London
5 Reviews
London
- New
- Mint Condition
- Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
- Guaranteed packaging
- No quibbles returns
Rating: 
(out of 58 reviews)
List Price: £8.99
Price: £4.46
LONDON: Galago Maholi, Regent's Park, antique print, 1866
 | US $15.94 End Date: Tuesday Feb-07-2012 4:35:00 PST Buy It Now for only: US $15.94 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $1.97 End Date: Tuesday Feb-07-2012 4:35:01 PST Buy It Now for only: US $1.97 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
5 Responses
Weather
-
Clear
2°C
-
Wed
2/-1
-
Thu
2/-2
-
Fri
5/-5
Review by Anonymous for London
Rating:
In this dazzling epic, Edward Rutherfurd engages our attention through the fortunes of several families who cover the social spectrum, including tradespeople, outcasts, aristocracy, artists. We follow the triumphs and tragedies of the Duckets, Barnikels, Flemings, Doggets, Merediths, and Silversleeves through sixteen centuries. Taking as his starting point the moment when the Thames estuary was carved out of a prehistoric land mass, Rutherfurd interweaves landmark historical events with his characters’ lives. The colourful tapestry is enriched by the inclusion of real characters, including Henry II, Chaucer, Grinling Gibbons, Sir Christopher Wren, Tompion the watchmaker, etc. The amount of information – historical, sociological, cultural, technological, architectural, financial – is staggering. Yet it never detracts from the story. There are marriages, affairs, deceptions, murders, tragedies, all working within the developing topography and life of London. From the first Thamesside settlements to the thriving metropolis of today, each universe is brilliantly evoked. Each moment, whether Roman, Tudor, Victorian, is filled with integrity and develops into a compelling and coherent narrative. This book does for London what Jostein Gaarder’s “Sophies’s World” did for philosophy.
Review by for London
Rating:
I have just finished reading London for the second time – I feel exactly as I did the first time almost in mourning as I feel the characters were my personal friends. Like other reviewers of this novel I feel I have learnt so much about the History of My City – no matter how useless the information it was something I didn’t know before – I truly love this book and it is one of my All Time Great reads. I recommend it to everyone I meet who likes a good read and I defy anyone who loves to get involved in a book not to enjoy it.
Review by P. MARSTON for London
Rating:
If you have a short attention span then this may not be for you. Rutherford’s style is distinct but in a story made ou of so many stories rarely does it feel as if he is repeating himself. This is not serious history, this is very well written historical fiction. It is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to learn about London’s glorious and inglorious history. From little details like how streets and areas got their names to piesces of historical fact that were nearly forgotten. A very enjoyable read that should keep you going for some time.
Review by for London
Rating:
I have just finished reading London for the second time – I feel exactly as I did the first time almost in mourning as I feel the characters were my personal friends. Like other reviewers of this novel I feel I have learnt so much about the History of My City – no matter how useless the information it was something I didn’t know before – I truly love this book and it is one of my All Time Great reads. I recommend it to everyone I meet who likes a good read and I defy anyone who loves to get involved in a book not to enjoy it.
Review by Darren Simons for London
Rating:
This was the first Edward Rutherfurd book I read and I was initially apprehensive at the vast number of pages it contain – over 1300 in fact! The book describes itself as a fictional biopic of London and that’s exactly what it is, but the way in which it’s done is quite superb, far better than I’d expected, and very much the formula used by Rutherfurd for his other books of different places.At the front of the book, a family tree is shown detailing generations paths of five or six families over the path of the two thousand years covered by the book and the way in which they are related at various times (this in itself made me wonder what sort of book this would be as it looked as if the book would be remarkably difficult to follow). The book is structured as a number of relatively short stories at a specific period of time, such as when the Tower of London is built, the Fire of London, The Globe theatre and Shakespeare, The Blitz and many others. In each of these chapters you are introduced to a new set of characters who invariably inherit some of their ancestor’s attributes, such as a white streak of hair or webbed hands. You also see the rivalries and hatred shared by these families, covering all classes in the English system at the time of each chapter.The book is superbly researched and incredibly well written, and I found that I’d actually got through the book far quicker than I’d expected without at any time feeling I was reading something equivalent to War and Peace. This is a definite recommendation from me, particularly if you’re interested in the history of London and keen to read about it in a relatively easy manner.