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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Wow, this was such a well told multigenerational novel. And it was a big boy at that! 862 pages with a 32 hour audiobook!
New York evolves over 300+ years, starting when it was New Amsterdam through early 2000s. It touches on the relationships between colonists and those in Britain, slaves and their owners, and the wealth gap.
Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It took me way too long to get through, but it was interesting. I loved learning about new concepts, especially the way New Yorkers acted during slavery. The audiobook was long, but reading the physical book helped break up the length. I was impressed by Rutherfurd’s ability to link the story through a few families over such a long time period, analyzing the struggles and successes each family endured.
New York evolves over 300+ years, starting when it was New Amsterdam through early 2000s. It touches on the relationships between colonists and those in Britain, slaves and their owners, and the wealth gap.
Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It took me way too long to get through, but it was interesting. I loved learning about new concepts, especially the way New Yorkers acted during slavery. The audiobook was long, but reading the physical book helped break up the length. I was impressed by Rutherfurd’s ability to link the story through a few families over such a long time period, analyzing the struggles and successes each family endured.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If Muti-generational family saga, where the main character is New York City and it takes place from the 1600's-2000's sounds great, then run don't walk to grab this book!
This is my second Edward Rutherford book and while i enjoyed Paris a bit more, this one was still good. My biggest gripe with this is that we spend a lot of time in the period of the revolution, and unfortunately other years don't get a ton of love. i personally would have loved to see more of the New York in the 20's-40's and again in the 60's-80's but i get to add everything would make the book more of Tome than it already is.
This is my second Edward Rutherford book and while i enjoyed Paris a bit more, this one was still good. My biggest gripe with this is that we spend a lot of time in the period of the revolution, and unfortunately other years don't get a ton of love. i personally would have loved to see more of the New York in the 20's-40's and again in the 60's-80's but i get to add everything would make the book more of Tome than it already is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Whenever a big chunk of History is being written about, you're going to come across the awful stuff
This book is wonderfully researched and a lovely read. There are parts that could have been shorter, but overall a delightful read.
Fastest 900 pages I ever read. A nice story. Safe enough for Disney. characters seamlessly integrated into NY history with only a few odd gaps. WWII? I suspect was edited out. Overall inoffensive book. No sex. No violence. Lots of rich people. I like how the three talismans move through the history of the Master family. Well done and believable. Even a Rutherfurd cameo!
I Might try rutherfurd's London.
Recommended.
I Might try rutherfurd's London.
Recommended.
Rutherfurd is a writer who can stand next to Mitchner in the real of historical 'place' fiction. New York spans the entire history of that city, from the Dutch to today. A lot of fascinating facts interwoven with the lives of the families the book follows. Well worth a read
Long but oh so good. A tribute to a beautiful city that has always Imagined Freedom.
What I liked about this book: a big family saga over 400 years. I learned more about NYC and other parts of history. It was perfect on audio.
What I didn’t like: Dropped storylines. I know we couldn’t possibly follow every family ever mentioned but there were a few key characters/families that just disappeared after a while and would have liked to follow them too. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the more modern characters.
I love big books about families that span 100s of years and this one did hit the spot for that. I give it 3.5 stars.
What I didn’t like: Dropped storylines. I know we couldn’t possibly follow every family ever mentioned but there were a few key characters/families that just disappeared after a while and would have liked to follow them too. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the more modern characters.
I love big books about families that span 100s of years and this one did hit the spot for that. I give it 3.5 stars.
4 1/2 stars!
A truly wonderful novel of New York that follows the fictitious Master family from the time the Dutch landed in what we now know as common day Manhattan on through the centuries until about 2009ish. It is rich with history, reintroducing us to many people we have encountered through our studies in school and giving them a voice and a part to play with the Masters. I spent a very long time with Rutherfurd’s book, really immersing myself in the culture and politics of old New York. I sometimes found myself sad when it was time to move on to a different generation of Masters since I felt a strong connection with a few of the characters. It is not only about one family but also the other people in New York they interact with and sometimes both worlds may collide decades later down the road.
Fascinating and wonderfully written, I really loved watching the development of the greatest city on earth. I would give this 5 stars but there were big gaps in between generations at times and that left me wanting more which is honestly ridiculous because the story is 850 pages long already. This book is good enough that if it were another 850 pages, I would have committed myself to New York all over again.
A truly wonderful novel of New York that follows the fictitious Master family from the time the Dutch landed in what we now know as common day Manhattan on through the centuries until about 2009ish. It is rich with history, reintroducing us to many people we have encountered through our studies in school and giving them a voice and a part to play with the Masters. I spent a very long time with Rutherfurd’s book, really immersing myself in the culture and politics of old New York. I sometimes found myself sad when it was time to move on to a different generation of Masters since I felt a strong connection with a few of the characters. It is not only about one family but also the other people in New York they interact with and sometimes both worlds may collide decades later down the road.
Fascinating and wonderfully written, I really loved watching the development of the greatest city on earth. I would give this 5 stars but there were big gaps in between generations at times and that left me wanting more which is honestly ridiculous because the story is 850 pages long already. This book is good enough that if it were another 850 pages, I would have committed myself to New York all over again.
This is my first time reading this author and I was thoroughly impressed. His style in which in combined his story with actual historic events was impressive and it kept the story moving. Following the families throughout the generations provided an outlook on how some things are today. I was concerned that the story wouldn't be developed as much as it was but Edward has a great respect for detail. His writing style is one that I have to say is my favorite. When placing a story around historical facts there has to be detailed information. I definitely can't wait to read another of his books.