Author: Ken Follett
Series: Kingsbridge #1
Narrator: John Lee
Unabridged: 40 hr 58 min
Format: Digital Audiobook
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Published: 10/09/2007
Genre: Fiction - Historical
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.
Ken Follett, a Welsh novelist has written important bodies of work, such as: Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, Whiteout, The Century Trilogy. His genre includes thrillers and historical fiction. As a youth he was never allowed to watch television or movies, so out of boredom, he developed a keen interest in reading.
Follett had various jobs on his pathway to being a novelist. He was a general assignment reporter for the Evening News in London. He found that work to be very unchallenging, so he took a position as managing director of Everest Books and began writing fiction as an evening hobby. With the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978 he became not only internationally known, but also wealthy. Follett’s next project is a third book in his Kingsbridge series. The first two were The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, and is to be released in 2017.
I read tons of books and this is the best Ive ever read! I didnt think Id like it, so it sat on my shelf for months, unread. When I had read everything else, I had no choice but to read it. I couldnt put it down!
This book was recommended to me, so I painfully forced myself to continue to read it. The characters were developed well, but the story was so horrible that I was glad when it was finally over.
I loved this book so much I could barely wait for my commute to work to hear more! I am not at all interested in historical detail, but this book is written in such a way that the rich historical background is just as intriguing as the rest of the story and every bit as fascinating!
If you are listening to the audiobook version of The Pillars of the Earth, make sure you do NOT listen to the MP3 version narrated by George Ralph. I wasnt able to listen to the whole book the first time I rented it and had sent it back. Then, when I rerented it, I rented the one with George Ralph as the narrator and he reads it sans any type of performance. I hate to rip into Ralphs narration in general, but Richard E. Grant does a much better job with this one. Ralph sounds like he is just reading the words in the book in front of a microphone, no feeling, it reminds me of a monotone military briefing.
Get 5% off your total order by adding 3 or more audiobooks from Kingsbridge
The Pillars of the Earth
Kingsbridge #1
A Column of Fire
Kingsbridge
World Without End
Kingsbridge #2