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A review by christopherborum
New York by Edward Rutherfurd
4.0
This is exactly what you expect from Rutherfurd. Expansive history with rich characters and complex and satisfying storytelling. New York is one of the few cities in the US that has a long enough history to justify a Rutherfurd treatment. The trade-off is that there is a lot to cover. He does a decent job incorporating the native stories at the beginning in their interactions with the Dutch and English, and does make passing reference to pre-contact traditions. But including everything that has happened in New York from the earliest Dutch colony to 9/11 means that certain elements get shorter shrift.
Others have noted that the sections on more recent history, especially from WWI onward, seem abbreviated, and I have to agree. The sections that cover the years leading up to, through, and past the American Revolution take up nearly 200 pages, or almost a quarter of the whole book. (I'm counting from "Montayne's Tavern, 1758", which is where the Sons of Liberty originated, through "The Capital, 1790".) We read about every detail of many characters' lives in this period, whereas many of the events of the 20th century are alluded to in passing or by reference to events that have already happened. I wanted to read more about Salvatore Caruso, for example, and the descendants of the Rivers family.
All that aside, I enjoyed this book. It was difficult reading the short sections leading up to 9/10 and 9/11. Reading about the characters on the ground and knowing who was in the Towers was a sad reminder that real people were simply going about their regular activities, or taking chances on new opportunities, when everything was cut short. I was reminded of the adage about never going to bed angry with your partner or following an argument.
(I don't think it's a spoiler to say that some characters end up in the Towers or nearby on that day. I won't say who, obviously, or what happens to any of them, but I will say that I was wrong in who I thought would be where and what their fates would be. If anyone's truly bothered by this, let me know in comments and I'll add a tag.)
Finally, although there were helpful maps, and I kind of know where things are in New York, I did go to Google to look up the current locations of some of the older, now lost, landmarks. And I was surprised that there was not the standard family generations table that his other books all seem to have. I had to keep track in my head and I sometimes couldn't remember which of the Masters was the grandparent or great-grandparent. Such a reference would have been helpful.
And when I finished and closed the book, I wondered if Rutherfurd is bothered by his reviews and jacket blurbs STILL opening with, "In the tradition of James Michener..." Maybe I'll write a historical novel and ask the publisher to include a blurb reading, "In the tradition of Edward Rutherfurd..." I mean, seriously, Sarum was published in 1987.
Others have noted that the sections on more recent history, especially from WWI onward, seem abbreviated, and I have to agree. The sections that cover the years leading up to, through, and past the American Revolution take up nearly 200 pages, or almost a quarter of the whole book. (I'm counting from "Montayne's Tavern, 1758", which is where the Sons of Liberty originated, through "The Capital, 1790".) We read about every detail of many characters' lives in this period, whereas many of the events of the 20th century are alluded to in passing or by reference to events that have already happened. I wanted to read more about Salvatore Caruso, for example, and the descendants of the Rivers family.
All that aside, I enjoyed this book. It was difficult reading the short sections leading up to 9/10 and 9/11. Reading about the characters on the ground and knowing who was in the Towers was a sad reminder that real people were simply going about their regular activities, or taking chances on new opportunities, when everything was cut short. I was reminded of the adage about never going to bed angry with your partner or following an argument.
(I don't think it's a spoiler to say that some characters end up in the Towers or nearby on that day. I won't say who, obviously, or what happens to any of them, but I will say that I was wrong in who I thought would be where and what their fates would be. If anyone's truly bothered by this, let me know in comments and I'll add a tag.)
Finally, although there were helpful maps, and I kind of know where things are in New York, I did go to Google to look up the current locations of some of the older, now lost, landmarks. And I was surprised that there was not the standard family generations table that his other books all seem to have. I had to keep track in my head and I sometimes couldn't remember which of the Masters was the grandparent or great-grandparent. Such a reference would have been helpful.
And when I finished and closed the book, I wondered if Rutherfurd is bothered by his reviews and jacket blurbs STILL opening with, "In the tradition of James Michener..." Maybe I'll write a historical novel and ask the publisher to include a blurb reading, "In the tradition of Edward Rutherfurd..." I mean, seriously, Sarum was published in 1987.