Rating: 
Summary: A Treasure!
Review: Don't let the length of this book put you off, it is very well written and a pleasure to read. Starting with the conquest of Britain by Julius Caesar to the present (1997), this book will captivate you all along the way. My only complaint (small at that) is the fact that in the later years (1750 and beyond), the author doesn't spend as much time as in the earlier years and you don't get the same detail and feel as earlier in the book. It is hard at times to follow who's who, but the charts in the front of the book are great aides and despite the fact that chapters often jump hundreds of years, overall the book flows well. Well worth your time!
Rating: 
Summary: weak story
Review: For somebody that has read James A. Michener's great Novels, say "Texas" or "Alaska", Rutherfurd's stile of telling the story about London is familiar. The fates of families are interwoven with the course of history. However, compared to Michener, Rutherfurd is a weak narrator. The characters are flat and the familiy resemblances ridiculous. Over the course of 2000 years, all male members of one family have a white streak of hair on their forehead, while members of one other family speak always the truth, or are red-headed, etc. The whole story is packed with cliches. The course of the story often is so unbelievable as to be funny. As for historic accuracy, important events are touched, but never explained in any detail or accuracy. Any 150 page schoolbook about English history provides the reader with more information. I read the first 400 pages or so and then gave up. It's just too boring. If you like this way of writing about history, then go for one of Michener's books. He does the same thing, but much better.
Rating:
Summary: Big Honking History Stew
Review: Michener's readers know the problem well. Too much history and it's not good fiction; too much fiction and it's unsatisfying history. Rutherford's solution is to write large sprawling works that are really short story cycles. In Sarum, he pulled it off beautifully, with nicely linked tales that added up to a greater whole. Ruska didn't quite make it, and ultimately comes across as barely related short stories featuring characters with recycled names.London splits the difference. Not quite as tightly woven as sarum, but with more unity than Ruska, this series of tales builds a detailed and impressive picture of London through the centuries. It's peopled with a multitude of nicely drawn characters who show their family ties and wear their family history well. Rutherford has a particularly fine eye for geography and architecture, and while it may seem that the story occasionally sags while we take a short travelogue, it's this attention to detail that is one of the book's great pleasures. And Rutherford saves a neat little plotting device (reminiscent of Michener's Centennial) to give some closure to the whole thing. Think of the city as the main character, keep one finger on the page with the character's family trees (but try not to peek ahead!) and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: Repeated beatings with a stick to the head are more fun than reading this novel. I had to read Rutherford's other novel, Sarum, for History class and experienced the same results. The scenes in London become dull and repetative after the first 300 pages or so(there are 1,100 all together).
Rating:
Summary: good as historical fiction goes
Review: This was my first experience with historical fiction of such epic sweep. I confess I stopped reading about 200 pages from the end, when the Industrial Revolution was getting started, but that shouldn't reflect badly on the author. There is nothing especially inspired or brilliant in this novel, but it's a good rollicking read and makes the city of London come alive as an organic, dynamic being--quite a transformation from a sleepy fishing village in the first chapter to the sprawling, unstoppable monster that blackens the air in the 19th century. I was a little impatient with the exceptionally long chapter on the 14th century (Black Death era), but I do not claim to be a fan of the medieval period. Great men and women of history make very few, and fleeting appearances, in this book; it is much more about ordinary families--so be prepared for some not-terribly-flamboyant characters. The tone is optimistic and almost bubbly throughout, and Rutherfurd is definitely partial to the idea that people never really change over centuries. No chapter stands out above or below the others, and a reasonably fluid narrative is maintained. If you don't like the beginning, I would advise you to stop reading immediately, because it won't "pick up" or accelerate in pace. However, if you are looking for a light, descriptive tour of the history of London, you're in luck.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but predictable
Review: I enjoyed London much more in its early stages - while the families and their predicaments truly fascinated me and held my interest as they interwove with the historical aspects. After about 600 pages, however, the constant repetition of families, characteristics, and the way their surroundings affected them began to lose their initial thrill to me. I finished the book and still have good feelings for it, but the novelty definitely wore off after a bit.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Historical Novel of the History of London
Review: The epic historical novel is back! It is not without cause that Rutherfurd has been described as the British Mitchener, and this novel, London, is of the same great tradition. At several hundred pages long this book is, if nothing else, simply great value for money! However, it's length should not in any way make this novel daunting. It's epic scope, charting the history and growth of one of the world's great cities, could hardly have been written in 220 pages! Rutherfurd has cut his mammoth novel into very manageable and logical chunks by chapter, and this aids digestion considerably. As a graduate student of history I appreciated Rutherfurd's immense research and attention to detail. Reading this book made me feel as if the writing of it must have been the easiest part -- the research involved must have been enormous. Cleverly written, London's history is chronicled via various families and their intersecting stories. The family trees and timeline at the beginning of the book are invaluable! This enables the reader to identify with the changing of the characters that take place as time advances. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and heartily recommend it to any lover of good quality historical fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Splendidly Researched and Wonderfully Written
Review: Splendid! Well Done! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Over the past five years I have had the pleasure of living in London for several weeks each year. This novel gave me a greater appreciation for this magnificent city as well as the men, women, and children who built it. As a student of history, I have always felt that it would be fascinating to have a glimpse into the hearts and minds of my Norman English ancesters. In a sense, this book gave me that opportunity.
Rating: 
Summary: Where are all the Women?
Review: London is the type of book that I generally love. However, I find many missing elements in the book, namely - women. Where the author is very meticulous with most details, he seems to skip important events where the central players are women. Henry II made an excellent marrige... never mentioned to whom! Only one of the most famous women who ever lived in England. This is aparant all over the novel and I was sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Historical Fiction
Review: Edward Rutherford is the British James Michener! Now he just has to do "Paris" and "Rome"! If you have been to London you will love it more after reading this book, and if you haven't been, you will want to go. Facinating history, story, and characters!
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