Sarum

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Roger Davis

The towering story of five families through 100 centuries of turmoil, tyranny, passion and prosperity from Edward Rutherfurd, the author of London, Russka and New York.

In a novel of extraordinary richness the whole sweep of British civilisation unfolds through the story of one place, Salisbury, from beyond recorded time to the present day. The landscape - as old as time itself - shapes the destinies of the five families.

The Wilsons and the Shockleys, locked in a cycle of revenge and rivalry for more than 400 years. The Masons, who pour their inspired love of stone into the creation of Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. The Porters, descended from a young Roman soldier in exile. And the aristocratic Norman Godefrois, who will fall to the very bottom of the social ladder before their fortunes revive.

©2011 Edward Rutherford (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

POV makes the saga

We may be familiar with the historical facts. However, I never considered. The daily life of people living with different religions and rulers in each era. Wealth and power comes and goes. A series of vignettes tied together by family trees.

Informative

Entertaining yet informative. Contains a vast time span. Factual details that provides a knowledgeable amount of information

Long but very worth it

Great book, well read and written. I had read Pillars of the earth and it was cool seeing the overlap in the stories.

Very well written story of England

The narrator has an enchanting way of telling the story. Very realistic en lively historic novel on ancient England.
Loved it!

Superb

I read the book twice and now listening to it was a delight. A wonderful story and a trip through time in England. One of my favorite novels.

The rich history

My fifth time to listen to this wonderful book since it first came out. I’ve since visited the area twice and it’s so rich in history.

Excellent trip through history!

What a wonderful trip through time! Characters bring to life the history of Salisbury Plain, from the end of the Ice Age to 1985. Anyone who has ever visited Stonehenge or Salisbury Cathedral can instantly place themselves in the story. It was long, but not too long. I was quite disappointed that it ended. I was sure that it couldn’t possibly be finished already.

The reader was quite engaging. Her pronunciation of foreign words was very good. I do have to say that I am quite unused to the British pronunciation of some words, like grimACE, instead of GRIMace. Overall, the production was excellent.

I am only sorry about one thing, which I will remedy when I relisten to this epic. I will have a pencil and much paper so that I can make family trees, noting physical and personal characteristics of the members of the families, as well as dates and historical occurrences. Then I will be able to see connections which I only inferred from memory.

Thank you for sharing this trip through history. I heartily endorse this Audiobook.

Excellent listen!!

Well done all the way around. I learned so much and enjoyed the storylines. Thank you!

Awesome journey through time

Like the books London and New York I enjoyed following the families and other characters through time. The blend of historical fact and memorable characters and scenes made Old and New Sarum come alive. I especially enjoyed the journey to Sarum, the master stone cutter and priests in the building of Stonehenge, Osmund Mason’s craftsmanship in the building of Salisbury cathedral and Margaret and Jane’s fortitude.

Long Story but Worthwhile Listening

An ingenious blend of history and fiction that kept my attention. The reading was stage quality but the reader dipped into low volume speech at times making listening a bit difficult. He could then get quite loud making comfortable volume setting a challenge. From what I already knew about English history I think the representation was fairly accurate. Corn however has not been grown there for thousands of years. Maize was a gift from the New World. Nonetheless I recommend this enchanting listen and am pleased that I completed it.