London (Abridged Edition)

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Summary: An excellent fiction filled with true historical events.
Review: London provides the reader with a history lesson more compelling than any high school or college textbook. The reader finds himself caught up in the lives of several London families while unaware that his mind is being filled with an English history lesson. I found myself sharing historical facts with my significant other without even realizing how much information I had retained. I learned more in a hundred pages then I did in high school or college and this time I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Summary: Staying Power
Review: I read this book shortly after it came out, and took time off from work to read it. I was fascinated by the scope of the timeline, the connection of the fictional characters, and above all, the glorious city of London as both the backdrop and the main character. The book had an impact on me, and I wish I could travel to England to actually see the sights that became very vivid to me through the book. When/if I ever get to England, I will definitely re-read London to get the flavor again.

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Summary: Bland and Boring
Review: This book is poor imitation Michener, largely due to the fact that the writing is incredibly bland. While I learned things about the history of London, I had a hard time finishing the book, and only the curiosity whether or not the famous coins were going to be rediscovered kept me reading to the end.

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Summary: Wonderful way to make the city come alive!
Review: I recently visited the City of London and reading the book now makes many of the places I saw even more interesting. Rutherfurd inserts occasional real people into the narrative, which gives one pause to think about their lives in a new light. I particularly enjoyed the earliest chapters and the chapter leading up to the Restoration. The chapter dealing with Henry VIII's era was my least favorite. Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it especially to those who like James Michener's style.

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Summary: Worth The Effort
Review: Rutherford's ambition is also his undoing, but the end result is worthwhile -- especially for Anglophiles and those to whom London geography is a bit, well, mysterious. His ambition, of course, is to tell tales of London with its geography as a constant, evolving backdrop. The structure is a series of short stories: most are compelling and interesting reads and the characters are fairly well developed; some are truly memorable. Unfortunately, at about page 900, we've just reached the Victorian era. The reader can feel the pace quicken, as if sprinting towards the end line. Here, the device changes to shorter stories that jump single generations. A necessary step, I suppose, but I would have loved to have gotten more of the Victorian and Edwardian flavor of the town. But...this is not ot take away from a narrative that entertains while you learn. And in the end, you're ready to visit London and check out the landmarks. For Rutherford's next "geographical-historical fiction" project, I propose: New York City.

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Summary: Jumps from One Time to Another
Review: This is an interesting book. The author takes the history of London from the days of the Roman Conquest to the present by fictionalizing it through the eyes of four or five families. Each historical era is presented as part of the continuing saga of these families. The only trouble I had was that the books jumps from one century to another, which necessitates turning to the "family tree" at the beginning of the book in order to keep track of the characters. It was, however, a good book.

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Summary: Whew! I'm exhausted but very happy!
Review: When I finally finished this book after many early morning reading sessions (when I enjoy reading the most) I laid it down and stared off into space for quite some time, trying to stay on my "high" as long as possible. Rutherfurd transported me so thoroughly, not only to my native city but back in time. Through his amazing research, I was able to picture what my old stomping grounds of Clapham and Vauxhall (or Vaux's Hall) and Lavender Hill used to be like, say, 500 years ago. He taught me so much about my city, my language, and my roots. How many Brits. know that they have perhaps more French blood in their veins than Anglo-Saxon? Using names such as Barnikel the Dane, Penny the Huguenot, or Meredith, descended from the Welsh, I was able to keep the characters straight througout the novel. The Doggets and Duckets and Bulls were sometimes confusing but that did not spoil my enjoyment of each little story within a story. I thoroughly recommend this book!

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Summary: Great vacation read with a history lesson mixed in.
Review: This is the type of book for those of us who feel we didn't listen well enough to our history professors and now wishes we had. London gives you an amazing view of England with politics, religion, culture, family and sex thrown in. It keeps you involved with the different characters who weave through the 2,000 years and makes me want to read more of his work.

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Summary: HOLY WONDERFULL
Review: While I am only 16, I bought London out of my own free will, and have enjoyed it thouroughly! I found it gripping and I never wanted to put it down. A great book (if you have alot of time on your hands!).

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read
Review: Usually when I read a book that is unusually long, no matter how highly rated, I wind up thinking it could easily be cut in half. Not so with "London." I was totally fascinated all the way through. It reads like a collection of short stories loosely tied together while presenting the economic, social and political history of London. If anything, the book is too short as more time could/should have been devoted to the present and recent past.