Rating: 
Summary: History by the bucketload, but hold the storyline.
Review: I bought this book on a very wet day at my local bookshop on a whim, given that I am my family is completley london based, and have been for centuries, the tale of London intruiged me. Having got back home I immidiatley started, and did not lift my head from the book for two weeks. Being a history buff, I knew a lot of the events and history of London, however the thing which drew me into this book and didn't let go, was the way in which rutherford lets you see all these events from a Londoners point of view. That and the development of London as an independent international city. If you are interested in british history then this book will show you a completley new historical perspective, which is invigourating to say the least. However if you are interested in reading a good novel, then I'm afraid the book will let you down, the stories which depict the lives of the various families are nicley written, but are not engaging, and the characters are too shallow. This is understandable given the scale of the book, and in certain areas the storyline does grip you, but the story line relies on so many coincidences it is frankly unbelivable. Overall I thouroughly enjoyed this book, and would reccomend it to anyone with a more than a passing intrest in the history of london, but to anyone who wants a nice novel to read, it would be very tedious.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read, but an absolute must if you're visiting London
Review: This superb book is a great read. I do not share the criticism that it is a series of disjointed vignettes. Rather, by following several families drawn from England major cultural strains (Celtic, Saxon, Norman), Rutherfurd provides a wonderful and unified overview of the city's (and the country's) history. I am presently a U.S. expatriate living in London and have read several travel books to orient myself to my new surroundings. Rutherfurd's London was far more valuable in providing an historical frame of reference for comprehending and enjoying this great city. And if you're visiting London for the first time, it's an absolute must.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable History Lessons; Skimpy stories
Review: I enjoy most historical novels, but I prefer them to be more focused: I've started many a Michner book, but finished very few. Rutherfurd's book somewhat frustrated me with the short stories that seemed like Reader's Digest versions of a longer novel; this the result of an ambitious premise, that he could capture 2,000 yrs of history in the linear tales of simple people. I think fewer and longer chapters would have worked better for me. Yet I enjoyed each chapter while I read it. My disappointment was in not being able to appreciate a deeper storyline. The background history that the author provides is fascinating, even for someone like me who has only been to London once.
Rating: 
Summary: Rutherford's book is good, but just too long.
Review: I have enjoyed parts of this book by Rutherford, as I enjoyed his earlier work Sarum. The only problem is that the book is way way too long. While being comprised of short stories makes it a little easier to read, it is also a problem. You find yourself wanting the stories that work to continue, and those that don't to end as soon as possible. I'm stuck about 3/4 of the way through the book, plodding along, just wanting to get it over with, but bullheaded enough not to quit the book.
Rating:
Summary: The history is great, but the players are mere shadows
Review: This is a frustrating time travel. Early in the novel interest is high, detail is good and one is compelled to keep going with the read. Then, it becomes a labour and you realize there are many hundreds of pages to go and the author skips superficially over the characters. You want to know more about them but ..you don't get that pleasure. It's time travel and you don't get to stop at any port long enough to say you've been there. Ah...but what about that buried gold? Yes, he doesn't forget, thank goodness. It's a loose end that he thankfully brings closure to. For history fans, its a good summary, but don't pretend to be knowledgeable at your next party on the subject of London unless you find other supplements. And, where are the Beatles, did any of them have webbed fingers? Just Kidding!!
Rating:
Summary: London's story through the eyes of the great and the small
Review: As a frequent traveller to London, I picked up Rutherford's work in hopes of understanding the city a bit. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not just the story of a city as seen through the eyes of the upper class (as a lot of history is). But rather I was given a feel for different facets of the city as seen through the eyes of members of all social classes. Some of the characters were thin on depth, but this is to be expected when covering 2000 years of history. I ended up with a feel for the flow of time through this marvelous city that has shaped it into what it is today. And there is enough detail that I am left with the feeling that I was there when it all happened. Not quite as good as Sarum, but still first rate.
Rating:
Summary: Too much history, not enough fiction
Review: There are longer books than "London" (most Stephen King novels qualify), and there are certainly books that take more time to read (try making it through Thomas Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon"), but just try keeping that in mind while you're slogging through this best-seller. Imagine driving along an unfamiliar residential street, peering at dimly lit homes, looking for a certain address. Then you realize that the house numbers are going by twos -- from 1106 to 1108 to 1110 -- and the address you're trying to find is *miles* away. Nothing to do about it. The speed limit is just 25, so you grimly resign yourself to a long, slow ride. You get this feeling at several points in "London," an episodic history of the city told through the (fictional) lives of those who lived through it. By the time you reach the end, you'll feel as though you, too, are 2,051 years old. It's hard not to feel as though you're never going to get to the days of the Beatles, much less Margaret Thatcher. Like his the-only-book-you'll-read-this-summer compatriots Marguerite Young and R.L. Delderfield, Rutherfurd specializes in hefty historical romances without a great deal of drama. They're books that you can start and/or stop reading anywhere, ideal for whiling away a vacation -- though "London" may push your airplane carry-on over its weight limit. His books have strong, solid, definitive titles. "Sarum: The Novel of England." "Russka: The Novel of Russia." (I guess "War and Peace" was just *a* novel of Russia.) "London" begins at the beginning. I mean, *really* at the beginning: "Four hundred million years ago, when the continents were arranged in a quite different configuration..." Rutherfurd goes on to show us Caesar's attack on England in 54 B.C., then life in 251 A.D., when "the province of Britain was calm," and on and on until the present, stopping and starting, skipping one year, two years, 10 years, 200 years. He drops us into the city's history whenever something exciting is about to happen -- a famous fire, riot, sca! ndal, remark -- and then triumphantly informs us of the event's importance: "So another landmark in English constitutional history was made."; "England's great Peasant Revolt had begun."; "In this manner, in the twelfth century, the terms Exchequer, sterling, counterfoil and stock entered the language of English finance."; "Medical history has since conceded that the baby was probably legitimate."; "Julius Ducket had just invented government debt."; "The Stuart age had begun." Rutherfurd is interested not so much in holding our attention with simple character-based entertainment as in really capturing *what it was like*. Wielding his prodigious research, he tries to show the sweep of many institutions, natural and manmade -- government, industry, marriage, sex, disease. As in James Michener's work, Rutherfurd'shifts between narrative and research often aren't particularly smooth. Discussing the misadventures of a prostitute, he writes, "Margery very clearly had the burning sickness." Then he interrupts the story for a quickie lecture: "It was a form of syphilis, though less severe than the strain which would appear in later centuries. When it had first come to Britain is uncertain; but, though the infection may have been brought by returning crusaders, there are clear indications of its presence on the island already from as early as Saxon times." Then, without a word of transition, back to Margery. Rutherfurd handles dialogue in an unusual -- and, ultimately, forgettable -- way. Most of his characters are commoners possessed of limited vocabulary and imagination, and their lines are appropriately, well, limited. Even the celebrities who have occasional cameos don't fare all that well. At one point Rutherfurd introduces us to a young Geoffrey Chaucer, who grows up to speak some wretched dialogue: "I could tell dozens of stories and fit them all together. I shall call it the Canterbury Tales." The result: The characters' lines may not be cluttered with anachronisms, but they don't hold more than a shred! of interest for us. There's something to be said for cleverness, even at the risk of sounding a tiny bit out of place. The mundane dialogue is indicative of the book's scale, which stays resolutely tiny. A few of the individual dramas are entertaining, even tense, stories, but none lasts long enough for us to care about many of these small people and their small lives. Rutherfurd's attempt to counter the great-men-create-history myth is admirable but makes for less-than-compelling reading. The same character names pop up frequently, and sometimes even a helpful Distinguishing Physical Characteristic (like the patch of white hair and webbed fingers that survive dozens of generations). But unless you keep checking with the extensive family tree that opens the book, you'll never keep all the names and places straight. Not that it matters. Though the novel's sheer bulk affords it a certain mad grandeur, none of "London" actually leads to anything. The final hundred pages are no more thrilling than the first hundred. They're not supposed to be. You don't have to worry about my giving anything crucial away in this review, but I must note that Rutherfurd never does give us Margaret Thatcher and the Beatles. He hits World War II ("The Blitz") with just 26 pages to go and -- perhaps cognizant of the many marvelous postwar English novels -- lets his grand saga quietly fizzle out. Ultimately, "London," like much historical fiction, has too much history, not enough fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A thumbnail history--on a giant's thumbnail--excellent!!!
Review: As a British Literature instructor LONDON caught my eye, and after I began reading, it captured my mind and heart. To all the historyphiles (does such a word/thing exist?) the sad truth is that history can be a dull subject--to those who do not enjoy knowing. But the historical novel i.e., IVANHOE, HAWAII, etc. is a means to gain knowledge. I have read some Michener and found his work enjoyable. And I have had students read IVANHOE as a primer to British literature, but LONDON will be my choice in the future. The text requires an intellectual committment from the reader and those who complain that they cannot follow the family lines are missing the point. Yes, the families do appear simple vehicles, but the vehicles are not the issue--it's the road they are traveling. LONDON is, in my humble opinion, the autobahn.
Rating:
Summary: History in a nutshell
Review: I loved "Sarum", and was interested to see how Mr. Rutherford would tackle "London". He is very accurate but also adds his own interpretation of history and historical figures! Interesting to learn how many English words used today have come about - words we use today without thinking twice about them. Definitely a book for history buffs!
Rating:
Summary: A book for history fans
Review: This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read. Maybe it's less readable than Sarum but it's also less chaotic than Russka. Try to read it while you're in London and visit the places described in the novel.I did it! It's a wonderful way to merge yourself deep into British history and to learn how political and economical struggles of the last 17 centuries have been deeply influenced by religion.
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