A review by crystalvaughan0603
New York by Edward Rutherfurd

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.