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London : The Novel

London : The Novel

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: i was blown away, and positively could not put it down.
Review: this is truly a good read. the pages almost turned themselves! mr. rutherfurd has a very real talent for taking the reader back through time, and he is able to cover a huge topic very satisfyingly. his characters seemed to come alive, and their stories are realistic. this book makes me want to go to london, so that i can visit the places he describes so vividly. i highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history with their fiction. i can guarantee that i will be purchasing and reading all of edward rutherfurd's other titles now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A century from now it will be a classic .
Review: London is the greatest book I've ever read! A century from now I'm sure it will be a classic of great literature - right up there with all the great old masters - Austen , the Brontes , Dumas , etc. Rutherford must have painstakingly researched English histiry and the particular history of the capital in order to give an accurate presentation of life in London from Celtic times through the time of the Tudors to WWII.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Enjoyable way to experience the flow of London history
Review: This was a fun and enjoyable book to read over my holiday break (10 days or so, although I suppose had I not had a large chunk of time to read it, it might have dragged a bit.) The best aspect of this book for me was that it was such a terrific way to get a whole picture of England's history, particularly that of London, through lively characters and compelling narration. I have visited England before and thought I had a good comprehension of its history, but this novel really brought continuity and flow as well as fascinating bits of new information to my understanding of it. A definitely good read for history buffs and Anglophiles. Made me want to visit London again and read even more English history!

I was a bit disappointed about the lack of emphasis on the most recent of history, but I suppose the global- rather than merely local-reaching events (e.g. -- colonization) of recent British history may have been a reason why in his novel Rutherford decides to deemphasize their importance to London, herself (or perhaps scares him off from really doing recent London history justice. Maybe two volumes would have been better.) Characters weren't extremely developed either, but I was more interested in their use to illustrate Lady London's fascinating tale. Also, trying to keep all the family histories straight was trying, and I wish there had been even more maps and more detail to them. Nevertheless, well attempted!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Now I finally understand...
Review: As a student who's lived in the United Kingdom, I've taken loads of history courses on Britain without understanding one iota of it. Thanks to Rutherford, I finally do. Rutherford takes the great events of English history, focuses them in London (one could say the two are inseparable) and forges a cast of engaging characters the readers learn to care about. Loved the progression from ancient to modern times - well done indeed! As a student of history, I've always thought that history comes alive when we understand the daily lives and culture of various periods we study. I haven't read a more compelling novel rich in history since Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth." I highly recommend it to anybody who's interested in England or interesting in traveling there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The most engaging historical novel I've ever have read!
Review: I've been in London many times during the years, and enjoyed it. But now I'll see it with a more interesting angle. I looking forward to my next visit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Now I want to visit London!
Review: Roll over, James Michener! Edward Rutherfurd has written an engaging historical novel about a great city. His characters are interesting and it's always fun to see them interact with Chaucer, Shakespeare, Henry VIII etc. Don't be put off by the length; this is definitely a page-turner. Now I want to read more about London, and to visit.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Average
Review: As an ex-pat Londoner I was interested to read this book, if only for nostalgic reasons. As a look at the development of the city it could have been quite interesting. However, I found the extremely brief glimpses into what were essentially flat characters lives very irritating. Especially hard to swallow was the repeated interaction of two or three family lines with the great figures of history, I mean Chaucer as godfather?? I finally gave up when Shakespeare entered the picture. It was just too much. To encompass the entire rich and varied history of a city such as London is a massive task, one not satisfactorily completed here. I'm not sure that it could be done.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Amazing accoplishment!
Review: A wonderful presentation of London's history through the lives of complex and intriguing characters. Through the ages the story of London grows with the exitement and interest of the reader. A beautiful book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT BOOK IF YOU LOVE LONDON
Review: As a latin american that loves London, Rutherfurd4s book was a fantastic way of reviewing the history of one of the greatest cities on earth. The style of the book is wonderfull and the fact that is divided in short chapters for each period of english history makes it really fun and easy to read. It can be recommended to almost any reader; even to one that is not used to read in english, like my self.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: enlightening
Review: As a lover of historical novels, I can say that this one makes the muddle of British history very clear. I loved it. It was very long, but well worth the read.


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