London: The Novel - Hardcover

Edward Rutherfurd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517591812 ISBN 13: 9780517591819

Publisher: Crown Publishers, 1997

Synopsis

London follows six different families from the Roman settlement to the dockland development of today. Real-life characters and events of British history are found in London as well, but it is the period details and the stories of ordinary Londoners, whose daily lives are affected by events that have shaped the city over two thousand years, that bring the novel to life.

In London Rutherfurd provides more than just the familiar sights and revelations, he gives a voice to a city whose history is one of the most remarkable in the world.

About this title

Review:

Edward Rutherfurd belongs to the James Michener school: he writes big, sprawling history-by- the-pound. His novel, London, stretches two millennia all the way from Roman times to the present. The author places his vignettes at the most dramatic moments of that city's history, leaping from Caesar's invasion to the Norman Conquest to the Great Fire to (of course) the Blitz, with many stops in between. London is ambitious, and students of English history will eat it up. The author doesn't skimp on historical detail, and that's a signal pleasure of the book. Ultimately, though, the structure of the novel determines the lion's share of its success. Rutherfurd is a good storyteller and each vignette makes for a good story; however, he has given himself the inevitable task of beginning what amounts to a new book every 40 pages or so. Just as one begins to warm to the characters, they are hurried off the stage. You can't read London without a scorecard—but that's part of the fun.

From the Publisher:

Last summer, I was searching for the perfect book to take with me to the beach. I wanted something big and juicy that I could savor throughout my week-long vacation. At my husband's urging, I chose LONDON by Edward Rutherford. At first, I was sceptical about this book because, unlike my husband, I'm not a big history lover. I found, however, that this book was a perfect blend of drama AND history. The story, which includes an immense cast of characters, was extremely engrossing, and the historical detail made the story all the more rich and enjoyable. I couldn't have picked a better book to read!

An added benefit of this book was that it inspired yet another vacation -- this time to -- you guessed it -- London. In addition to a wonderful read, this book serves as a great travel guide. Rutherford spent many hours researching the book in the Museum of London, so that was our first stop. But then we branched out and toured the entire city with LONDON in hand. I'd lived in London some years ago and never had much interest in the City of London, but now I wanted to take a closer look. LONDON is filled with maps, so you can use these as your guide to check out how the city has changed over time (from Roman & Saxon to Medieval & Tudor, to Georgian & Victorian, to present day). It's really fascinating!

-- Jennifer Richards
Ballantine Books Publicity

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Publishers
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0517591812
• ISBN 13: 9780517591819
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 829