London

The Novel

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

"A tour de force...London tracks the history of the English capital from the days of the Celts until the present time.... Breathtaking." - The Orlando Sentinel

Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.

©1998 Edward Rutherfurd (P)2018 Random House Audio

My 3rd brilliant novel by author

I fell in love with Serum many years ago. Recently I listened to Edward Rutherfurd’s New York, which was truly wonderful. This novel is a sweeping epic about London.
This book was different from New York because London is an ancient city. But it is still just as fascinating and well written as the other Rutherfurd books I’ve read/listened to.
Andrew Wincott is a talented narrator who brings this book to life.
I am so happy I’ve rediscovered this author after so many years. I plan to listen to Russka next, plus I already have the Ireland books in my library when I’m done with the next novel!

Good history lesson!

Great story of how London became what we see today! Well worth the listen. Rutherfurd never disappoints

Good book, but with a glaring omission

I enjoyed listening to this book. I gave it four stars though because I think that a historical fiction book happening in London and spanning two millennia cannot be complete without at least a chapter on World War 1.

First 2 chapters...almost gave up

This started very slow and I almost gave up. Then the characters developed and the story started moving quickly. By chapter 4 I waa totally hooked and recommended this book many times. Was actually sad to get to the end....I loved living IN London, if only in a book.

Unexpected delight

This style of novel is such a rare find… a saga of families and human choices interwoven with the consequences of even trivial happenings. I loved every minute of it. Well-written, of course, with immaculate balance of plot, setting and character, verdant language and lovely narration.

Superb

Can’t rate this highly enough Fantastic on all counts: historically, narration, story. Just get it.

Classic, Excellent Edward Rutherford

Classic Edward Rutherford, narrated to perfection. Sometimes hard to follow the families from the dawn of England through the present day.

Historical fiction marathon - not a sprint

Rarely ever riveting but tremendous walk thru of London if you are a historical fiction fan.

Great historical fiction

I really liked this book and have since purchased a few other books by Rutherfurd. The novel runs the entire history of London from pre-Roman times to modern day (although the meat of the book focuses on up to Victorian times.) The author explores the changes in London’s different social classes through the experiences of seven families who climb and fall the social ladder over the years and tend to bump into and marry each other repeatedly. The book is also a pretty hefty one at over 1,000 pages. I started on audio book and then bought the physical book because I found it hard to keep track of the families. (Note: there is a family tree at the beginning of the book and you can just google it if you choose the audio version.) Each family has a specific physical or personality trait that is used to identify them prior to their name being mentioned. For example, one family tends to have a patch of white in their hair and webbed fingers. This works but takes a while to catch on.

The story winds through major historical events like the great fire and the bombing of London in the Second World War. It also contains encounters with lots of significant historical figures such as Henry the VIII and Shakespeare.

Living in London currently, I found this a really interesting way to explore some of the city’s history while getting a fun narrative at the same time. I am going to read “New York” next.

Absolutely fascinating

loved every moment. throughly enthralled by the historical detail. especially the building and expansion of London