book data
1,863 ratings,
3.91
average rating, 262 reviews
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published
July 3rd 1998
by Presses de la Cité
(first published 1997)
details
Paperback, 926 pages
setting
isbn
225800103X
(isbn13: 9782258001039)
description
Edward Rutherfurd belongs to the James Michener school: he writes big, sprawling history-by- the-pound. His novel, London, stretches two millennia all…more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2,814)
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5 stars (544)
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2 stars (83)
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1 star (38)
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avg 3.91
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in August, 2000
A sprawling historical novel as big as London itself - it was required reading before I went to study abroad and I've read it twice since. Rutherford did an incredible amount of research and it all comes together beautifully. The characters' family trees carry through the entire history of Britain - pre-Roman through WWII. This book is so dear to my heart!
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Read in January, 2009
recommended to Mary JL by:
Discovered it myselfrecommends it for: any fan of historical fiction or hisotry
This is a long book--I will be a few days on this one. Looks good so
far.
************
Tuesday 1/6/09. Now on page 365 of London. Still good. Will review when finished.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Finally finished London (we have been a bit busier at work).
The historical details of this book are excellent. I know a bit out history and there we...more
far.
************
Tuesday 1/6/09. Now on page 365 of London. Still good. Will review when finished.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Finally finished London (we have been a bit busier at work).
The historical details of this book are excellent. I know a bit out history and there we...more
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Read in April, 2008
The third book of Rutherford's that I've read of this type. Have previously read Sarum and Russka and this book pretty much followed those; nothing really surprising or extraordinary about this book.
I suggest reading this book for more of the historical facts than any sort of story-telling. As a history of London (and England) it's nice in that it's not too dry and involves a little bit of fictional aspects. However, the fact that the characters change every couple of chapters (as...more
I suggest reading this book for more of the historical facts than any sort of story-telling. As a history of London (and England) it's nice in that it's not too dry and involves a little bit of fictional aspects. However, the fact that the characters change every couple of chapters (as...more
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Read in January, 2001
Ugh. Every physical description of a female character began and ended with her breasts. Wooden prose, stilted dialogue -- actually, the only thing I enjoyed about this book were the descriptions of London as it grew and changed. If Rutherfurd had written a story about the city itself, rather than bringing characters into it, I might have enjoyed it more. Maybe a better writer will attempt that book.
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3 comments
London: The Novel is an entertaining, albeit long, read. It takes some time to get into the book; you have to make your way past some dry geographic passages and slow character development. Each chapter is its own short story which could probably stand on its own. Since the author couldn’t use the same character through two millennia, he has simplified the character development by using several families and their descendents. Different genetic traits and/or attitudes reoccur through the ag...more
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This was a lonnnnnnnnnnnng book! It traces the history of London, from Roman times up through the 1990s. The author cleverly establishes several families and follows them throughout the various historical periods of London's history. It was a fascinating book, and I learned a great deal about the city, the history of British royalty, the origins of buildings and businesses in London and also the origins of many archaic says we still use today. I enjoyed the book, but it was a little too long for...more
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Read in May, 2009
The prose is pedestrian and the characters are pretty one dimensional, but I'm a sucker for multi-generational historical novels of the kind that require a family tree to keep track of.
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Read in March, 2009
It's odd to read a 1,124 page novel and feel that it's too short. This is not a "haute" literature novel, but rather a sprawling ramble through the history of London - the terrain and its people - made accessible through a series of chronological tales told through the ages. As with "Sarum," Mr. Rutherfurd follows different families over the centuries, with their stories intertwining due to coincidence, marriage, and friendship. This book genre is terrific for learning lit...more
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Read in August, 1998
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 ...more
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Read in July, 2009
This book is quite an undertaking. Its scope is vast. It tells the story of London through the lives of its inhabitants from just before the Roman invasion of Britain up to 1997. I did like this book, it is well written, interesting and mindblowingly epic. It takes the form of a series of short stories about several connected families throughout the history of the city.
There are, however a couple of things about it that bugged me. First occasionally there was a paragraph or a couple ...more
There are, however a couple of things about it that bugged me. First occasionally there was a paragraph or a couple ...more
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The great strength of "London" is the author's ability to interconnect the vignettes that make up this massive novel. The main character is not human, but the city of London itself; Rutherfurd doesn't spend enough time on any one character to really make this a strong novel. Nevertheless, it's a very fun (and sometimes informative) read, especially if you're a fast reader and want to kill some time.
The first few chapters made me cringe a little. The initial setups are unbelie...more
The first few chapters made me cringe a little. The initial setups are unbelie...more
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Read in July, 2009
Hot summer days between the move and the arrival of household goods - no better time to start a long epic by Rutherfurd. I discovered this book was loaned to me about ten years ago by someone who doesn't want it back. I love these Michener-like authors who start with the creation of the earth and bring it through the centuries to modern day time, especially when, like Rutherfurd, they have families who intertwine through the epochs and are followed from earliest times to the present.
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Read in August, 2009
The 2nd 1000+ book of the year and officially the largest read at 1300 pages.
Still, if you are trying to show the history of the capital from the roman invasion to modern day, its going to be lengthy.
This is a book like nothing that I have ever read before. It is fiction - plotting generations of the same family through the years as they are identified by their flash of white hair and webbed hands - but its also the best history lesson that you could have as it plots all...more
Still, if you are trying to show the history of the capital from the roman invasion to modern day, its going to be lengthy.
This is a book like nothing that I have ever read before. It is fiction - plotting generations of the same family through the years as they are identified by their flash of white hair and webbed hands - but its also the best history lesson that you could have as it plots all...more
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Read in January, 1998
This was the first book I read by this author and though it was difficult to stick with at the beginning, I found myself soon burning through the pages. Much like Michener, here we see the history of London brought to life. I truly believe that 'those who forget history are doomed to repeat it' and think this is an excellent way to avoid dry, monotonous texts and get right to the vital lessons that can be learned from the past. Not only an insight into the rise and fall of the various rulers ...more
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Read in July, 2002
Sweeping history of London beginning in the first couple centuries A.D., when the Romans arrived in the remote backwater settlement, extending into the present. Spans the economic, cultural, and political development of London through the centuries. But you get to have stories, too, with characters and drama and intrigue. History and fiction. Perfect combination.
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A long time ago I saw Sarum in a bookstore, started reading it, and realized after a while that standing there reading that engrossing but LONG book was making my feet ache. The irresistible solution was to buy the book! Since then I've bought Russka, The Forest and London (Russka has been sitting unfinished on a shelf for quite a while, but I plan to remedy that)...and my next Rutherfurd purchase, since I could use some weight training that doesn't involve lifting cats, will probably be New Y...more
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Read in October, 2009
History does not automatically come alive for me. I stand in a museum surrounded by old objects and what I see are old objects, not hints of the lives that others from an earlier time have led. Rutherfurd's book brings that history alive. By weaving fictional life stories into the tapestry of history, all of a sudden the history comes to life and I see the events of history flow by on a river of time in a way I never had before.
Having visited London briefly on several occasions, ...more
Having visited London briefly on several occasions, ...more
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Read in January, 1998
I’ve been a fan of Rutherfurd’s since reading his debut novel, “Sarum”. “London” remains my favorite, possibly because of my great fondness for that city but also because of the bang-up job Rutherfurd does bringing it to life. He starts at the beginning—the end of the last Ice Age—and goes full-tilt from there on. Following the fortunes of six families, the story winds through the Roman occupation to the days of Chaucer, the Globe Theatre, Dickens, and beyond. The pace is fa...more
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This book made(old)London come alive for me and added so much to my visits to the city.
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Read in January, 2005
This is one of those epic novels that follows 6 families across thousands of years. I'm a bit besotted by the city of London; i'm not entirely certain that one could get thru this book without being similarly inclined. Don't get me wrong -- it's well written, and the various generations do have fairly interesting episodes. But for me, it's all about the history of London -- when were certain landmarks built, that sort of thing. If I didn't have that going for me, i probably would have stalled ou...more
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