
The Pillars of the Earth
The Kingsbridge Novels (abridged), Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Richard E. Grant
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By:
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Ken Follett
About this listen
Abridged edition, narrated by Richard E Grant (Withnail and I)
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.
© Ken Follett; (P) Macmillan Publishers LtdCritic reviews
"Richard E. Grant's virtuoso vocal characterisation is a shortcut to establishing the colourful variety of the enormous cast. If you become addicted, you can follow it up with the just-released sequel, the even longer World Without End, also read by Grant." Christina Hardyment (The Times Books)
Any critiques I have are more for the story itself, I found myself unsatisfied with the ending but on the whole I have a positive opinion of the book and the characters, which were portrayed wonderfully. I would definitely listen to the sequel!
A really enjoyable listen
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pillars of the earth
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Historically interesting but lacklustre narration
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Excellent!
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Pillars of the Earth
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Absolutely absorbing
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However, it is very much abridged which spoils the story some what.
There is an unabridged version out in the US but we aren't allowed to have it.
All in all though, a good book and I will now read the second.
Worth reading.
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Masterpiece
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Disappointing
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It's a bit of an unusual book in that there's no particular hero - the book follows various people over the time from before the building of the cathedral, to after it was completed many years later.
I was a bit worried about the narration, as I'm not a fan of Richard Grant's, but he did a fantastic job. I didn't want to stop listening to this story. I'm looking forward to getting 'World Without End' (the sequel) and hope it's as good as Pillars.
If you like historical fiction, you MUST get this book!
A true masterpiece
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