false 1039744 0099201917 9780099201915 25 3 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180437370m/1039744.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1039744.London 16204 Edward Rutherfurd 6287 935 4 2 false Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 03:57:39 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 04:08:08 -0700 2009
There are, however a couple of things about it that bugged me. First occasionally there was a paragraph or a couple of pages of exposition that seemed out of place. Some event had occurred between one story and the next of which we needed to be made aware. This was done simply by having a short section that sounded straight out of a history textbook. I had this image of the narrator leaning back in his leather armchair giving us a knowing smile and relating these facts to me with a sigh. It spoiled the atmosphere of the stories.

Another issue I had with this book is that it was trying to do two things at once. On the one hand it was telling the stories of various specific inhabitants of London throughout history. It was also trying to indirectly give a flavour of the history of the city itself. I felt that parts of the book seemed schizophrenic as a result.

All in all though, despite the above mentioned flaws this is a great book. And at 1200 pages long it will keep you busy for a while...]]>