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lportx's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know why this wasn’t obvious to me before picking up this book, but here was my issue: because the book spans 400 years, you get to know a character for about 100-200 pages then adios. To me, this resulted in a disjointed reading experience which I did not really love. As a result it took me forever to read the book, I kept putting it down and was not motivated to continue to read.
I found the prose a little too simple and straightforward.
However, it was fun to picture New York in its various states of development. I will credit the author with his research and weaving major city events in with the lives of the characters.
I found the prose a little too simple and straightforward.
However, it was fun to picture New York in its various states of development. I will credit the author with his research and weaving major city events in with the lives of the characters.
renecnielsen's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest the book was better than expected. Further, I feel it's kind of strange to believe that too much has been omitted in a book of this length. But yes, for the first time in my life, I think that Rutherfurd should have written a bit more. Especially on less fortunate families than the Master family. New York is just as much about the ones finding The American Dream to be a nightmare as those who prosper.
He does write about slaves, the poor Italians arriving and so on. But these stories fade too much compared to the stories of the upper classes. In my opinion, that is. But all in all, it's a great book.
He does write about slaves, the poor Italians arriving and so on. But these stories fade too much compared to the stories of the upper classes. In my opinion, that is. But all in all, it's a great book.
susannavs's review against another edition
4.0
I rounded up from 3.5 stars - this was not as good as some of Rutherford's other books. It was a pity that, as other reviewers noted, there wasn't much ethnic diversity throughout the novel. What I did particularly like was that most of the MAJOR events in NY's history were mentioned, but not dealt with directly. That would have been too easy - this way, Rutherford was forced to think about the people, not the events. Rutherford's sagas are always ambitious, and I love them.
crystalvaughan0603's review against another edition
3.0
This book was entertaining, but I did have problems with the disjointed, herky jerky nature of the narrative. [ai:Edward Rutherfurd|16204|Edward Rutherfurd|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1368159716p2/16204.jpg] Edward Rutherford skipped between events and people. It was rather disconcerting to be introduced to new characters, only to have them dropped with little or no mention of them afterwards. One instance was the character of Hudson River. He disappeared and it wasn't until a few chapters later, we get a throwaway line about his eventual fate. Another instance was the introduction of an entire immigrant family. We follow the children as they grow and then... another throwaway line about a descendant much later. The skipping between events was another problem. We jump from war to war to war or crisis to crisis to crisis with little discussion of the events that occur between. There was little talk about the events outside of New York as well. For being the financial center of the world, it seems there's little concern for or even idea about what happens in other parts of the country or world. Perhaps there was simply too much history of the city to include those little bits of information. New York City is a large metropolis with a history that goes back to the time when the city was in the hands of the Dutch. Perhaps following one family through from New Amsterdam to modern times was too much for one book. It might have worked better as a series.
iancmclaren's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker for these sweeping historical fiction novels, and this one was very good. Lots to pack in but I really enjoyed how he pulled it off (although some of the connections were a bit too coincedental). Looking forward to reading some of his other books!
shesbecomingbookish's review against another edition
4.0
A long but terrific read. The characters and inter-weaves story lines were colorful and well-written. The historical narrative is perfectly blended with the fiction, reminiscent of another one of my favorite reads: Gone With The Wind. Dive in if you need a good escape!
rachelwalexander's review against another edition
4.0
Well written like his others but the choice to make an old money Dutch-English family the focal point here left a lot to be desired in terms of capturing the city's history and spirit. There are immigrant characters and characters of color but without the same sweeping arc the Masters get, which is a shame.
leemac027's review against another edition
5.0
I am a massive Rutherfurd fan and again this book was simply wonderful.
The story of what is now New York, starts back in the 1600s with Dutch settlers and local traditional owners, and over centuries Rutherfurd takes the reader through generations of families that lived on this land. Their lives are intertwined over time, the plots intriguing, complex and so well researched.
We are taken through the War of Independence and the Civil War with the rivalries and factions on all sides. Immigration and its impact on the city, together with the gangs and their violence shows yet another side to the city and the influence this had on its development.
All through the narrative we are shown the difference between those with money and those without, those with old money and those with new, the privileged and those without.
This culminates in the 9/11 attacks on the city showing the tragedy and the consequent focus on the future.
The story of what is now New York, starts back in the 1600s with Dutch settlers and local traditional owners, and over centuries Rutherfurd takes the reader through generations of families that lived on this land. Their lives are intertwined over time, the plots intriguing, complex and so well researched.
We are taken through the War of Independence and the Civil War with the rivalries and factions on all sides. Immigration and its impact on the city, together with the gangs and their violence shows yet another side to the city and the influence this had on its development.
All through the narrative we are shown the difference between those with money and those without, those with old money and those with new, the privileged and those without.
This culminates in the 9/11 attacks on the city showing the tragedy and the consequent focus on the future.
hsrudolph's review against another edition
4.0
I'd forgotten how much I love Rutherford's sweeping historical sagas. History lessons intertwined with delightful fictional tales, this time about a city so close to my heart.
berlyhansen's review against another edition
3.0
Technically, I read to page 331 and just didn't care enough to keep going.