The Pillars of the Earth

· The Kingsbridge Novels Book 1 · Pan Macmillan
4.6
162 reviews
Ebook
1104
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

A spellbinding epic 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 classic historical masterpiece.

A MASON WITH A DREAM

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, prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce he knows that for his town to survive it must find a way to thrive, and so he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

A WORLD OF HIGH IDEALS AND SAVAGE CRUELTY

As Tom and Philip meet so begins an epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power. In a world beset by strife and enemies that would thwart their plans, they will stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions in a struggle between good and evil that will turn 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.

More than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over eighty territories and thirty-seven languages. The international No. 1 bestselling phenomenon returns.

Ratings and reviews

4.6
162 reviews
Fraser MacKenzie
May 21, 2016
Obviously a lot of research, but not well written- in my view! I struggled through the middle third of this book and won't be looking for the sequel.
4 people found this review helpful
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Andrew Moore
February 7, 2013
I almost didn't read this book as it's cover blurb said it was about the building of a church. No it's not. Yes it has the background of building a church but it is tour details force of every human need and emotion possible. Spanning some 40 or more years there are some love stories, hate stories, good guys and bad guys and some twisting of history to put fictitious characters into real events. Forget the awful TV series and read this long but worthwhile book. Amazing.
10 people found this review helpful
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David Mountstephens
October 30, 2017
Brilliant book I read this in 2 weeks . Could not put it down . The story and the characters are brill . Well researched topic great detail . The 2nd novel world without end next on my list.
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About the author

Ken Follett was twenty-seven when he wrote Eye of the Needle, an award-winning thriller that became an international bestseller. He then surprised everyone with The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a cathedral in the Middle Ages, which continues to captivate millions of readers all over the world and its long-awaited sequel, World Without End, was a number one bestseller in the US, UK and Europe and was followed by the third novel in the Kingsbridge series A Column of Fire. He has written the bestselling Century trilogy, which comprises Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.

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