Product Description

London has perhaps the most remarkable history of any city in the world. Now, its story has a unique voice. In this epic novel, Edward Rutherfurd takes the reader on a magnificent journey across sixteen centuries from the days of the Romans to the Victorian engineers of Tower Bridge and the era of Dockland development today. Through the lives and adventures of his colourful cast of characters, he brings all the richness of London's past unforgettably to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4711 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Review
The story of England's greatest city from the first Roman settlement to the 1990s Docklands development, seen through the eyes of 'real' people. Published in 1997, this is a gripping historical novel from the author of Sarum. (Kirkus UK)

Rutherfurd, having celebrated at some length the growth of an English cathedral town (Sarum, 1987) and the turbulent history of Russia (Russka, 1991), offers a massive survey in fictional form of London's long history. Like the work of his likely inspiration, James Michener, Rutherfurd's novels are distinguished by admirable research and a propulsive plot. This latest follows the growth of London from its origins as a Celtic encampment through its emergence as the Roman capital in Britain and on to its long climb to preeminence as England's (and, for a time, the world's) greatest city. Interwoven with the private (and rather melodramatic) adventures of a half-dozen families over a 2,000-year span are most of the events that shaped England (from the Norman invasion up to the Battle of Britain). These incidents tend to be announced portentously ("England's great Peasant Revolt had begun") and the characters, to fill in the historical background, sometimes offer speeches packed with an alarming (and unlikely) amount of information. There are obligatory cameos by everyone from Shakespeare to Dickens. Still, this is a vigorous, colorful narrative, a pleasant if unsurprising entertainment. (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Publisher
A wonderful, epic story that tells the history of the greatest city in the world, from Roman times to the present day.

About the Author
Edward Rutherfurd was born in Salisbury, England, and educated at Cambridge University and Stanford University in California. His first bestselling novel, Sarum, is based on the history of Salisbury and Stonehenge. Russka, his second novel, recounted the sweeping history of Russia. London tells the two-thousand-year story of the great city, bringing all of the richness of London's past unforgettably to life. His last novel, The Forest, was set in the New Forest. A former resident of London and New York City, Edward Rutherfurd has had a home in Dublin for more than ten years. He has two children.

Customer Reviews

2000 years of history in bite sized and palatable chunks
I found this a fascinating sweep through some 2000 years of English (and most particularly London's) history.

Some reviewers have complained about Rutherfurd's rather static interpretation of Darwinism - i.e. very little genetic mutation/variation across a 2000 year history of the major 'families' in the book - however, its a very useful device to help weave the history of London together, using the framing device of a set of characters and their descendants to take us on the journey, and, because there are some quite big jumps in generations its helpful to be able to say 'oh, a red haired person - one of the Barnikels - aha! the white streak again - hello the Duckets and Doggetts etc. Some of his plotting devices may be a little obvious, but overall this was a splendid way to take the reader at a fairly brisk trot through 2000 years of history. I learned a lot of interesting information about our language, customs, architecture, medicine, trade, politics, industry etc etc - sure, i could be picking this up through studying factual texts on each and every one of these; what Rutherfurd has done is given me a more visceral sense of how life felt and was lived, by using narrative and character.

A really enjoyable read - a more rumbunctious and 'ordinary' James Clavell (probably because what Rutherfurd is recounting is the story of this country, and its capital city, so it is much more familiar to me than the history of Asia)

But you need a big bag if you want to read this on your daily train tube or bus journey to work - and it might last you months!

Very enjoyable and very long
If you have a short attention span then this may not be for you. Rutherford's style is distinct but in a story made ou of so many stories rarely does it feel as if he is repeating himself. This is not serious history, this is very well written historical fiction. It is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to learn about London's glorious and inglorious history. From little details like how streets and areas got their names to piesces of historical fact that were nearly forgotten. A very enjoyable read that should keep you going for some time.

What a treat!
I have just finished "London" with a real sense of loss and wish that there had been another 1000 or so pages to read. The book is an absolute delight from start to finish, and please do not be put off by the number of pages (1300) - they simply fly by.

The author introduces you to the various characters and their families in such a way that you are immediately familiar with future generations as and when they appear which really helps the book flow. As well as being a highly entertaining novel, the historical facts it presents are always enlightening so one gets the best of both worlds; also there is always a convenient place to stop with relatively small passages within each chapter.

I was not overly keen on Russka, but Sarum was excellent and London better still.

In short, I cannot recommend this book too highly.