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London: The Novel82by Rutherfurd, Edward
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Book DescriptionCrown, 14 May, 1997. Like New. 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. LIKE NEW, no markings. Edition: 1st American ed. 829pp. Book summaryA novel that spans 2000 years and revolves around the fates of seven families who have had a vital impact on London over the centuries--from third-century Londinium to today's international capital.Media Reviews"Rutherfurd's novels are distinguished by admirable research and a propulsive plot....[A] vigorous, colorful narrative, a pleasant if unsurprising entertainment." -- Kirkus "Rutherfurd's workmanlike narrative ultimately buckles under the weight of its vast scale, yet readers will savor individual tidbits like the snapshot of young Geoffrey Chaucer saving an abandoned baby." -- Publishers Weekly "The author is a humane commentator, acute and accurate, with no need to preach or impose judgement or irony on the pageant of history that he unfolds. The narrative is a bit schematic, jumping from peak to peak, but that's the way of historical epics, and Rutherfurd fills the valleys between with colorful detail and fascinating arcana, no less interesting because some of this is our history too." -- Brian St. Pierre, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Publisher NotesLondon 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. London presents the sweeping saga of one of the greatest cities on earth - from the days of the Romans through two thousand years of history - as seen through the eyes of generations of the same six families. London is both a unique narrative exploration of the city's development from humble trading post to the hub of a mighty empire, and the very human story of the men and women who made it great. Through the compelling lives and adventures of memorable characters - Julius, the small-time Roman coin forger, risking his life to find buried treasure; Dame Barnikel, who runs the tavern where Chaucer and his pilgrims carouse; Geoffrey Ducket, the founder of a dynasty whose members one day become peers of England; Edmund Meredith and the actors in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; and little Lucy, living by Dickens's muddy Thames - we watch London grow from its first beginnings and become part of the wonderful pageant that flows on still today. Other Recommended Books
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