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: #5749 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

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

A great book about a great city
This was the first Edward Rutherfurd book I read and I was initially apprehensive at the vast number of pages it contain - over 1300 in fact! The book describes itself as a fictional biopic of London and that's exactly what it is, but the way in which it's done is quite superb, far better than I'd expected, and very much the formula used by Rutherfurd for his other books of different places.

At the front of the book, a family tree is shown detailing generations paths of five or six families over the path of the two thousand years covered by the book and the way in which they are related at various times (this in itself made me wonder what sort of book this would be as it looked as if the book would be remarkably difficult to follow).

The book is structured as a number of relatively short stories at a specific period of time, such as when the Tower of London is built, the Fire of London, The Globe theatre and Shakespeare, The Blitz and many others. In each of these chapters you are introduced to a new set of characters who invariably inherit some of their ancestor's attributes, such as a white streak of hair or webbed hands. You also see the rivalries and hatred shared by these families, covering all classes in the English system at the time of each chapter.

The book is superbly researched and incredibly well written, and I found that I'd actually got through the book far quicker than I'd expected without at any time feeling I was reading something equivalent to War and Peace. This is a definite recommendation from me, particularly if you're interested in the history of London and keen to read about it in a relatively easy manner.

Simply astounding!
This is the first of three Rutherfurd books that I recently purchased from Amazon. It is undoubtedly a BIG book - 1229 pages! But once you get stuck, in the pages literally fly off your fingers. Its is a historical novel packed with well researched facts and details that will give you an insight into what was and is London. In the middle of all this, the author manages to deliver the mystery, intruige, passion and emotions that we expect of a novel. Striking this beautiful balance between fact and "fiction" is a feat that not many authors can achieve.

So what is London? I believe Mr Rutherfurd answers this question when begins his preface with the assertion - "London is, first and foremost, a novel". After reading this novel I dare say he was actually refering to the City!

Read it even if you think it might take you the good part of this year to get to the last page. You will not regret it and you might - like me - consider reading it a second time!

London, Edward Rutherfurd
Although initially daunted by the sheer visible volume of the book, I was continually fascinated by the history and knowledge it imparted. Edward Rutherfurd obviously researches his subject matter in enormously great detail. I rode the rises and pitfalls of the fortunes of all the families and characters involved, while learning even more historical information about my country and its capital, its language and evolution. I was delighted to see that the family that started the whole story, the group with the white flash of hair and webbed hands, were also the ones to conclude it.

I have yet to read Russka and Sarum, but shall now make it an aim of mine.