it down. The narration was impressive. John Lee did a fine job.

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Vickie M

The best book ever!! The only book I have ever read twice. You won't be able to put it down.

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ANNA S

Took me about a quarter of the book to really get into it, mostly due to the narration. It seemed at first like listening to a news anchor speaking; his inflections seemed too rigid for the story, and for me, this actually was very distracting from the actual substance. But I guess I got used to it, since after that first quarter of the book the well-developed characters took over and the oddities in narration dissolved...I was fully absorbed til the end. Great story, loved it.

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Timothy C

The best book I have ever listened to and the narrator is my favorite male narrator - the best.

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Courtney Rearick

This book was excellent. It was longer than an average book but I still didn't want it to end. The characters were well-developed and not generic. The plot was amazing and kept me entertained for the full 40 hours. Warning: There were some graphic scenes including two rape scenes and a few very detailed love making scenes. So this book is not great for listening to within earshot of others necessarily. The narrator was lively but did not focus the attention on himself; the book and his narration were seamless. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.

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Dahlia Black

Excellent! Very well done. The narrator conveyed the emotion and suspense described in the book.

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Ayela Mujeeb

I loved this book. Some details were too graphic for my liking but the characters are really brought to life. I found myself listening constantly. The narrator is fantastic.

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Paula Bertuccini

A real journey......and it has an unusual characteristic of tying up all the loose ends and leaving no questions unanswered.. Very satisfying read

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Linda Edmond

Great book! I loved the characters and hated for it to end!

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Kaitlin Walsh

A great book told by a great narrator. It took me 2 months to listen to it in its entirety, and now I'm sad it's over. Can't wait to check out World Without End.

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Robin Kuhn

I love when am author takes his time and tells a great story.

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