Four hundred million years ago, when the continents were arranged in a quite different configuration, the island formed part of a small promontory on the north-western edge of a vase, shapeless landmass. The promontory, which jutted out in a lonely fashion into the great world ocean, was desolate. No eye, save that of God, beheld it. No creature moved upon the land; no birds rose in the sky, nor were there even fish in the sea."
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, bestselling author of Sarum, Russka and others, 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 dockland developments of today. Through the lives and adventures of his colourful cast of characters he brings all the richness of London's past unforgettably to life.
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I know that some people are deterred from reading 'big' books. It doesn't bother me. I see a thick tome as something of a challenge.
However, I am not sure that I have ever tackled a novel quite this size. The paperback version of this book has 1,328 pages so commitment is needed. I read it over the Christmas and New Year break so was able to give it my full attention. Actually, it was ideal this year in particular as the holidays were so quiet and home based.
The research that the author must have undertaken for this book must have been vast and must have taken years. This truly is epic in both length and knowledge.
The novel begins around 54 years before the birth of Christ and goes right through to 1997. We meet a lot of characters along the way but the focus is on five families throughout. Thankfully, the author provides a genealogical chart at the beginning of this book and I did need to consult it on many occasions.
There are also maps of the area around the River Thames; Roman and Saxon London, Medieval and Tudor London and Georgian and Victorian London. These are fascinating insights into how the capital evolved and I flicked back to them frequently.
If you have the time to tackle such a large book and you enjoy historical fiction then I recommend this book. Have you read any other books by this author? I would love to hear your thoughts.
ISBN: 978 0099551379
Publisher: Arrow
Edward Rutherfurd was born in England, in the cathedral city of Salisbury. Educated locally, and at the universities of Cambridge, and Stanford, California, he worked in political research, book selling and publishing. After numerous attempts to write books and plays, he finally abandoned his career in the book trade in 1983, and returned to his childhood home to write Sarum, a historical novel with a ten-thousand year story, set in the area around the ancient monument of Stonehenge and Salisbury. Four years later, when the book was published, it became an instant international bestseller, remaining 23 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Since then he has written seven more bestsellers: Russka, a novel of Russia; London; The Forest, set in England's New Forest which lies close to Sarum; two novels which cover the story of Ireland from the time just before Saint Patrick to the twentieth century; New York in 2009, and Paris in 2013. He is currently hard at work on another big project. His books have been translated into over twenty languages.
For over three decades, Edward has divided his time between Europe and North America.
Edward Rutherfurd is a Life Member of the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral, the Salisbury Civic Society, and the Friends of Chawton House, which is located in Jane Austen's village and dedicated to the study of women writers. He has also been a Patron of the National Theatre of Ireland (the Abbey Theatre) in Dublin.
In 2005, the City of Salisbury commemorated his services to the city by naming one of the streets leading off its medieval market place 'Rutherfurd Walk'.
Edward's hobbies include the theatre and tennis.
(biographical information courtesy of the author's webpage https://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/biograph)
I read 'Paris' and it was a similar length and a great book as well. I'll have to give 'London' a try.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it.
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