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kiwikazz's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it! What a fantastic book. It took me a month to read but worth every day! I feel so much better educated about the city I grew up so near. I now know the history of so many places, names, buildings and areas. And of course, a good understanding of the historical periods from 1640 to the present. What an amazing city!....with such a rich history. I highly recommend this book.
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
4.0
Pillars of the Earth meets New York City and 400 years of history. Really really enjoyed this. Although, if you're not into rich people, a lot of this will annoy you...
gaurir's review against another edition
3.0
I'll be honest and say I didn't finish it to the end because it was simply too long of a book. I was really mesmerized by the first few hundred pages, I really liked hearing the story of Quash's lineage, but it felt like that story got too tied up in the war stories later on. I also wish the story featured more diverse characters, New York is such a melting pot and I didn't feel like Rutherford did it all justice. At some point in the future I'll probably pick it up and finish it because I've loved reading about New York.
nicolaspratt's review against another edition
3.0
As always, Rutherfurd takes a deep dive into the history of a place, and makes each and every character intriguing and interesting to follow. The storylines created weave a tapestry of historical events in a personable and interesting fashion, easier to follow than a dry history book, but mixed with enough true history to make it believable. While the book is long, there are no points that I found to be dragging, with most of the major events in the history of New York covered between the early European settlers and 2010.
bigsexy's review against another edition
4.0
I love his historical fiction books! Along with New York, I have read London and my favorite, Paris.
The fictional story lines are pretty basic but you learn so much about the cities over the centuries.
The fictional story lines are pretty basic but you learn so much about the cities over the centuries.
regmarie328's review against another edition
4.0
It was a lot easier to read then I thought it would be. For some reason I imagined a difficult read with a lot ot keep track of, but it wasn't. The only thing I was disappointed in was that it seemed that after spending so much time talking about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Rutherfurd seemed to speed through other decades. I would have loved to have read about New York during WWII and more on the World Center tragedy, September 11 is such a huge and emotional event that it would have been nice to have had some more time devoted to the tragedy and the aftermat. However, after reading this book I'd like to read his other books.
jennjoy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The book is truly remarkable, following the Master family from the 1600s to 2008, but the story is really about New York and the people that are affected by the many major events that Rutherford highlights. I found myself unfortunately really disliking the Master family descendents and enjoying the other family storyline more. But it was really the events in history that kept me coming back for more. it really bothered me that Hudsons family line ended and no further mention of them was made. Similarly, I felt there were other family lines that I would have liked to come down the years. What happened to the Boston Masters? The ODonnell family? And what about the Van Dycks from the beginning? I also hated that the Wampum didn't bring g good luck to Sarah, but I guess it gave good luck to Master when he gave it to her. I would have liked to have seen the Dutch coin come back and follow some more of the tribe. overall, too many loose ends to he satisfying but really loved the history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Racism
Minor: War
Our history is sometimes rough to read, even though it's true. Be ready for slavery and all that comes with it, and poor treatment of Jews, (as well as other groups.)coletters's review against another edition
3.0
My favourite book Mr. Rutherfurd has written will always be London (Sarum playing a close 2nd). Maybe it was because this book only started in the 1600's and didn't have a family tree to follow and remember all the characters. Also didn't like that the people he chose to spotlight, their relationships always had the same outcome - and not what you expected or wanted.
Probably my least favourite of all the books he's written thusfar. Shame really. Wonder if he'll ever do one about Vancouver . . . .
Probably my least favourite of all the books he's written thusfar. Shame really. Wonder if he'll ever do one about Vancouver . . . .
a_mae_z's review against another edition
I almost qualified this book as read considering I was 20 hours into this book. The story line drug on while also having no detail at all. I simply could not finish this book with the amout of times the n word was used and how comfortable the narrator said it. If I would rate this it would be a 1 star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Yes it is set in history but there is absolutely no reason to use this slur, especially for a white man in 2009.