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The Pillars of the Earth | 
 enlarge | Author: Ken Follett
Creator: George Ralph
Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Rating:  1305 reviews
Sales Rank: 1260194
Format: Audiobook, Mp3 Audio, Unabridged
Media: MP3 CD
Edition: MP3 Una
Number Of Items: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1593351194
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781593351199
ASIN: 1593351194
Publication Date: June 10, 2004
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Product Description
The Pillars of the Earth sweeps through four decades of 12th Century England drawing the listener into the raw, flamboyant middle ages. It is a shining saga of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence and beauty. Not-so-noble knights, righteous heroes, valiant heroines and both virtuous and immoral men of God highlight this story. They manipulate, and are in turn manipulated by, the political turmoil and unrest between the reigns of Henry I and Henry II.
The listener will cheer on the fates of the virtuous and hiss at the evil-doers. A truly fascinating story that the listener will never forget.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1300 more reviews...
 Pillars of the Earth November 23, 2008
I wish I had bought a hard copy and large print. It is a wonderful story. The giant paper back I have is uncomfortable to hold. you lnow it has over 1000 pages.
Maybe a story that long would be easier to handle split into 3 or four books.
A youngster would love this edition........... It is light print.
I read in bed......Hard to get situated. Oh........... I took that Oprah thing off right away. I do not watch telly. I do not like her. I thought well before buying.........just because her name was on it. That is like she picked it out for me to read. Yuk!
 Happily ever after November 22, 2008
Ken Follette's novel is not without merit, but face it folks this a big storybook for adults. There are some stirring moments but this a "black and white" book with no gray areas. The good characters are good the bad characters are bad. As far as historical significance this is hardly a blueprint for the middle ages but does offer some insight to Christianity's hold economicaly and culturally on Europe and more specifically Great Britan. It's great fodder for a screenplay, Star Wars set in churches.
 My favorite book of all time November 20, 2008
I read this book with no expectations. I was initially intimidated by the size of it, but after a few months of putting off picking it up, I sat down with the first chapter.
I thought it would be a struggle to begin, but it was a smooth transition and once I was into the story, I never wanted to leave. I got anxious as I closed in on the ending of the book, as I had become in love with the characters and I wanted them to remain part of my life.
It is a fantastic and rich storyline. I am looking forward to forgetting parts of the story so that I may return to it again for all the emotions and excitement it offers. I highly recommend this book, I hold onto my copy for another day and I buy more copies for gifts every chance I get.
AWESOME!! November 19, 2008
An amazing read, couldn't put it down. The characters are engaging, the story is gripping. Architectural details form the settings perfectly.
 A historically inaccurate, voyeuristic, modern thriller November 18, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I picked up this book with some interest and expectations. I should not have.
Well, I didn't read it cover to cover, as I skimmed it. But what I read was enough.
This book assumes, as most moderns do, that the medieval ages was full of 21st century people, with 21st century mindsets, who just got raped and tortured more.
enough said.
The rape scenes are described in shallow, graphic, thriller detail... I suppose Ken figured enough modern people would buy the book to vicariously enjoy (or are entertained by--same thing) the gratuitous, graphic, entertaining rape and torture scenes....
trash. In every sense of the word.
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This is like a modern version of the 19th century thrillers such as Quo Vadis, in all their anachronistic consumer glory. Both revel in the badness of the bad characters to the point of enjoyment. Both give an insincere nod to the religion of their day (between Nero&Co's revels, early christianity gets a nod. In Ken's book, feminist/modernist stuff gets a nod in between *entertaining* rape scenes of women). Yrch.
Hypocritical and disgusting.
I am not saying their isn't a place for graphic ugliness & barbarity in telling the human story. Doestoevsky is extremely disturbing--but it is there for a purpose, the readers are suffering/grieving for them. In Ken's book--its here for entertainment value. That is just WRONG.
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(Moderns always smear the medievals, by making these ghastly fantasies that have nothing in common with the reality. Come on, people! There is alot of primary sources out there, translated into English, for anyone interested in the real people of that age. Its completely unlike our modern conceptions of them. for starters, ISBN 1551115506 0879071379 0951150308 9780140448993 [...] )
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