London (Abridged Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Better than melatonin
Review: What's the point. A dash of white hair, webbed fingers, ...? I kept waiting for a reason - never got it. Starts off interesting enough, lots of history. About half way through one begins to get impatient. With a hundred pages to go, one wonders if it will ever end. Nevertheless, it's a great way to put yourself to sleep at night. More effective than melatonin.

Rating:
Summary: Zzzzzzzzzz...
Review: This book was BORING. While Rutherfurd tried to link the different eras by using the histories of several families, the novel still lacked continuity. A very disappointing effort.

Rating:
Summary: EASY TO UNDERSTAND INFORMAL HISTORY - LOUSY STORY LINES.
Review: After having made several trips to London, and always at a loss concerning the time-line of the history of the city, I really enjoyed the informal history lesson.....but the story line and characters were a bit boring and sophomoric. At times, I wondered if parts of the book were really fiction or actual history. Too bad some more definite differentiation could not have been made between the two. I was specifically interested in knowing the dates that different neighborhoods were established, and when landmark buildings etc were built. I still don't know if the dates given were fact or fiction.

Rating:
Summary: London; A great idea, a poor presentation
Review: Rutherfurd's attempt to chronicle the history of London over two millenia has fallen short of greatness. Through the ins and outs of his use of family lineage and sometimes playful stories, Rutherfurd's inability to construct a flowing prose which is continually(or at least a majority) captivating is his downfall. I found each chapter to begin with a "kick" then monotonously try to relate each family within a coherent story only to wrap up each chapter with haste. Rutherfurd includes a lot "Jeopardy-esque" trivia pertaining to each period but these interesting anecdotes cannot save the boredom which is the bulk of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: Rutherfurd's newest, London, is a good read. The book has something forryoneÐhistory, suspense, mystery, romance, humor-it's all there. Rutherford's style is Michener-esque and so there are some lengthy descriptions about webbed hands and big noses, but the book is definitely a good read and will keep you busy for several evenings.

Rating:
Summary: A book to burn the midnight oil with.
Review: Mr. Rutherford is a wonderful time traveler, taking us through 2,000 years of history. His characters leap off the pages and fill my imagination. I especially liked the evil Mr. Silversleeves who ended up with a church named after him. Who else thinks of these things? Write another one Mr. Rutherford - soon.

Rating:
Summary: London - not as thrilling as Sarum but wonderful history
Review: London gets less involved into the lives of its central characters than it's predecessor Sarum - a bit thin on characterization but incredibly rich in historical detail, histo-factoids and interesting facts about the most interesting city in the world. If you love England and enjoy historical fiction, this is one for your "to digest" list. A bit longer and less compelling than Sarum, nevertheless it is worth the effort.

Rating:
Summary: somewhat boring, equally, somewhat interesting
Review: Books set in considerable past eras are frustrating in that it must be written in a 21st century dialogue. Thus, information written about cannot be factual regardless of time-line accuracies. This is an educated writer, authoring a book better left unwritten or perhaps broken down into several editions. Physically weighty.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book - Humanizes History with picturesque characters
Review: I particularly liked the author's talent for making history come alive. His characters are real & bring the events to life. I believed that these things happened because of the characters. Also, I enjoyed reading about the origins of many of the customers, words and traditions we now have. FOR EXMAPLE: Wedding cakes.

Rating:
Summary: A major disappointment
Review: I looked forward to this book because I love the city of London and I enjoyed "Sarum" (didn't read Russka). But gor blimey, this book just plods along! The characters are tissue thin and if he didn't keep bringing up the webbed toes and big noses, etc., I couldn't have kept anyone straight