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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
If you like historical fiction, you will probably Iike this book. It basically follows one family from the early settlement of New York in the 1600s through the 2010s. The book tells the evolution of the city and history using the Master family as the tie that holds the story together. There were other families interwoven, but not too much detail about them.
Many key historical events were used in the story, such as Revolutionary war battles that were fought around the area and the Triangle Shirt Factory tragedy, but others were not even mentioned, such as World War 2. This is probably due to the span and scope of the novel. How can you include everything in one novel when your story cover 500 years?
Overall, the story held my interest, and I cared about the characters.
Many key historical events were used in the story, such as Revolutionary war battles that were fought around the area and the Triangle Shirt Factory tragedy, but others were not even mentioned, such as World War 2. This is probably due to the span and scope of the novel. How can you include everything in one novel when your story cover 500 years?
Overall, the story held my interest, and I cared about the characters.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
slow-paced
Very long story that kept me wanting more! Loved the first part of the book felt the last 1/4 was a bit rushed.
This was my first Edward Rutherfurd novel and won’t be my last. Having lived in NY for 18 years I really appreciated the setting of NYC. Rutherford really filled in the big picture of the city from the 1600’s to current day. It’s quite the time commitment but definitely worth it.
For the most part I enjoyed this book. The first 70% - 80% was very interesting because historically I learned a lot that I wasn't aware of. Towards the very end the history of NY became too familiar so it wasn't as interesting. The multi generational approach Rutherfurd used helped keep your interest throughout most of the book. I would definitely recommend it - good read - learned a lot about New York City and its past.
One of the coolest books I've ever read: Rutherfurd blends fictional families into the meticulously research background of New York City from the 1600s all the way up to 2009 and, in doing so, provides an element of local color that really makes the history come alive. He introduces various families (e.g. a wealthy Dutch family, an enslaved family, a family of Italian immigrants, and a poor Irish family) as their lives intersect with historical currents and major figures; for example, Rutherfurd describes the Revolutionary War at length through characters on both the Loyalist and Patriot fronts. I wish he'd touched more on the World Wars, but as a whole, I'm incredibly impressed by this book, and I think it sets a high bar for what historical fiction can be.
I read Sarum ages ago during my bookseller apprentice- and was delighted to see that Mr. Rutherford has more of these historical fictions. This was ideal for a holiday read - more than 900 pages, yeah!
Interesting as well- was not aware about the Dutch history of New York so much, I think I will have to read more on that later. I immediately checked our library for further ebooks of Mr. Rutherfurd - and yes, they had "Paris" as well which I am reading now.
Interesting as well- was not aware about the Dutch history of New York so much, I think I will have to read more on that later. I immediately checked our library for further ebooks of Mr. Rutherfurd - and yes, they had "Paris" as well which I am reading now.