Sarum

The Novel of England

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

In Sarum, Edward Rutherfurd weaves a compelling saga of five English families whose fates become intertwined over the course of centuries. While each family has its own distinct characteristics, the successive generations reflect the changing character of Britain. We become drawn not only into the fortunes of the individual family members, but also the larger destinies of each family line.

Meticulously researched and epic in scope, Sarum covers the entire sweep of English civilization: from the early hunters and farmers, the creation of Stonehenge, the dawn of Christianity, and the Black Death; through the Reformation, the wars in America, the Industrial Age, and the Victorian social reforms; up through the World War II invasion of Normandy and the modern-day concerns of a once-preeminent empire.

©1987 Edward Rutherfurd (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Nadia May is ideal; her British accents fit the locale, and her pacing and characterizations are smooth, unobtrusive and compelling. The ease of her reading leads the listener to forget she is there, the sign of the perfect narrator.” ( AudioFile)

must love Wanda

(aka Doneda Peters and Nadia May) because you'll be listening to so much of her here - and from reading reviews of other books she's narrated, listeners usually have a love or hate relationship with her. She has an older-style narration (Talking Books) and she shines in classics with multiple-claused sentences and in nonfiction. I love her, and that was the tipping point for this download for me -- because although I love historical fiction, I usually can't stand anything earlier than early a 19th century setting.

I really didn't expect to like this novel - I thought it a good value for listening and learning while I did chores, etc.- but I VERY much enoyed the listen too. It's not a Ken Follet page turner, but I think the details will linger in a listener's mind more than those from a potboiler. Rutherford knits together a unique novel-docudrama

He does take century long leaps in time and in conjecture, but after about ten hours of listening, this starts to seem natural! I did not experience the technical glitches mentioned by other reviewers, BUT it does sound like an older quality recording (back when Wanda was getting paid about $15 a hour).

So know what you're getting before you hit "cart" -- or like me, if you have days to fill with listening, take a chance in case you too will be pleasantly surprised.

entertaining and educational

Very long, detailed historical fiction, brought fully to life by wonderful reading! Accents, character mannerisms, male vs female voices, old vs young, all quite believable,

Excellent story and history lesson!

This book was such an excellent story. It made me so much want to visit that part of England. I love the way the author creates such a sense of continuity through the ages. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

I think

This may actually read better than it is listened to..
Or I may need to re-listen
It's a great idea for a story and overall a good book but easy to lose attention to due to the length
Will come back to it and listen a second time

I think Ken Follett already wrote this

A good enough book but it reads like a Ken Follett novel, which is not my favorite thing in the world.

Great historical fiction

The beginning took me a minute Once I started following the story it was hard to stop. Great story, information and performance.

Probably would have been better to read this

Would you listen to Sarum again? Why?

Possibly, just to understand the stories.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sarum?

What one character does when he realizes he has the plague.

Any additional comments?

I tend to listen to audiobooks when I am doing other things. This book is just so hard for me to get into. I think it would have been better if I read it. It is hard for me to follow names and stories by listening to this.

Good story

I liked story. wish it had more on other areas of England. also more on major kings and queens time not so much on their person.

Wonderful

A wonderful combination of history and fiction writing. I throughly enjoyed every moment.
The author, Edward Rutherfurd did an outstanding job with the enormous volume of British history while combining characters that captured each time period to flesh out and make human the occurrences in the timeline. As the author explained, there are historical changes made for the story's sake, so this is a novel that gives you the essence of the times and happenings and not a dry exact historical reference. Read, listen and enjoy the ride for pleasure. Wanda McCaddon is one of my favourite narrators, so thank you!

Great Book for an Historical Angliphile

Very interesting look at Salsbury a specific place in England from pre- history thru the mid 1900s. Written and performed, pleasantly during a journey thru time.