Reviews

London by Edward Rutherfurd

hoganbabogan's review

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

katrenea's review against another edition

5.0

It is often difficult to weave history and fiction together, but Rutherfurd does this effortlessly. I look forward to reading his other works.

rxchic's review against another edition

4.0

Epic Epic Novel!

This culminates my recent trip to London and helps to fulfill a desire to learn more about the history of London. I would definitely recommend this historical fiction novel for that purpose. I would agree with other comments that sometimes the characters were difficult to follow but otherwise a must read.

lulo49's review against another edition

4.0

L.O.N.G. but great audiobook. Narrator was excellent, connecting story lines througout hundreds of years of history.

hewlettelaine's review against another edition

5.0

I really liked this book! It's an absolute beast of a read at 1299 pages but it's never dull. It tells the history of London through a series of family trees, all inter-related, beginning with the pre-Roman settlement and ending in 1997, hitting lots of major watersheds along the way. It cleverly weaves the history of the city through the familial drama and gives a wonderful sense of how the geography grew over time, layers over layers, and how the beginnings of families, traditions or wealth are lost over the ages. Definitely a recommend!

mdinos's review

slow-paced

4.0

pinecone60's review

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Great stories that make history real 

susanb0129's review

informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

amalia1985's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 ''It was amazing how quiet London could be. Not only in the big parks, but in great walled enclosures like the Temple or in the old churches like St Bartholomew's, there was a silence that seemed to take one back for centuries. Even here in the City the office buildings rising high over the narrow streets provided a screen so that the sounds of London's busy traffic could scarcely be heard. She glanced up at the sky. Still blue.'' 

mish001's review against another edition

5.0

Loved! There has been so many times that I've read a historical novel and wondered what happened next, what would've happened to their ancestors, how would they have adjusted? This book takes you from beginning to end, following one mans ancestral line through generations witnessing kings, religions, political upheavals all against the backdrop of London changing with time...